Happy Healthy Halloween
It can be challenging enough to eat healthy throughout the year, but it’s even harder when candy is lurking everywhere you look as we all prepare to celebrate Halloween. ‘Tis the season for witches and cauldrons, pumpkins and goblins, skeletons and werewolves, and the ultimate spook: dietary demons. You can, however, celebrate the creativity and thrill of the season without ruining all of the efforts you’ve invested in your healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, if you have children, you can teach them about moderation and ways to indulge in more than just candy this year. Following are some tricks and treats to keep you and your diet healthier this Halloween:
1. Wait until Halloween day to buy candy. Not only will you avoid the temptation of having it sit in your pantry for weeks, but you’ll probably get it on sale and save some money too.
2. Don’t buy your favorite candy. If you know you’ll be eating one Snickers bar for every one you hand out on Halloween night, don’t buy the Snickers! Opt for something that isn’t as tempting to you.
3. Hand out healthier options instead. No trick-or-treater really wants a piece of fruit on Halloween, but you can give trail mix, granola bars, bags of pretzels, or sugar-free gum if you feel less tempted by it. Also, parents will thank you.
4. Remember that Halloween is only one day. You can still enjoy a piece of candy or two as long as your overall diet is healthy and you’re active throughout the year. Just don’t eat like it’s Halloween for weeks before and after it’s over. On November 1st, it’s back to your healthy routine.
5. If you have kids, consider allowing them to indulge a bit that night, but be sure to serve a healthy dinner before trick-or-treating so they aren’t eating as they go, or stuffing themselves afterwards.
6. After Halloween, keep the candy collection out of sight and only consider giving kids a piece if they ask for it. Then, use it as a bargaining chip. If they want a piece of candy, they get to choose an additional fruit or vegetable that day, in place of something else. Or, they must have it with a glass of milk or water.
7. One week after Halloween, if candy remains, use it for arts and crafts projects, give it away, or throw it away. It is far more costly to your weight and your health to keep it and eat it than it is to get rid of it.
8. Instead of focusing on candy, spend more time going to the pumpkin patch, making a scarecrow, hanging cobwebs, creating costumes, and going on haunted hayrides. North Carolina has countless opportunities for fun this season.
9. Explore the nutritional value of pumpkin! Not only is pumpkin flesh full of fiber, high in vitamins A, C, and E, high in carotenoids, low in calories, and fat free, it is a versatile vegetable to experiment with. Also, pumpkin seeds are delicious roasted and are loaded with protein, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, and super-nutritious vitamins and minerals. Be sure to use uncarved pumpkins for cooking, and choose “milk,” “cheese,” or “sugar” pumpkin varieties for the best cooking results. Following is a great rice recipe that can be served as a nutritious side dish with roasted chicken or pork tenderloin, or as a meal itself.
Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Pilaf (Jaime Harder, MA, RD, Cooking Light OCTOBER 2007)
Ingredients:
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled fresh pumpkin (about 12 ounces)
1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 medium)
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion (1 small)
1/3 cup diced celery (about 1 rib)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Arrange pumpkin and sweet potato in an even layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 35 minutes or until tender and just until vegetables begin to brown, stirring after 18 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add broth and remaining ingredients to onion mixture, stirring to combine; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until rice is done and liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Add pumpkin mixture; stir gently to combine.
In summary, Halloween can still be full of treats and ways to celebrate creatively in moderation, but it does not have to trick you into destroying your diet and healthy lifestyle. Happy Halloween!
(Nutrition article written by Samantha Reiff, Nutrition Student at FMAR)
