A few days from now, streets are going to be flooded with monsters and characters demanding tribute, otherwise, they will wreak havoc on your yard. No, it’s not the apocalypse. It’s just a bunch of trick or treaters – kids dressed up as monsters or heroes shaking their candy bags or pumpkin pails in your face hoping to get some candy.

Ah, candy… who doesn’t love them? Even grown-ups don’t outgrow their love for candy. Halloween brings much joy with candies and costumes and scary movies. And the day after is even better, since all the candy is now on sale! Hurray for sweet tooths all over the world.

While it’s not a good idea to binge on Halloween candy, we can’t help but nick some from the Halloween loot pile. You could say that you’re helping your kids out of getting diabetes or tooth decay by eating half the calories and the sugar out of the trick or treat bucket. But if you’re trying to make healthier choices for you and your family, here are some tips of which to eat moderately and which Halloween treat to avoid.

Almond M&M’s over Plain ones:
Almonds are filled with antioxidants, Vit. E, and fiber. The almonds in M&Ms displace the sugar and carbs in plain M&Ms which are more sugar and carb dense since they’re pure milk chocolate coated in a colored sugar shell.

Anything Dark Chocolate:
Dark chocolate contains more antioxidants and heart-healthy compound than regular milk chocolate. The darker it is, the better it is for your health. Look for dark chocolate with almonds to amp the nutritional value.

Hard candies:
I’m sure your kids will sort through them anyway, but hard candies are better for you than toffee, caramels, or eclairs. They last longer and contain less sugar than their chewy counterparts.

Fun sized candy vs full sized ones:
This is a no-brainer, fun-sized bars have fewer calories and sugar because they’re smaller. It’s hard to gauge serving size with a full sized bar – you’d have to look at the back to see exactly how many blocks or squares constitute for a single serving. It’s easy to scarf down the whole thing. Fun size bars are most likely to be portioned into single serving sizes. You could even eat 2 and still be within serving size.

Real fruit instead of fruit rolls or dried fruit:
The drying process or the process of turning it into rolls can take out some of the fruits volatile nutrients like Vit. C. Dried fruit also has a higher concentration of sugar and so has a higher glycemic index. There’s also a higher chance you could overeat since these fruit rolls or dried fruit are more compact and no one ever stops at just one right? You’re better off eating fresh fruit to get all the nutrients and for better portion control.

What’s your favorite Halloween candy? Why? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help