Originally featured on Self.com
As a celebrity trainer and fitness expert, Heidi Powell knows a thing or two about staying healthy no matter what the season. We turned to Powell, who will join husband Chris on season three of?Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, for help figuring out?the healthiest bets for those of us who want to indulge a bit on Halloween!
“While no candy is necessarily a “healthy” option, we do need to be OK with rewarding ourselves every now and then, guilt-free,” says Powell. “Halloween is a great time to do this. I’ve rounded up a few things to keep in mind when choosing what pieces may satisfy your sweet tooth.”
Keep it small
Fun-size pieces are portion perfect and a clear winner in our family over king-sized or regular-sized candy bars. Portion control is key when rewarding yourself, and these mini treats make it easy. Often, we find it hard to eat only half of a Snickers bar. Thanks to the smaller size options, we can eat an entire portion and cut our calories in half.
Choose Wisely
Chocolate lover? Choose a handful of peanut butter or almond M&M’s over Tootsie Rolls. Tootsie Rolls may be lower in fat, but they’re loaded with sugar, which will leave you craving even more! The fiber and protein in the M&M’s will keep you fuller longer and the fat/fiber combo will actualy slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream, helping you to avoid the spike-crash-craving cycle.
Pick what lasts
If you’re looking for a fruity candy to satisfy your sweet tooth, choose a hard candy over a chewy candy. Chewy candies not only get stuck in your teeth and lead to tooth decay, but they also disappear much quicker in our mouths, leaving us vying for more. One piece of hard candy can last quite a while, satisfying the craving and leaving us less likely to reach for more.
