You can still enjoy some Halloween candy with the kids…

Remember, its all about moderation!

Here is a guest post from a colleague that we thought you would enjoy so that you can choose which candy to enjoy.

The Best (And Worst) Halloween Treats

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES

Welcome friends, to the scariest night of the year.

Ghost and ghouls fill the streets with their bags to capture your souls.  Okay, so maybe not your souls, but definitely your candy.

Halloween is a time of year celebrated by hundreds of thousands of people each year.  Each year, it gets bigger and bigger.

Unfortunately for us, when Halloween gets bigger and bigger, so do our waistlines.

Halloween is a time of the year where candy is handed out by the handfuls, if not by the bucketfuls.

But you do not have to let candy and extra calories ruin your holiday evening.

That’s right!  You can still enjoy Halloween and candy and not worry about your waistlines.

Come on in and I will scare you up a seat, and explain what I mean.

Most of us who have kids, take them out WALKING house-to-house to hear the magic words ”Trick OR Treat”!

This usually draws gasps from the unsuspecting person opening the door, and fussing over the cuteness or the terrifying costumes.

Then they proceed to dump a few pieces of sugary goodness into your child’s bag.

Now like most parents, you are saying to yourself, there is no way my kids are going to eat all that sugar!  My kids for sure would be bouncing off the walls, probably for days on end.

All that sugar is not good for a kid or an adult, especially someone who is watching their weight and waistlines.

However, even though they are candy pieces, all that extra sugar can add up to extra inches around your waist.

Oh, the horror!

Exercise And The Cold

But wait! What if I was to tell you there is a way to enjoy candy and NOT punish yourself for it later?

Halloween combines two of my favorite activities: enjoying time with my kids, and WALKING!

If you spend more of your time on your FEET, then you are already burning extra calories while Trick or Treating.

That’s right, extra calories are burned, and it is a great way to include some EXERCISE in your Halloween tradition.

And of course, there is the weather.

Now I live in Maine, and the Northeast looks like it might have some of the white, fluffy stuff this weekend.  And I am not referring to marshmallows!

So you bundle up and expose yourself and your kids to the cold weather.

This cold weather induces shivering, which can actually help you LOSE WEIGHT.

You can actually increase energy expenditure by walking in the colder weather.  The process of thermogenesis utilizes energy to produce heat in the body.

Now what do you do when you get home: you go through the candy, picking out the best and worst choices for your kids.

If you must enjoy some candy, I want to introduce you to a few of my favorite friends.

Good Friends For Your Waistline

My SPOOKY little friends are low in calories and are better options than the high-calorie, sugar-laden ghosts and goblins out there.

First off, let me introduce to you “Hershey.”

A few too many of these friends, and you are guaranteed the KISS of death.

But enjoying the company of a couple of these friends will only pack a few calories, which is perfect for keeping your waistline slim and trim.  Also, try the antioxidant-rich dark chocolate KISSES, to give inflammation the kiss of death.

You will only need to travel a half a mile on your feet to burn off two of my tiny little friends.

Next, let me introduce to you CANDY.

CANDY may sound like a sweet little treat, but add CORN then the name makes you wonder.  About 20 pieces of CANDY CORN will give you 100 calories, perfect for someone with one sharp sweet tooth.

A total of one mile on the witch’s broom or on a ghastly float will burn off this sweet treat.

Next, I would like you to meet TOOTSIE.

Not to be confused with the movie, a small log of fudgy goodness will give you 25 calories.

You will only need to walk a quarter mile to burn off the calories from one little roll!

REESE is the next friend you need to meet.

REESE comes in a big cup or a miniature of the original.  Opt for the smaller size cup, and you are only talking 33 calories.  Perfect for a bite-sized appetite!

You would only have to walk a third of a mile to rev up your fat burning to destroy the mini friend.  But be warned, the mini REESE is the way to go – stay away from his big brother or pumpkin shaped friend he has!

Now that you have a few of my favorite friends you can enjoy in moderation, I want to introduce you to the evil ghosts which will make you gain inches around your waist if you are not careful.

Friends To Stay AWAY From

Some people will give out full-sized candy bars.  My advice: STAY AWAY!

A full-size candy bar is packed with 275 calories, which will take you a LONG time and a good distance to burn off.

If you eat one full-sized candy bar, you will have to walk almost 3 miles just to get rid of it!

Speaking of candy bars, have you seen the KING-sized bars they now make?  King-sized candy bars pack a whopping 500 calories.  That’s almost as many calories as in a small meal!

As big as a king-sized candy bar is, it will take just as BIG and LONG of a time to burn it off.    You will have to walk a total of 5 miles to burn off one king-sized candy bar!

No wonder why he is the KING!

One of my favorite treats to have this time of year also just happens to be one of the worst to shrink your waistline.

Pumpkin pie,  in all its glory, packs a calorie-packed punch.  With 180 calories in one 1/8 of a slice of a 9-inch pie, will knock out your waistline in the early rounds of the fight.

You will need to walk almost 2 miles just to work off that one slice of pumpkin pie.

Remember…

So if you must indulge, please do it responsibly.   Sticking with low-calorie options will help keep your waistline in check.

Also, try to walk as much as you can around your neighborhood, which will burn extra calories and let you enjoy some low-calorie candy without putting your weight loss on hold.

Halloween is a scary time of year!  But it does not need to be scary for your weight loss goals.

Reminder: everything in moderation.

Here are 2 great alternatives for you to enjoy with the family during this awesome time of the year. Trade that candy in and still enjoy a great tasty treat while cutting down on those extra empty calories.

ENJOY!

Fall Pumpkin Apple Pie Shake

By Nedah Warstler of leanKitchen.com

Ingredients:

2/3 cup cold water
4 ice cubes
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
½ small apple
2 Tbsp pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
8 almonds
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend. Serve and Enjoy!

Nutritional Information
Calories: 170
Fat: 6 grams
Carbohydrates: 15 grams
Protein: 14 grams

Ginger Pumpkin Ice Cream

By Nedah Warstler of leanKitchen.com
Ingredients:

½ cup pumpkin (canned or fresh)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tbsp inch piece of fresh ginger
1 ½ cup Almond or skim milk
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
few drops of liquid Stevia (plain cinnamon or vanilla flavored) to sweeten, if desired

Add ingredients to blender and blend well, add to ice cream maker until set.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 243
Fat: 1.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 32 grams
Protein: 26 grams