Halloween is a holiday for all things spooky. But there’s nothing quite as scary as the day after Halloween when the aftereffects of a sugar binge hit. This year, follow these tips for a more balanced approach when getting your candy fix.
4 Tips for a Healthier Halloween
- Moderate Candy Consumption: Enjoy your favorite treats in moderation. Instead of binging on candy, savor a few pieces mindfully.
- Get moving. Food is a favorite part of any celebration. But after indulging in all the candy, plan some fun family activities to get everyone active again. Plan a game of flashlight tag with the kids or take a walk around the block to check out others’ costumes and outdoor decorations.
- Offer candy alternatives. Instead of passing out only candy, fill your bucket with fun toys such as temporary tattoos, bubbles, bouncy balls and stickers. Or get creative and pass out mini variety boxes of cereal and color-changing spoons. This way you can still participate in trick-or-treating but aren’t left with too many tempting treats at the end of the night.
- Stock up at the last minute. You can easily hide away candy from the kids in the house the weeks leading up to Halloween. The problem is you know where the secret stash is. To prevent raiding your own stockpile, avoid buying candy until right before your festivities.
The Sugar Sabotage
Your body digests and absorbs added sugars quickly. This can give you a rush of endorphins and an immediate boost of energy. While it feels good for a while, the problem is that simple sugars raise your level of triglycerides (blood fats). High levels of triglycerides may be linked to heart disease, fatty liver and diabetes.
Added sugars may not always be easy to spot. Watch for these tricky sources of added sugars:
- Corn syrup
- Corn sweetener
- Fruit juice concentrates
- Malt sugar
- Molasses
- Sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose)
For a steady release of energy and more nutrients in your diet, enjoy sugar in moderation, but mostly stick to complex carbohydrates. You can get these from legumes, starchy vegetables and whole grains.
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[Sources:]
dietaryguidelines.gov, eatright.org, heart.org, heart.org, heart.org, kidshealth.org, history.com, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, jumpstartmd.com, cdc.org