Can you really have a healthy Halloween without feeling like you’re missing out?
Sticking to your health goals when bite-sized candies and sweets seem to be everywhere makes Halloween an especially tricky time of the year.
You may feel like you need to turn down every apple spice donut, pumpkin cookie, or candy corn kernel that crosses your path. Or hit the gym extra hard the next day if you decide to indulge.
But we’re here to happily share our favorite ways to enjoy the delicious flavors of the autumn season and celebrate Halloween smarter.
What Does It Mean to Have a Healthy Halloween?
Having a healthy Halloween doesn’t mean depriving yourself of things that make spooky season special. Nor does it mean gorging yourself on candy for one night only before getting back on track November 1st.
A healthy Halloween is all about moderation. It’s about knowing how to celebrate without ruining all your hard work.
Deprivation and restriction will only make your cravings worse. And if you don’t have a plan to satisfy these holiday hankerings, you may start indulging recklessly and spiral way off your healthy course.
So if you really want to keep up with your health goals (go, you!), use these:
5 Easy Tips for a Healthy Halloween
These strategies will give you the freedom and flexibility to enjoy the Halloween foods you love without derailing your progress:
1. Find Better-for-You Versions of Your Favorites
The first easy thing you can do to have a healthy Halloween is to ditch the junk.
We’re talking chemical ingredients, harmful food colors and dyes, and other crappy ingredients lurking in most commercial candy.
Some of these Frankenstein ingredients have the power to ramp up cravings, making it nearly impossible to stop at just one bite.
That’s why a great strategy is to steer clear of traditional candies and sweets packed with these self-sabotaging chemicals.
Opt for organic versions with small ingredient lists instead. Bonus points if you find options made from whole-food sources.
These treats won’t contain those unnecessary additives, preservatives, or mystery concoctions. So they’ll do less damage to your body while helping you scratch that itch.
2. Enjoy Your Candy After You’ve Had Protein and Fiber
Another important tip is to avoid having candy or sweets on an empty stomach.
Doing so is a surefire way to send your blood sugar through the roof, which can cause you to crave even more sugary foods. You’ll also beeline to the eventual sugar crash much sooner.
Having a meal packed with protein and fiber can mitigate the inevitable blood sugar spike. These nutrients digest slower, giving your body time to process that fun-size candy without shooting it straight into your system.
3. Fill Up on Protein and Fiber Before You Head Out
Whether you plan to trick or treat with your family or have a Halloween party lined up, it’s best to enjoy a meal with protein and fiber before heading out.
Going out on an empty stomach and being surrounded by candy and sweets makes it extremely tough to enjoy just one or two treats and stop there.
Before you know it, your dinner becomes two chocolate bars, a handful of candy corn, and a cupcake.
On the other hand, eating a meal rich in protein and fiber will fill you up before those sneaky treats trick your senses. You’ll feel satisfied enough to enjoy just one or two of your favorite indulgences without going overboard.
At the very least, grab a protein bar to nosh on as you head out if a full meal isn’t an option.
4. Choose Chocolate Over Candy
With sugar-based candies, you’re essentially delivering a straight shot of sugar to your system, which no one needs. These candies are entirely devoid of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and all the other things normally found in your healthy diet.
On the flip side, chocolate has a few redeeming qualities -- especially dark chocolate. It contains less sugar than milk chocolate and even boasts a bit of protein, fat, magnesium, and antioxidants.
Even better? Many high-quality, lower-sugar chocolates also add healthy fats from nuts, coconut, seeds, and nut butters. These all help slow down the blood sugar spike and satisfy your appetite.
5. Put That Sugar To Good Use
Do something active for at least 10 minutes after indulging in a sweet treat.
Take your dog for a walk, do some chores around the house, dance to your favorite monster mash mix -- just get your heart rate up and tell your body to use that sugar ASAP.
You can’t erase that sugar from your system, but you can improve how your body reacts to it, so it doesn’t stick around.
If you decide to plop on the couch with a tub of pumpkin ice cream instead, your body will have no choice but to store all those unused calories as fat.
We think we know which route you’d prefer.
Excited to Have a Healthy Halloween This Year? Us Too!
Gone are the days of Halloween FOMO. You can have your candy and reach your health goals too.
Simply follow the tips in this article, and you’ll delight in a healthy Halloween without stalling your progress to do so.
Start here: Rise above your sweet-tooth cravings by stashing a clean protein bar within reach throughout spooky season. 🎃
Author: Devan Ciccarelli
Email: devan@behappynothangry.com
Instagram/Facebook Group: @behappynothangry/Be Happy Not Hangry
Website: www.behappynothangry.com
