Pretty soon princesses, princes, ghosts, goblins, and all kinds of other characters will be knocking on our doors.  Halloween is upon us and while it is fun to see all the costumes, Halloween candy can wreck havoc on healthy eating plans.  So how can you enjoy the season and stick to your healthy eating plan?  Keep reading to find some tips to make it through this sweet season.

Ø       Don’t buy Halloween candy early! 

Ø       Avoid having candy dishes out at home or in the office.  Can anyone really walk by without taking a piece?

Ø       Don’t keep leftover candy out and visible, put it away in a high cabinet or get rid of it completely.

Ø       Forget the candy sale on November 1…it’s just too tempting and definitely not a bargain for your waistline!

Ø       Buy hard candy since it takes longer to eat than soft, chewy candies.

Ø       Give out bite size candies instead of full size candy bars.

Ø       Dark chocolate provides an excellent source of antioxidants so chose it over the milk chocolate variety. Also, avoid chocolates that have fillings such as caramel which can add calories and fat.

Ø       Buy candies that you don’t like so you aren’t tempting to eat them while handing candy out.

Ø       Hand out healthy snacks such as individual boxes of raisins or individual bags of trail mix.

Ø       You could also consider not handing out candy and opting for handing out fun things like stickers or trading cards.

October is also a great month to bake with pumpkin.  Not only is it delicious but it is high in fiber, low in calories, and contains antioxidants that are essential in maintaining eye health.  I got this recipe for Pumpkin muffins from a Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients

·        2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

·        1 cup granulated sugar

·        1 tablespoon baking powder

·        1 teaspoon baking soda

·        1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        1 cup canned pumpkin

·        3/4 cup fat-free sour cream

·        1/3 cup fat-free milk

·        1/4 cup vegetable oil

·        1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·        1 large egg

·        1 large egg white

·        Cooking spray

·        1 tablespoon granulated sugar

·        1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine pumpkin and next 6 ingredients (pumpkin through egg white); add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon the batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Combine 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and brown sugar; sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

·        CALORIES 164 (19% from fat)

·        FAT 3.5g (sat 0.6g, mono 0.8g, poly 1.9g)

·        PROTEIN 3.5g

·        CARBOHYDRATE 29.7g

·        FIBER 1g

·        CHOLESTEROL 12mg

·        IRON 1.2mg

·        SODIUM 269mg

·        CALCIUM 78mg