Friday, October 30, 2009

Halloween Sweets Can Fit Into a Healthful Eating Plan

As you prepare for Halloween take some time to think about how to manage the candy, cookies and pastries that are so much a part of the holiday. Sweets can add enjoyment and variety to a healthful eating plan but if you aren't careful they will also add lots of fat, sugar and calories. The best way to enjoy Halloween is to have a plan that allows for small portions of treats.

Current dietary guidelines recommend keeping sugar intake to less than ten percent of your daily calories so if you are an "average" adult consuming 2000 calories that would mean less than 200 calories from added sweets. One chocolate candy bar can easily provide 200 calories so think about choosing mini or fun size bars to control your intake.

Some tips can make Halloween enjoyable but also healthy.
  • Determine how much candy you can eat per day and portion it out into small bags
  • Consume healthful foods outlined in Mypyramid.gov before eating sweets
  • Slowly chew sweets so that you really savor the flavor
  • Keep activity in your routine to help manage the extra calories

Happy Halloween!

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