October Nutrition Tip of Week 3: Have a Plan to Divvy up the candy

If your kids are the age where they bring home pillowcases full of Halloween candy, you need to have a plan of action! Have your child pick out 10 of their favorite pieces of candy loot. Divvy the candy up allotting just one or two pieces per day—and give all the rest away! 

This is just one idea on how to deal with candy.  However, there are other alternatives as well- Healthy Alternatives to Trick or Treating

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Nutrient Brief: Pumpkin Power

Pick up almost any of the cooking magazines out for this month, and you will see that there are any number of ways to whip up a tasty dish utilizing that bright orange gourd we so often associate with the fall season (Lighter Pumpkin Pie recipe).  Pumpkins are actually a vitamin and mineral powerhouse, including both the vibrant flesh and crunchy little seeds.

As we suggest in our Nutrition Together program, it is best to get a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet as each color is indicative of different nutritional benefits.  The orange of the pumpkin is telling of the abundance of Beta-Carotene (converts to vitamin A in the body) which is important for healthy vision, as well as antioxidant properties that bolster the immune system and possibly defend against cancer-causing free radicals.  The flesh of the pumpkin also contains the following:

• Only 50 calories per cup, with approximately 3 grams of Fiber
• Good source of Vitamins C, K, & E
• Over 500 mg Potassium per serving

The seeds (also known as pepitas)  also little nutritional gems.  If you have a nut allergy, seeds can be a great way to get some healthy essential fats into your diet.  The oil in the pumpkin seeds has been shown to help decrease blood cholesterol levels.  They are also a good source of the major minerals magnesium and phosphorous, as well as trace minerals copper, iron, zinc and manganese.  You can easily roast a batch of your own after you carve your pumpkins this Halloween, or add them raw to salads and soups.

Katie Jensen, CSCS

Fitness and Nutrition Coach

Learn about Nutrition Together program.  Our clients rave about it!

October Nutrition Tip of Week 4: Eat the Halloween pumpkin!

Pumpkin should double as a seasonal decoration and a fall food staple. Pumpkin is loaded with fiber as well as the powerful antioxidant pro-vitamin, beta-carotene. Plus, one entire cup contains a mere 30 calories!  

One of the best parts of the pumpkin is its seeds- aka pepitas! Pepitas are great to add to salads, muffins, or eat by themselves!

Read more in our Nutrient Brief: Pumpkin Power with link to lighter pumpkin pie

September Tip of Week 3: Eat Squash

It’s the time to take advantage of this season’s star vegetable: squash. Super low in calories, high in fiber and nutrients—here are some tips: roast spaghetti squash until soft, shred with a fork and serve as a low calorie pasta alternative; stuff roasted acorn squash with wild rice, and cranberries; make butternut squash into a delicious and 
nutritious seasonal soup.

Squash article with special Nutrition info

Healthy Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating

Healthy Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating

As you know, childhood obesity is still on the rise. It seems to be a never-ending battle to keep your kids away from sugar filled treats. There seems to always be parties, special occasions (that happen more than occasionally), and a lot of eating out. Halloween is the epitome of all gluttony. So, what do you do? Other than giving kids candy, there are things that they can do other than get that “sugar high.”

Here are a few ideas:

Trade Candy For Toys - I actually learned this idea from a child psychologist a few years ago. This is how it works. Go ahead and do the regular door-to-door Trick or Treating. Once you have all the candy, you can give your child the option of trading in candy for toys (or cash). You can make each piece worth a certain amount to apply to a toy or have them trade in their entire loot for one really nice toy. Be sure you mention the idea before you actually take them out. This will give them the opportunity to think about what they want. You’ll probably be surprised that your child would rather have a toy (something that lasts), over candy.

Go To An Event - Many churches and community centers have events on Halloween. They’ll be some candy there, but the kids are more into playing games and doing events. You know, vigorous activity. Check with your church, synagogue, or local community center to see what they’re doing.

Go To a Movie or Rent a Movie and have a Party - At the movie there will still be some treats, but it will be a heck of a lot less sugar than what you would get trick-or-treating. If you rent a movie and have a small party of friends at your home, you can have more control over what your child eats (popcorn is a good idea). They may even enjoy it more than going from one house to another anyway.

Give something other than Candy - At Wal-Mart, at a dollar store, or online, you can buy tons of little boxes of stickers, removable tattoos, and Playdoh and put them in decorative little plastic bags.   This is something that my family does each year and it’s a big hit.  Kids come back to our house trying to get more!

Do a Combination of These Ideas - You don’t have to stick to one particular idea. If you have to give candy, that’s cool.  Just consider mixing it up with other things. 

Before I get blasted by the “let kids be kids” crowd, let me once again remind you that there is a predominant childhood obesity epidemic in the U.S.  In the state of GA, childhood obesity is at 40%.  

The tradition of Trick-or-Treat has only been around for a short period of time (origins of Trick-or-Treating), of which was mostly driven by the candy industry.  The origins of Halloween actually involved more apples (which explains candied apples) and other real foods as it celebrated the fall harvest.

I’m all about kids dressing up and having fun, however, it can be achieved without candy.  In my experience it’s not the kids who complain about me not giving candy, it’s the parents (go figure).  Considering the situation we are in with childhood obesity, isn’t it about time we create a new tradition?

written by
Kelly Huggins, A-CPT
Exercise Science, B.S.
NPTI Instructor

Fitness/Nutrition Coach