Showing posts with label halloween candy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween candy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Wellness Wednesday: Halloween Survival
- First and foremost, if you buy candy for trick-or-treaters purchase something you know you won’t eat! Better yet, get some odd novelty-candy that is disgustingly sour or involves a two-part eating process like dipping hard candy into a vile powder-mixture. Kids love weird candy. Adults love yummy candy. Think like a kid.
- Don’t buy candy needed for trick-or-treaters until Halloween day. You might have to spend an extra dollar or two waiting until the last minute but do you really want to hear the candy calling to you from above the refrigerator or in the back of the pantry for two weeks prior to Halloween?
- Once you’re in your PJ’s and have given up on answering the doorbell, leave left over candy on the front porch for teenagers to greedily scoop-up. If there is still some left in the morning, toss it in the trash. Don’t bring it into work or give it to a neighbor. Everyone is trying to cut back on sugar and no one likes a pusher. It may seem wasteful to throw it out but ask yourself who benefits by keeping it in the house.
- Before buying candy for Halloween, know what you are going to purchase prior to even entering the store. Standing in front of the wall-o-candy trying to decide what to get primes your palate and gives your brain plenty of time to come up with some creative rationalizations for selecting your favorites.
- When your kids come home with pillowcases full of candy, have them dump it out, do their exchange (remember that fun negotiation process?), and then ask them to put all the candy they don’t like in a pile. Yes, you will be surprised to find out that kids can be pretty picky when it comes to candy. Toss the dislike pile immediately. You have now probably reduced the amount of candy in the house by half.
- As a parent, you know how to monitor your child’s candy intake. However, if candy is a trigger food for you and guilt precludes you from setting boundaries on your child’s candy consumption, remind yourself that you are doing the entire family a service by setting limits. Children eat, on average, 32 teaspoons of sugar a day. Add Halloween candy to their diet and you are doubling and tripling that average. A few treats are plenty (that’s why we call them treats). Your kids won’t be scarred for life if they get a few less candy bars…that’s my predication anyway.
- If you want to avoid candy altogether, I suggest some fun, inexpensive toys that you can buy in bulk from online companies like Orientaltrading.com. Avoid giving out pennies or apples, unless you want your house egged. Spider rings and mini-bubbles are always a hit.
[caption id="attachment_8853" align="alignright" width="420"]
Me as a Smurf[/caption]With the candy in check, have fun and email me photos of you and your kids in your Halloween costumes. It makes me happy!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Healthy Halloween Treats
Halloween is approaching. All of the spooky decorations, fun pumpkin patches, and creative costumes are in full effect! We are in for a real treat this year! Speaking of treats… how does your favorite Halloween candy treat stack up against the rest?
Below is a list of popular “fun-size” Halloween candy nutrition:
Candy | Calories | Fat grams |
Butterfinger | 83 | 4 |
Reese’s PB Cup | 110 | 4.5 |
Twix | 120 | 3 |
Raisinet’s | 63 | 2.4 |
Skittles | 80 | .8 |
Candy-Corn | 50 | 0 |
Starburst | 60 | .8 |
Warning: Despite low fat grams and calories, these treats are loaded with sugar!
Despite the low calorie count on these small treats remember how quickly the calories will add up. To avoid tempting yourself, avoid candy in your house all together. Rather than passing out candy to your trick-or-treaters maybe try healthier options instead. (I promise the kids will not T.P. (toilet paper) your home later as payback, these ideas are AWESOME!).
Treat | Calories | Fat grams |
Apples | 90 | 0 |
All Natural Fruit Leather | 81 | 1.2 |
Granola Bars | 120 | 4 |
Halloween toys (bouncy eyeballs) | Fun! | Fun! |
Raisins | 80 | 0 |
Bubbles | Fun! | Fun! |
Plastic vampire teeth (Awesome!) | Fun! | Fun! |
Mini bottles of water | Hydrating! | Hydrating! |
Glow sticks | Fun! | Fun! |
Crayons | Fun! | Fun! |
Single unsweetened applesauce | 50 | 0 |
The holiday should really be more about enjoying fall weather, spending time with friends and family, spooky movies, and festive costumes. Check out Lisette's Halloween Survival Guide for more healthy Halloween tips. Happy Halloween!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Ask the Expert: Halloween Candy
Q: With Halloween this weekend – I know I will want to splurge a little and enjoy a few of my favorite sweet treats. What are the best options when deciding on which candy to savor and which to skip?
A: What’s Halloween without the candy? And what’s candy without the ghoulish amounts of fat and sugar? Both of which inevitably wreak havoc on our waistline. Although candy has little, if any, redeeming nutritional value, don’t restrict it all together.
In preparation for this fun and festive holiday, it is important that you enjoy and restrict in moderation. In this situation, it is important to have a plan. Thus, which candies are “unwise, better, best”, as Bob Wright would say? A recent study that I came across in “MyHealthNewsDaily”- MSNBC took at look at 37 of the most popular Halloween candies from Blow Pops to Skittles, Baby Ruths and 100 Grands. They reported on the five best and five worst based on their fat and sugar content. Take a look to see where your favorite candy landed on the list and then plan your Boo-licious holiday accordingly!
The Best:
1. Jolly Ranchers: Three of these hard candies have 70 calories, no fat and 11 grams of sugar. It's hard to do much better than that.
2. Blow Pops: This 18-gram candy-gum combo has 60 calories, no fat and 13 grams of sugar.
3. Gobstoppers: Nine pieces of this everlasting treat have 60 calories, no fat and 14 grams of sugar.
4. Pixy Stix: There are 60 calories, 0 grams of fat and 15 grams of sugar in seven straws of this fruit-flavored candy.
5. Candy corn: Nineteen pieces of this ultimate Halloween candy has 140 calories, no fat and 32 grams of sugar.
The Worst:
1. Mr. Goodbar: A 49-gram Mr. Goodbar will cost you 250 calories, 17 grams of fat (including seven grams of saturated fat) and 23 grams of sugar.
2. NutRageous: Another nutty candy, a 51-gram NutRageous bar, will run you 260 calories, 16 grams of fat (including five grams of saturated fat) and 22 grams of sugar.
3. Snickers: Maybe a Snickers bar really should be a meal on its own. A 59-gram bar has 280 calories, 14 grams of fat (including five grams of saturated fat) and 30 grams of sugar.
4. Baby Ruth: A 60-gram bar has 280 calories, 14 grams of fat (including 8 grams of saturated fat). It also has 33 grams of sugar, the second-highest sugar total among the candies examined, better only than a 60-gram 3 Musketeers candy bar that has 40 grams of sugar.
5. Mounds: The only candy on our "Worst 5" list to not have peanuts, a 49-gram bar of this coconut treat has 230 calories, 13 grams of fat and 21 grams of sugar. It also has 10 grams of saturated fat, the most of any of the 37 surveyed candies.
Where does your favorite Halloween candy land – the best or worst list?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Halloween Tricks or Treats
By: Callen, H3 Program Intern
Halloween can be a time of tricks or treats, when it comes to making healthy decisions. Candy and snacks of all sorts seem to litter the office space and home during this time of the year. How are you going to prepare yourself and your family for this time of year but still enjoy a few of your favorite tricks and treats?
Here are a few tips & ideas to make this time of year a “treat” and not a bag full of puzzling tricks:
Decide before you step in the door to say “no”. Many offices, homes and cubicles will have a bowl or bag of candy inviting you to indulge. Making a strong decision beforehand always seems to add some “bang” behind that willpower.
Keep someone else “in the know”. Let a supportive friend, spouse or co-worker know that Halloween can be a time of trickery for you. Tell them a few decisions you have made for the holiday. Verbalizing decisions is a helpful tactic to avoid messy slip-ups.
Have a tasty snack that makes you feel involved with the Halloween Festivities. So that you don’t feel left out on the Halloween “spirit”, grab an alternative “treat”. Here are a few treat ideas that will be sure to not trick you:
Apple Cinnamon Chocolate Treat
Grab a sandwich baggie and break up 2 apple cinnamon rice cakes and add a chopped up Fun-size Hershey’s Chocolate Bar for only 162 calories.
Jello Fat-free Chocolate Pudding cup
102 calories
H3’s Pumpkin Pie (1/8) – 155 calories
*Make a comment: Do you know of some other great low-calorie Halloween treats?
Remember to not feel guilty. If you have a piece or serving of candy, enjoy it! Yes, that is right, enjoy it! BUT keep in mind how many servings are in that “small” candy bag and how many calories it contains. Also, remember that candy will be around for a long time; therefore, don’t eat it like its going “out of style”.
Keep track. Have your handy food journal to keep track of your Halloween candy consumption. See the calorie content behind a few common Halloween candies and treats:
25 small jellybeans: 140 calories
20 pieces of candy corn: 100 calories
2 Brachs caramels: 80 calories
1 Hershey’s Kiss: 25 calories
1 Mini Tootsie Roll: 25 calories
1 Fun Size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, etc.): 80 calories
1 mini bite-size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc.): 55 calories
1 Fun Size M&M packet – Plain or Peanut: 90 calories
1 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: 33 calories
1 Full Size Hershey’s Chocolate Bar: 210 calories
1 Full Size Snicker’s Bar: 271 calories
1 King Size Butterfinger Bar: 480 calories
Apple Cider (Starbucks® Grande): 240 calories
1 Piece (1/8 of 9-in pie) Pumpkin Pie: 180 calories
*Check out caloriecount.about.com to find the caloric content of other favorite candy.
Remember the day isn’t over until your head hits the pillow. If the first part of your day seemed to be full of trickery (maybe you had your fair share of candy and snacks), don’t give up! You still have the rest of the day to make wise decisions. As Bob Wright puts it “Think of you days in halves.” So the first half was a major slip up, make the second half out-shine the first!
Keep yourself occupied with activities rather than food. Sometimes we eat several hundreds of calories because we are bored. During Halloween, there are many activities you could partake in to keep your mind and body occupied!
- Carve or paint a pumpkin
- Rake leaves
- Walk with the kids (or your neighborhood kids) when they “Trick or Treat”
- Volunteer your time at a local school’s Halloween Festivities
- Make a scare-crow (or other Halloween decoration)
- Take a hay-ride
- Apple Picking
Make a comment: What are you favorite Halloween activities that keep you busy?
Have no fear this Halloween, take courage, you can master this time of tricks with your own healthy tactics. Hopefully by following these helpful hints your Halloween will be a treat for you this year and not a bag full of tricks!
*Caloric content for the above candy was adapted from http://walking.about.com/library/cal/blhalloweencalories.htm
www.caloriecounter.about.com
Halloween can be a time of tricks or treats, when it comes to making healthy decisions. Candy and snacks of all sorts seem to litter the office space and home during this time of the year. How are you going to prepare yourself and your family for this time of year but still enjoy a few of your favorite tricks and treats?
Here are a few tips & ideas to make this time of year a “treat” and not a bag full of puzzling tricks:
Decide before you step in the door to say “no”. Many offices, homes and cubicles will have a bowl or bag of candy inviting you to indulge. Making a strong decision beforehand always seems to add some “bang” behind that willpower.
Keep someone else “in the know”. Let a supportive friend, spouse or co-worker know that Halloween can be a time of trickery for you. Tell them a few decisions you have made for the holiday. Verbalizing decisions is a helpful tactic to avoid messy slip-ups.
Have a tasty snack that makes you feel involved with the Halloween Festivities. So that you don’t feel left out on the Halloween “spirit”, grab an alternative “treat”. Here are a few treat ideas that will be sure to not trick you:
Apple Cinnamon Chocolate Treat
Grab a sandwich baggie and break up 2 apple cinnamon rice cakes and add a chopped up Fun-size Hershey’s Chocolate Bar for only 162 calories.
Jello Fat-free Chocolate Pudding cup
102 calories
H3’s Pumpkin Pie (1/8) – 155 calories
*Make a comment: Do you know of some other great low-calorie Halloween treats?
Remember to not feel guilty. If you have a piece or serving of candy, enjoy it! Yes, that is right, enjoy it! BUT keep in mind how many servings are in that “small” candy bag and how many calories it contains. Also, remember that candy will be around for a long time; therefore, don’t eat it like its going “out of style”.
Keep track. Have your handy food journal to keep track of your Halloween candy consumption. See the calorie content behind a few common Halloween candies and treats:
25 small jellybeans: 140 calories
20 pieces of candy corn: 100 calories
2 Brachs caramels: 80 calories
1 Hershey’s Kiss: 25 calories
1 Mini Tootsie Roll: 25 calories
1 Fun Size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, etc.): 80 calories
1 mini bite-size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc.): 55 calories
1 Fun Size M&M packet – Plain or Peanut: 90 calories
1 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: 33 calories
1 Full Size Hershey’s Chocolate Bar: 210 calories
1 Full Size Snicker’s Bar: 271 calories
1 King Size Butterfinger Bar: 480 calories
Apple Cider (Starbucks® Grande): 240 calories
1 Piece (1/8 of 9-in pie) Pumpkin Pie: 180 calories
*Check out caloriecount.about.com to find the caloric content of other favorite candy.
Remember the day isn’t over until your head hits the pillow. If the first part of your day seemed to be full of trickery (maybe you had your fair share of candy and snacks), don’t give up! You still have the rest of the day to make wise decisions. As Bob Wright puts it “Think of you days in halves.” So the first half was a major slip up, make the second half out-shine the first!
Keep yourself occupied with activities rather than food. Sometimes we eat several hundreds of calories because we are bored. During Halloween, there are many activities you could partake in to keep your mind and body occupied!
- Carve or paint a pumpkin
- Rake leaves
- Walk with the kids (or your neighborhood kids) when they “Trick or Treat”
- Volunteer your time at a local school’s Halloween Festivities
- Make a scare-crow (or other Halloween decoration)
- Take a hay-ride
- Apple Picking
Make a comment: What are you favorite Halloween activities that keep you busy?
Have no fear this Halloween, take courage, you can master this time of tricks with your own healthy tactics. Hopefully by following these helpful hints your Halloween will be a treat for you this year and not a bag full of tricks!
*Caloric content for the above candy was adapted from http://walking.about.com/library/cal/blhalloweencalories.htm
www.caloriecounter.about.com
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