Halloween Candy: Trick or treat?

Don’t trick yourself with treats on Halloween!

Halloween is right around the corner, and while it’s fun to scare yourself with movies, haunted houses and hayrides, it can also be scary for those trying to watch their caloric intake. Luckily, there’s some simple steps you can take to make sure your treats don’t trick you. Here are a few tips to prevent yourself from scaring yourself off your path to health!

• If you’re planning to hand out candy, select items you don’t like and won’t eat. If you buy something you like to snack on, buy it as close to Halloween as possible. If you must buy it early, put the bags out of sight so it is out of sight and out of mind.

• Instead of candy, hand out Halloween-themed pencils, rings, erasers, or other fun items sold at many stores.

• If you are going to eat the candy, pick just one or two pieces to satisfy your craving. A little treat is OK!

• If you do overindulge, enjoy it but get back on track on November 1.

Treats or tricks?

If you do enjoy some Halloween candy, how much exercise will you need to burn the calories?

• Two fun-size Kit Kats have 210 calories. To burn that off, you’d need to cycle for 37 minutes, run for 16 minutes or lift weights for 24 minutes.

• Two fun-size Snickers or Twix bars have 160 calories. To burn that off, you’d need to swim for 11 minutes; do kickboxing, boxing, or sparring for 13 minutes, or dance for 28 minutes.

• 19 pieces of Candy Corn have 140 calories. To burn that off, you’d need to weight lift for 15 minutes, cycle for 23 minutes, or run for 10 minutes.

Don’t see your favorite candy listed? Here’s a handy chart listing the calorie counts of some of the most popular candies.