can i just eat the mini snickers this halloween without it becoming a whole thing? 🍫
October should be all about soups, cozy sweaters, and spooky movie nights. Instead, it can feel like a constant internal negotiation: you vs. the candy bowl.
If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking the following, you are not alone.
"If I eat one, I’m going to end up eating twenty."
Labeling specific foods as “off limits” or “junk” accidentally gives them a lot of power. They end up being more desirable than other foods. This leads to shame and drama around normal eating experiences.
This Halloween, try these takeaways to avoid the willpower struggle with the candy bowl:
avoid skipping and skimping meal periods
That’s right, no need to “save room” for the treats. Skipped and skimpy meals lead to a higher level of hunger later in the day. When essential nutrients are missed out on throughout the rest of the day, our bodies want to make up for it by driving up cravings for quick carbohydrates (looking at you, Reese’s Pieces).
That automatic reach into the candy stash is actually hunger cues doing their job! This is supposed to happen when bodies are low on carbs or when anticipating being low on carbs from those “but I can’t have any!” thoughts.
check in on your fruit intake
Does fruit intake tend to dip in the fall and winter? Bodies require simple sugar for quick, accessible energy. We go hunting for another sugar source when fresh fruit intake falls off with the season change. Again, these are normal hunger cues and the body’s way of adjusting.
Add fall- and winter-friendly fruits like kiwi, pears, apples, citrus, and dried fruit to meals and snacks.
practice neutral food talk
Okay, this is a big one. Making peace with food is a long game, but you can start to work on your relationship with food before the holidays hit. Think of the relationship with food like any other relationship in your life. If it’s defined by constant conflict, of course eating around the holidays will feel more stressful.
To start easing some tension now, practice describing foods in a neutral way instead of using judgmental words like “guilty,” “sinful,” or “junk.” Try describing foods using neutral descriptors based on temperature, texture, or color. “These Skittles are red, chewy, and cool.” Neutral language can keep the morality out of your meal.
no, you are not broken.
Eating candy and other treats is a completely normal part of celebrating with friends and family. It does not have to be a battle year after year.
Need support navigating tricky seasonal food anxieties? Working with a Registered Dietitian one-on-one can help.
PS: We take health insurance. Ask us about it here.
written by Aby S. Fewel
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist