Let’s talk about Halloween.
It’s one of my children’s favourite holidays. I just love helping them pick their costumes, decorating the house, and carving pumpkins! However, what I don’t love is a month-long sugar hangover that I’ve recovered from just in time for Christmas.
So how can we enjoy this very fun holiday without the sugar hangover? Read on to learn the tricks to enjoying your treats!
Trick #1: Repeat after me “eating all the sugar on Halloween is fun, it’s totally ok to do, eat as much as you want, guilt-free!”
You heard me: go for it, do it up, sit with your kids and have fun with all the sweets! Then steal a few more from their bags after they’ve fallen into a sugar induced coma. It is one night a year, and having fun with food on whichever holidays you celebrate is part of a healthy nutrition program. Your day-to-day eating habits are what matters for your overall health, NOT what you eat on Halloween.
Trick #2: Take advantage of the last minute candy sales on Halloween day and keep the candy out of reach until the last possible moment!
With Halloween approaching, the stores are full of candy well in advance and it is SO easy to get caught up in it all trying to be “extra prepared” by buying Halloween candy early…. I HIGHLY recommend you don’t do that.
Having boxes of candy in your house weeks in advance can lead to mindlessly consuming sugar just because it’s there! Save yourself the mental battle of whether or not you will have just one more tiny little chocolate bar. Leave the Halloween candy shopping to the day of – you might even get it on sale!
Trick #3: A little charity can go a long way! Keep your favourite treats and donate the rest.
Now, what about all the candy your kids are bringing home? I usually get my kids to sort out the stuff they LOVE, and encourage them to donate the rest. Food banks can always use treats, as can any workplace that employs teenagers (think Community Centres).
Trick #4: Remove the restrictions! (For a short-period of time).
Lastly, and just a little trick that works for me – I also let the kids go crazy with candy for a few days without much restriction – you’ll be surprised how quickly they get bored with the candy when you leave them to their own devices. Kids are great intuitive eaters!
Halloween is a wonderful opportunity to show how “good” eating habits do not mean “perfect” or should we say… without FUN. Individuals who have the most long-term consistency when it comes to their nutrition are the ones who are able to find balance which allows eating to feel easy and sustainable. This means that you’re eating the green smoothies, and the oatmeal while also having some candy and a glass of wine when you want it.
Happy Halloween and Safe Trick-or-Treating!
For more nutrition tips, contact us for a free consult HERE.