Tricks for Surviving Treat Season

by Michelle Sutton-Kerchner

Here are Halloween’s best tricks to curb cravings for treats …

It’s hard to be surrounded by plastic pumpkins brimming with Halloween candy. They pop up everywhere—offices, stores, reception areas, and homes. They leave a scary trail of empty wrappers in their vicinity, the post-sugar horrors of which weigh on your health-conscious mind.

Prepare

• 

  Keep healthy snacks with you at all times. You don’t want to get caught hungry with nothing to snack on but king-size peanut butter pumpkins.

• Fill a candy dish with nuts, dried fruit, or granola mix. Place fruit on the counter in festive bowls. Make it easy to grab a handful of healthy.
• Keep Halloween candy out of sight—preferably in an inconvenient location, like the basement or the top of your closet. This also assures there is some left for tick-or-treaters.

• 

  Stock up on fruits. Their natural sweetness can help combat sugar cravings.

• Studies indicate exercise is a great way to reduce appetite. Exercise can affect the body’s response to food cues. A good workout may help curb cravings. And, it definitely will burn calories when it does not.

On Halloween

• 

  Don’t skip your workout. Walking around all night with trick-or-treaters is not official exercise. The pace is often stalled by friendly banter or the occasional costume snag. Carrying around Spiderman for a few blocks does not qualify as strength training. As for being home to greet Halloween visitors (another top excuse), the Center is open early morning until late night. Surely, you can fit in non-goblin time!

• Before candy collecting and distribution begins, eat a healthful meal. Counteract upcoming splurges with plenty of vegetables and fruits, along with protein to keep stomachs full.
• Immediately remove disliked candy from the stash and those that contain allergens. Bag them separately and donate. Let children decide with whom they’d like to share their sweet treasure. Consider a food pantry, children’s home, or office staff.

• 

  Do your part. Get creative with Halloween treats. Distribute mini bags of pretzels or granola bars. Hit the discount store for small items like pencils, plastic rings, or erasers. Treats don’t have to be sweets.

• Wear comfortable, supportive shoes. You’ll be on the Halloween parade’s sidelines, standing at your front door, running after tots, or trekking through the neighborhood for that one special house. Tomorrow dawns with a new day’s fitness goals. You don’t want blisters or fatigue to keep you home, especially with those freshly stocked plastic pumpkins.

Sources

“Working Out Cuts Women’s Appetite,” by Mary Elizabeth Dallas at www.everydayhealth.com.

Image Credits

Trail mix: pixabay.com/en/trail-mix-sweet-candy-food-healthy-191814

Clementine: www.flickr.com/photos/oskay/4819558377

Related Articles:

• Quick Tips for a Healthy Halloween
• 4 Ways to Avoid the Halloween Sugar Rush
• Healthy Halloween & The Weeks to Follow
• A Fearless Halloween
• Goodbye to the Sugar High