Trick Or Treat?

For many of us Halloween is a great excuse to indulge in our favorite treats. You would think that since we are very health conscious naturopathic students, we would tell you to avoid candy at all costs. We say indulge a little bit this Halloween, a little candy here and there won't kill you...Just keep in mind everything in moderation and try not to over do it! 

Sometimes during these moments of pure indulgence it is a good idea to just go for it and not put a lot of thought into what you're actually eating. But if you want to try and keep your candy consumption on the healthier side of the spectrum, here are our top four candies to avoid and  top four candies to reach for. 

All in all, don't beat yourself up about indulging a little this Halloween season, and hopefully these tips will make you feel a little better about your candy choices!

* all of these nutritional breakdowns are for the snack size of each treat.

BEST 
1. Endangered Species Individually wrapped (available in dark chocolate, rainforest mint and chocolate cashew) - this company also donates 10% net profits to supporting species and habitat. No added filers and is sweetened with beet sugar.
50 Calories; 4g fat; 0mg Sodium; 2g sugar 

2. Tootsie Caramel Apple Pop 60 calories; 0.5g fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 15mg Sodium; 10g sugar; 0g protein

3. Jolly Ranchers (3 pieces) 70 calories; 0g fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 0mg Sodium; 11g sugar; 0g protein

4. Aero 40 Calories; 2g Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 4mg Sodium; 4g Sugar; 1g Protein

 WORST

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin 180 calories; 11g Fat; 16g Sugar; 2g Protein

2. Chocolate Covered Raisins (Raisinets) 95 Calories; 4g Fat; 2.5g Saturated Fat; 14g Sugar; 1g Protein 

3. M&M’s 108 calories; 5.5g Fat; 2.2g Saturated Fat; 10.7g Sugar; 2g Protein

4. Butterfinger 100 calories; 4g Fat;  2g Saturated Fat; 10g Sugar; 1g Protein 

In general try having treats that have no added preservatives, filers and that are GMO-free. Also, treats that last longer, such as the tootsie caramel apple pop or the jolly ranchers. If you spend 10 minutes occupying yourself by sucking on a candy you may be less inclined to grab another one.  Also, if at the end of the night you are left with a huge heaping pile of candy that you didn’t end up giving out, try to bring it to work or school to get it out of the house ASAP and away from your snacking fingers that will surely find it at the end of the day!  

Happy Halloween!

The An Avocado A day team

Posted in: AAAD, candy, faq, halloween, nutrition, urban living