5 Tricks To Treat Yourself To A Healthy Halloween

If you are in the middle of a weight loss journey, Halloween can make that journey feel more like a haunted maze.

With the threats of candy, sweets, and treats jumping out at our places of business, the medical offices we visit, and every social gathering from now until October 31st, it can be hard to keep feeling healthy without also feeling like we’re missing out.

For those of us who are working hard to lose weight or keep weight off, it becomes tempting to just say we’re abstaining from the whole holiday. 

While that may be an effective method, it’s certainly not the most delightful one. After all, what better time of year is there to indulge in the silly sides of life?

To make the fun of this time a year more than just fun-sized, we’ve gathered some tips below on how you can still have some sweet fun without worrying about any setbacks in achieving your weight loss goals.

5 Tips For Taking A Healthy Bite Out Of Halloween

1. Don’t Buy Your Favorite Candy For Yourself - If you’re in a popular area of town, there’s an expectation that you’ll be handing out candy. One way to keep an eye on your own candy consumption is to stock up on candy you’re not that interested in. Like WebMD suggests, if you’re a chocolate lover, maybe it’s all Sourpatch Kids and Warheads for the neighbors. Or if you eat nothing but Candy Corn during Halloween, then stock up on the chocolate bars.
   
   
2. Go For A Salty Scary Movie Marathon Snack - Apart from Christmas, there may not be another holiday so tied with movies as Halloween - and Halloween may even be more primed for movie marathons. Unfortunately, those dark hours huddled in fear don’t do us many favors for portion control, so best to make a salty snack like Livea’s pumpkin-spiced trail mix ahead of time so you’ll know you're safe (from calories… we’re not making any promises about keeping you safe from Chucky).
   
   
3. Pumpkin This, Not Pumpkin That - Getting pumpkin flavor is a must for this time of year, but you don’t have to dive into a calorie-laden Pumpkin Spice Latte to get the most of this seasonal flavor. Add pumpkin purée into your smoothies at home or as a substitute in your baked goods for a dash of flavor - while avoiding the seasonal treat temptations at the coffee shop.
   
   
4. Scary-Looking Snacks - If you want to enjoy the Halloween season while keeping yourself away from the sweets, try dressing up your snacks. Brit + Co has a spooky snack list that includes Halloween sushi balls, witch finger pretzels, deviled egg eyeballs, and monster avocado toasts.
   
   
5. Be Sure To Eat Before You Trick Or Treat - Scared to take the little monsters out for trick-or-treating? Your month of good behavior doesn’t have to go to waste. As registered dietitian nutritionist Patricia Bannan writes, having a good meal before you go out will help keep the overindulging to a minimum.