Halloween or “spooky season” is a time filled with ghouls, costumes, fun makeup, candy, and other tricks and treats. It’s a time to treat yourself and enjoy, but how do you enjoy all the treats of Halloween without ghosting your healthy eating habits?
Eating healthy can be a trick that most of us will forget to pull during Halloween. It seems almost impossible to be able to go out with friends and family and not wake up haunted by your dietary choices of the night before. Did you know the average American will eat a scary total of five thousand calories the night of Halloween? That’s three thousand calories over the two thousand calories we need to stay at a healthy weight. So, how can avoid racking up calories while still having the most fun?
Let’s start with the number one culprit of overeating during Halloween, the candy. While it might be tempting to eat that full-sized bar of candy your best choice is the bite-size version of your all-time favorites. That being said just because they’re bite-sized snacks doesn’t mean they don’t count, be mindful and don’t grab more than five or six pieces of candy.
If you’re 21 and over your plans might revolve around going out for a night out in downtown, or for a bar crawl; alcohol might be your biggest problem of the night. Mixed drinks, pitchers and shots can have a lot of sneaky calories that will rack up your total calories for the day. A margarita or any other fruity cocktail can have up to 400 calories per glass. Some healthier alternatives that are still tasty can be vodka tonics, light beers, and shots with no syrups.
Non-alcoholic drinks like hot chocolate, pumpkin spiced lattes, soda, and different punches and juices also have a ton of calories as well. A healthier alternative to a cozy cup of hot chocolate can be almond milk or a homemade cacao powder hot chocolate mix. Sugar-free sodas or juices, alongside smaller cups, can help you enjoy your favorites as well.
Water can also be your best friend to control both your candy intake and your drink intakes. Having a glass of water after every drink, bite or snack can help you feel fuller faster instead of just snacking and drinking non-stop.
Being mindful of the calories you have left over by the time you trick or treating, partying or going to a Halloween movie marathon will help you find the best strategy for you. But, most importantly have fun! Enjoy yourself because like Winnifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus would say, “It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus.”