Celebrating Halloween means a day full of carved pumpkins, ghosts, goblins, scary costumes, and of course tons of candy. Its hard to resist a sugary and chocolate covered treat when they are being passed around the office or when you are handing them out to trick-o-treaters. If you are having a bit of trouble avoiding the candy this Halloween, then try a few of these alternatives from Next Avenue. They are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and help you maintain a healthy diet.
1. Almond Joy
Replace with: chocolate covered almonds. It is even better if you make your own chocolate-almond treat as you will be able to control the ingredients and still get the crunch without all of the additives. Also, as The New York Times noted in their article “To Improve a Memory, Consider Chocolate,” the higher the percentage of cocoa in chocolate, the healthier it is.
2. Hershey’s Bars and M&M’s
Replace with: dark chocolate. Good quality dark chocolate is full of health-promoting antioxidants.
3. Skittles
Replace with: frozen grapes. Grapes will give you the same fruity taste, but without all of the sugar and additives of Skittles.
4. Caramel or candied apples
Replace with: apple slices dipped in honey, peanut butter, or almond butter. You get the same sweetness and crisp crunch of an apple and don’t have to worry about the extra sugar.
5. Cracker Jacks
Replace with: DIY popcorn balls. Check out this recipe for some ideas on how to make your own healthy version of this Halloween staple.
To see the whole article and for more healthy tips, head over to Next Avenue’s website.
Next Avenue is public media’s first and only national journalism service for America’s booming older population. Their daily content delivers vital ideas, context and perspectives on issues that matter most as we age.
Happy Halloween from Age Well CT!
