What to do with trick or treat goodies
Beat the Halloween Junkfest
It is that time of year again, when junk food comes out of the woodwork and mysteriously makes its way into pantries and entry way tables around the country. It is time to go trick or treating.
What to do with all of that accumulated junk food? Have a Halloween party coming up? Here are a few tips on what to do with all of the candy, cookies, and other goodies tempting our palates this time of year.
Trick or treaters who head out early can recycle their unwanted goodies by giving them out to people who come out later. Another option is to let your children pick a few things they like and then buy the rest, say a nickel or dime per piece. Ration what is received, one or two items per day, store the rest in the freezer, and dish it out slowly. If you must eat some of the goodies pick one or two you really like, and savor them by eating them slowly.
Donating Halloween stash to a Ronald McDonald house or women and children’s shelter is also a great option, and instead of collecting candy to begin with try asking for a donation of money or food for a charitable organization. There are organizations that distribute collection boxes specifically for collecting money on Halloween.
Healthy snack options to give out to trick or treaters are small packages of nuts, miniature boxes of raisins, granola bars, and trail mix.
Going to a Halloween party? Pick one or two things you really love to eat, be it the spider cookies, the pumpkin shaped crisped rice bars, or bat cupcakes, eat a small serving and then stick with vegetable crudités and salsa or humus, one handful of nuts, and drink plenty of water. Do not park yourself by the buffet table or near bowls of candy. Eat before you go to the party .If you have already eaten your fill before you get there you will be less inclined to eat too much.
In short, regardless of where you are, be it trick or treating or a Halloween party, make a plan to choose one or two things you really like and only eat those. Enlist a spouse or friend, or implement the buddy system to help you stick to your plan. Check nutrition information to verify what a serving size really is. It may be three miniature chocolate bars, it may be 12 pieces of candy corn, it may be 25 jelly beans.
Tags: buddy system, halloween, junk food, party, trick or treat
