Candy Is Healthy
Key Takeaways
On Halloween eating candy is healthy.
Sure, your physical health will take a backseat with this approach, but your mental, emotional, and spiritual (ohh, spooky) health will thrive.
If you go nuts and eat exclusively 2,500 calories of candy, that will still just be .27% of your yearly calories.
Weight management is complex, but one principle holds true - long term healthy habits matter much more than acute, short term intake.
On Halloween, candy consumption can have such a positive effect on the other aspects of our health that the pros outweigh cons.
Full Story
Want to know about the healthiest Halloween candy? The three types of sweets that stand head and shoulders above the rest? And no, handing out apples and pretzels to trick-or-treaters is not the answer. To prioritize your health, the best candy you can consume this holiday is....
Whatever you want.
Whatever your favorite is.
It’s Halloween - don’t worry about the nutrition label on your candy!
Reese’s Cups, Kit Kats, Twix - all fair game and all healthy. Sure, your physical health will take a backseat with this approach, but your mental, emotional, and spiritual (ohh, spooky) health will thrive.
Let’s Do the Math
Let’s roughly assume that the average American consumes about 2,500 calories/day, or 912,500 calories/year. If you consume 1,000 cals of candy today, that will amount to .1% of your yearly daily intake. If you go nuts and eat exclusively 2,500 calories of candy, that will still just be .27% of your yearly calories.
In other words, a fraction of a percent.
Often, especially around the holidays, we tend to take a myopic view of food intake. Just one cookie, donut, or, today, a chocolate bar, despite its sweetness, leaves a bitter taste in your mouth and you feel that the treat will automatically be stored on your hips or belly.
However, once you zoom out and look at the big picture you’re able to understand the situation with much more clarity. Weight management is complex, but one principle holds true - long term healthy habits matter much more than acute, short term intake.
Mitigation Strategies
This time of year, tradition, flashy store displays, and enticing commercials practically beg you to indulge in some chocolate, candy corn, and ghost-shaped Peeps (1). If you have a strong sweet tooth, it’s spectacular.
However, you may not want to spend your entire day’s worth of calories on candy. Perhaps you have short term athletic or body composition goals that requires a rigid nutrition regimen. Others, as hard as it is to fathom, don’t don’t even like candy.
Regardless of your current situation, here are 8 tips to feel fuller, faster and curb your ravenous desires to polish off an entire bag of Snickers.
1. Fill up on protein, fruits, and vegetables before diving into the candy bag.
By filling up on nutrient dense, whole foods, you’ll be less likely to consume copious amounts of chocolate (try eating 5 apples, then see if you still want any candy).
Consuming fat, protein, and fiber along with sugar decreases blood sugar fluctuations and prevents the “crash” after consuming sweets.
These foods make you feel good and give you long-lasting energy.
2. Take advantage of healthier, less processed sweet treats
Such as…
Fruit (bananas, pineapple, and grapes if you like it extra sweet)
Greek yogurt mixed with flavored protein powder (again, eat 2 servings of greek yogurt with ½ scoop of protein and some blueberries and see if you’re still hungry - I bet you won’t be!)
These foods satisfy your holiday sweet tooth and don’t break the daily calorie bank
3. Stick to “cleaner” candy such as real dark chocolate
I hate to break it to you, but Hershey’s dark chocolate is full of added sugar and doesn’t really count.
95% cacao dark chocolate is my favorite
4. Eat slowly
Take breaks between bites and between pieces.
Give Leptin, the “fullness” hormone, time to reach your brain.
Candy tastes amazing - slow down and enjoy! No need to mindlessly shove candy corn down your gullet.
5. Stay hydrated
Being well hydrated will stifle intense hunger for sweet treats.
Curbs cravings.
Allows you to feel fuller, faster.
6. Restrict your candy consumption window
A candy intermittent fast, if you will.
Instead of having a peanut M&Ms for breakfast, make a deal to keep candy consumption between 4 and 8pm, for example.
Helpful to consume less candy and less calories overall.
7. Get your steps in
Instead of 6-8k steps, shoot for 10-15k to increase calorie burn and improve digestion.
Especially useful after a candy binge as walking after meals helps control blood sugar levels.
Go for a walk and check out the decorations, trick-or-treaters, and get some fresh Autumn air!
8. Don’t worry if you overindulge
Focus on the most important rule today - enjoy this day that comes once a year.
Remember that long term habits > one day of candy craziness for health, body composition, and wellbeing.
Wrap(per) Up
Ranking the healthiest types of candy is analogous to ranking the friendliest serial killers - it’s a moot point.
Candy, by definition, is not the optimal choice for your physical health. On Halloween, candy consumption can have such a positive effect on the other aspects of our health that the pros outweigh cons.
Instead of comparing the amount of sugar in a 3 Musketeers vs. a Milky Way, reframe the situation and consider the minuscule impact of one day of candy consumption on your overall health and in the context of an entire year of nutritious eating. Focus on establishing long term, sustainable habits and enjoy treats on special occasions.
I hope you have a safe, happy, and healthy Halloween 😉
Sources:
GIF Sources (giphy.com): Wonka Lisa Snickers Doggo Kirby Dwight Freddie vs. Jason