Practical Nutrition: Don't Get Bitten by Halloween Candy

On October 31, do your kids trick or treat, or attend alternative candy-filled activities? Do you greet superheroes, princesses and ghouls with treats, or do you cut out your lights and hide?

Whether or not you celebrate Halloween, you can't escape the extra candy around now. It's everywhere and conveniently packaged in fun-size portions.

Don't be fooled by those little sizes either. They still have calories, which add up quickly if you eat more than one. Find your favorite candy on the chart and see how it stacks up.

Many labels suggest two or three fun-size bars as one serving. One fun-size Snickers bar has 80 calories, 4 fat grams and 10.5 grams of carbohydrate. A regular-size Snickers (2 ounces) has 271 calories, 13.6 grams of fat, 34.5 grams of carbohydrate. Eating three small bars is almost the same as eating one full-size bar.

I took a casual poll among friends to determine the favorite Halloween candy. It turns out there are as many favorites as there are varieties. Many adults prefer some form of chocolate, with peanut-butter cups being popular. Kids like chocolate too, but prefer sugary Skittles, Gummy Worms, SweeTarts and Smarties. All ages like candy corn.

Enjoy your candy this Halloween, but try some of these strategies to help keep it under control. Remember, everything in moderation.

• Buy candy at the last minute, so you won't eat it all before the trick-or-treaters come. Buy candy you don't like, so you won't be tempted in the first place.

• Set a limit of what candy you and your family eat each day. Don't throw away the wrappers so you can keep track of what's eaten.

• Don't buy candy on sale the day after Halloween unless it has a specific purpose. It makes great stocking stuffers, but hide it with the presents so you won't be tempted.

• Donate leftovers to a worthy cause. Know anyone collecting candy for the troops? But don't take it to work. Those who have successfully removed temptation at home may not appreciate the renewed challenge.

• Some people opt to give out healthful treats instead of candy. Consider individual packs of pretzels, raisins, cheese and crackers, sugar-free gum, or healthful granola bars.

• Nonfood items are also gaining popularity. Some treats you may see are temporary tattoos, stickers, pencils, holiday erasers, small plastic toys, plastic jewelry, bubbles or glowsticks. You can even wrap up small amounts of loose change.

I have one friend who gives out full-size candy bars, and has yet to have his house toilet-papered or egged. Double-check your treat choices with a pint-sized expert so you won't get tricked.
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The Chiropractic Rehab Center of Northern Kentucky provides nutrition counseling and offers a Computerized Nutritional Health Scan for only $25!

www.NKYChiropractor.com

Don't Base Your Diet on Nutritional Myths

We’ve all heard certain “facts” about nutrition so many times that we take them at face value, no longer questioning their validity. I’m going to knock a hole in a few of the things we “know” to be true about food.

Let’s start with the food that’s hardest to avoid: sugar. Those who’ve ever attempted the Atkins Diet or simply tried to avoid sugar probably got a rude awakening when they started reading labels. Sugar is hiding everywhere: lunch meat, ketchup, salad dressings. The average person in the U.S. consumes about “128 pounds” a year, or 34 teaspoons a day. Super-size fountain drink, anyone?

But what about sugar causing hyperactivity in kids? Controlled studies prove that’s false. And doesn’t eating sugar put a person at risk for diabetes? No. What causes diabetes is lack of activity, being overweight and a high-calorie diet. Diabetes patients have to cut way down on sugar, but just don’t go there.

Perhaps you’ve heard that brown sugar is healthier than white sugar. Sorry to disappoint, but brown sugar is white granulated sugar with molasses added. The mineral content between the two is insignificant at the end of the day.

Sugar is a refined food that’s been stripped of fiber, water, vitamins and minerals. Avoid foods that list a variant of it as its first three ingredients. This includes dextrose, lactose, sucrose and maltose. Sugar is calories without nutrients, so picture that 128-pound pile and try to make a dent in it.

The “brown vs. white” myth has carried over into the egg department as well. While they may look more natural, brown eggs have no additional nutritional benefits over white. Nor are they higher quality or more flavorful. Hen color determines the eggshell color. White feather hens lay white eggs; red feather hens lay brown eggs.

While we’re on the subject of protein, I’ll dispel a few other myths.

Low-carb diets will cause temporary weight loss but are not a good long-term idea. You may end up ingesting too much cholesterol, which ups the risk of heart disease. Too few fruits and whole grains can lead to a lack of fiber and constipation. Too few carbs can also make a person feel tired, weak or nauseous. Being wobbly at a party can really detract from a girl’s beautiful size 6 cocktail dress.

Another risk of too few carbs is the buildup of ketones in your blood. The kickoff of the Atkins diet is designed to put your body “in ketosis” … but over time, these ketones cause the body to produce a lot of uric acid, a risk factor for joint swelling (gout) and kidney stones. You’ll also notice your new bad breath, and your friends may too.

Ketosis makes the body use fat instead of carbs as an energy source. The weight you lose may well be lean muscle and water. So much better to reduce calories, fat and exercise.

Final myth: cabbage soup and grapefruit burn fat. Nope, sorry, reread the last few paragraphs. You’ll just lose water weight, lean muscle and feel tired and queasy. And that’s the truth!

www.NKYChiropractor.com



Elaine Hastings