How to Curb Your Halloween Candy Cravings
Pumpkins, scary movies, sweaters, crisp leaves, and candy are all Halloween essentials. While a staple of Halloween, Halloween candy is still candy. Allowing yourself a piece or two of your favorite sweet is not going to ruin your diet or cause you to gain a few pounds, but if you find your wrappers stacking up after absent-mindedly snacking on leftover candy while at work or watching TV you may need to take a few steps to curb your candy cravings.
Use these four methods to avoid temptation and stay in control of your sweet tooth.
Prepare yourself
Halloween candy is notoriously bite-sized, which makes it all the more alluring. Eating small pieces or bite-sized candy bars does not feel as fattening, but small candy is still an indulgence, just with more permissibility. Meaning you may justify yourself eating far more candy than you realize because the smaller size creates a sort of rationalization to allowing yourself to eat the candy in the first place.
Instead of grabbing a handful of small candy bars, allow yourself one and have a snack of almonds and raisins with it. The nuts and dried fruit will still give you a crunch and sweetness, but without all of the processed or added sugar. If you know you are the type of person that cannot have just one of something, skip the candy and go straight for the nuts and dried fruit.
Avoid temptation
Prepare for that dreaded candy dish at work by having healthy snacks nearby. Examples of healthy snacks are grapes and frozen banana slices. These will both satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you occupied for a while.
If your healthy alternatives do not deter you from diving into that candy bowl, keep the wrappers on your desk. This will provide you with a visual reminder of the treats you already allowed yourself and will hopefully ward off future temptation.
Watch out for candy in the home
If you plan on handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, wait until the day before or day of to buy the candy. This will reduce the temptation to grab a piece every time you walk past the bag. If you buy it early, store it in a place where you will not see it often.
Be selective
If you do choose to indulge in a piece of candy or two, opt for dark chocolate. It has twice the amount of antioxidants as milk-based chocolate. Higher percentages of cocoa also mean there is less added sugar, and it contains flavonol, which some research has shown can lower blood pressure. Moderation is still key, however.