The Trick to Balancing Treats

Halloween is here again and that probably means your home has been inundated with miniature sized candy.  Does this mean it has to be a day of painful deprivation?  Of course not.  Here are a few tricks to keep the treats in balance:

• Focus more on your good eating habits today - be sure to drink 8 glasses of water and try to get 9 servings of fruits and veggies in.
• Stick to a regular meal schedule today - don't skip a meal in anticipation of treats tonight.  Halloween candy does not constitute a well-balanced meal.  
• Plan out and enjoy the anticipation of your favorite treats.  Mindfully eating a few pieces of your favorite candy is much preferred over mindlessly eating whatever is at hand.
• Prioritize your candy consumption.  Have a piece or two of only your very favorites.  It's not worth wasting calories on mediocre sweets.
• Have a plan in place for leftover candy.  Whether you donate it to the food bank, toss it in the garbage or save a few favorites in the freezer for later enjoyment, make a plan and stick to it - don't leave it out on the counter to tempt you the next few days.  (Notice I didn't say send the leftovers to work?  Healthy eating at work is hard enough without a bowl of Halloween-dregs candy at every turn.

So yes, enjoying Halloween is definitely doable with a little planning.  I can promise you that there is a twix and a hundred grand bar (and maybe a mounds for the freezer) with my name on them out there today, but there is also a big water bottle, a banana, clementine, veggie soup and dried fruit & cereal mix out there with my name on them as well.  Happy, healthy Halloween!