Halloween is just around the corner. And while goblins and ghouls roaming the streets might be spooky, there’s something even scarier that comes along with Halloween…
Sugar… and LOTS of it.
In fact, the average American eats more than 24 pounds of candy each year, with a big chunk of that being gobbled up in the days surrounding Halloween.
Most of those 24 pounds consist of sugar. Take a look at these typical Halloween treats:
- Caramel Apple: 57 grams of sugar, 300 calories
- Popcorn Balls: 49 grams of sugar, 450 calories (plus high fructose corn syrup!)
- Candy Bar: 40 grams of sugar per regular size bar
- Candy Corn: 33 grams sugar, 150 calories per ounce (plus spooky artificial colors and flavors)
If you think you’re doing yourself a favor by eating small portions, think again:
Three miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have more sugar than a glazed Crispy Crème doughnut.
Half a pack of Skittles has more sugar than a scoop of Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.
And here’s the frightening part of this Halloween story…
Sugar: The Scariest Substance to Your Health
When you think of sugar, an expanding waistline and more frequent trips to the dentist might come to mind. But the health consequences are far more serious than that.
Here are just a few of the serious health concerns caused by excess sugar in your diet:
- Increases the production of insulin -the “fat storage” hormone
- Increases appetite and cravings and causes mood swings
- Causes advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) to form – these compounds break down tissues and speed up the aging process
- Stimulates the growth of cancer cells
- Increases LDL or “bad” cholesterol
- Makes blood cells “sticky” and likely to clot
- Increases free radical damage and inflammation
- Increases homocysteine – raising your risk for heart attack and stroke
- Damages the microcapillaries in the eyes
But the great news is that you can protect yourself against the woes of sugar – and still enjoy healthy Halloween candy treats – without souring your health!
Make Healthy Halloween Candy Recipes at Home
In fact, thanks to a new breed of all natural, zero-calorie, zero-glycemic sweeteners you can offer a wide variety of low-or-no sugar treats to your Halloween visitors (and holiday guests) this year.
How about the surprisingly healthy Chocolate Mousse (5g of net carbs)… the seasonally appropriate Pumpkin Cheesecake (3g net carbs) or Carrot Cake Cupcakes (3g net carbs)… or even Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (4g net carbs) – all found in Keto Desserts.
Here are some of the healthy Halloween candy recipes we’ve come up with – all 100% natural, low in sugar and simple to make!
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