Candy cravings

Sugar-free candy a healthier alternative for the waistline

The leaves have started to change and the days are starting to grow cooler, both signals that the fat months are amongst us.

In the next three months a lot of us will be celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. During these holidays countless Americans will gain weight as we are first presented with a ridiculous amount of candy, and then pumpkin or pecan pie goodness, and last all the cookies and cakes that go along with a very merry Christmas to round out the fat fiesta.

Unfortunately for my waistline growing up, my mom was an excellent cook who had one nasty sweet tooth. So during the last three months of every year, my house saw no shortage of sweets. To this day, I have an extreme weakness when it comes to being able to turn down M&M’s, pecan pie, or Christmas cookies.

With Halloween approaching, it makes me wonder if I could still indulge some and give into my candy cravings without having an eye popping moment on the scale. Is there a candy out there that is not that bad for the waistline and doesn’t taste like straw? Actually, there is.

Hershey’s has come out with a whole line of their favorite candies in sugar-free versions. You can find Reese’s, York Peppermint Patties, Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers, and even Hershey bars are all sugar-free. Granted, these will never be a part of a weight loss routine, but containing 0 grams of fat and 0 grams of sugar, they are a much healthier alternative to other candies out on the market.

For those chocolate lovers out there, if you intend to give into your chocolate desires, then choose the dark chocolate route. There are many proven health benefits from dark chocolate. It can reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and has a large number of antioxidants (eight times more than strawberries). There are a lot of chocolates out there that are dark chocolate and taste terrific. There are even M&M’s now that are dark chocolate.

So, it is possible to get through these holiday months without having to buy a new wardrobe once the new year rolls around. Be smart, eat in moderation, and when you can, try and grab some of the healthier alternatives I mentioned above.

Also, if you are going to be passing out candy this upcoming Halloween, don’t be the house that hands out apples; the kids will appreciate some sugar-free Reese’s a lot more. n