Tagged with 'halloween'

My approach to Halloween candy may be a bit different than you would expect from someone who embraces healthy eating.

I’ve read so many extreme tips for “staying healthy” on Halloween day. Yes, there are treats everywhere and yes, they’re high in sugar, fat, and calories, but indulging in a candy bar or mini bag of M & M’s isn’t going to ruin everything. Eating healthy the majority of the time is really what’s most important. In fact, deprivation can actually backfire and result in eating too many sweets.

My three tips for a successful Halloween day: find time to fit in a workout, drink a lot of water, and eat well-balanced meals leading up to the festivities.

#1: Get that Blood Pumping!

Make a point to burn some calories on Halloween day. Whether it be a strength training class, a morning run, a barre class, or my preferred way to burn some serious calories, indoor cycling class, exercise boosts your metabolism and also creates a post-exercise calorie burn. This means you burn calories even after you’ve finished exercising. Exercising and the post-burn will help offset the additional calories from those Halloween treats.

Also, some research suggests exercise doesn’t always cause hunger but can curb it. Exercise may lower levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite in the short term, while raising levels of peptide YY, a hormone that suppresses appetite.

#2: Stay Hydrated!

Since the hunger mechanism is stronger than thirst, it’s fairly common to confuse hunger with thirst, so keeping hydrated will eliminate a false feeling of hunger. Drinking water every day is essential to almost every organ in the body. Water flushes out toxins, carries nutrients to cells and regulates body functions.  

To tell the difference between hunger and thirst, simply drink a cup of water. Wait a moment, and if you feel satisfied you know it's not hunger. Drink water before snacks and meals to keep hydration levels optimal and ward off deceiving hunger pangs that are really signs of thirst.

#3: Eat Well-Balanced Meals

Eating high-fiber, high-protein foods on Halloween day will make a big difference in reducing your cravings for sweets and decrease the chances of overeating later in the day, particularly when your kids bring home all their candy.

You may be feening for that chocolate, but eating something that's healthier will eliminate your craving almost as effectively. For instance, eating apple slices with peanut butter might satisfy you as much as if you did splurge on candy. The sense of satisfaction might not happen immediately or even in 5 minutes, but it will kick in 15 to 20 minutes later. Just make sure to eat an amount equal to the volume of the desired food. Otherwise, you’ll still be hungry, and your craving will still be there -- waiting for you to give in.

Implement these three simple techniques throughout your busy Halloween day, and I think you'll end your day feeling good about your choices. 

I hope you have a Happy Halloween!

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

For those who love juicing, this is the perfect Halloween juice recipe that's festive, super healthy, and looks gorgeous before you drink it up. 

That vibrant, vivid orange peel and inner flesh of pumpkins tell you they carry a wealth of good nutrients, such as Vitamin A, Viamin C, Vitamin E and potassium. Apples bring Vitamin C and a lovely fall flavored sweetness to the juice, and carrots bring the antioxidant beta-carotene and lots of Vitamin A, some Vitamin K, folate, manganese and more to the party.

Ingredients

4 C pumpkin chunks (pick organic, food-grade pumpkins, wash well & dice to size that fits into your juicer chute)

3 organic apples, sliced

2 organic carrots, diced

Additional tasty add-ins: consider adding in celery, jicama or a small handful fresh spinach. Or try adding a 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice - it might be just the flavor boost you're after!

Directions: follow your juicer manufacturer's instructions.

Nutritional information on pumpkin, apples and carrots supplied by FDA.gov and MedicalNewsToday.com.

The Austrian pumpkin - also known as the naked-seed pumpkin, hull-less pumpkin or Styrian pumpkin (after the countryside of eastern Austria where its grown) produces mighty green seeds that pack a nutritional punch. They don't have a hull (shell) like traditional pumpkins seeds, allowing them to grow much larger in size. The Austrian pumpkin is prized for these green jewels - in fact, they are grown exclusively for their seeds! Cultivated for the last 300 years, the seeds are harvested for their pleasant taste, snappy texture and health benefits, and the pulp of the pumpkin is used as fertilizer.

Austrian pumpkin seeds contain Vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, C, D, E, and K, and are a great source of essential minerals like magnesium, zinc, calcium, and iron. Pumpkin seeds are high in plant-based protein - just one ounce contains seven grams. Impressively, they also offer a healthy dose of unsaturated fats, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Enjoy this festive recipe, perfect for spicing up your Austrian pumpkin seeds. The other ingredients are great for you, too. Cumin contains high amounts of iron, ginger has been used for centuries to support digestive health, cayenne pepper contains a host of vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients (along with a health-benefiting alkaloid called capsaicin) and cinnamon has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine.

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup Austrian pumpkin seeds
5 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine 3 tablespoons sugar, along with the salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar melts and the pumpkin seeds begin to caramelize, about 45 to 60 seconds.

Transfer to bowl with spices and stir well to coat. Let cool.

These may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.