At Advanced Surgical, where we offer weight loss programs to the people of Melbourne, FL, we see the effects of unhealthy eating every day.  It is a major cause of obesity.  It is certainly not the ONLY cause of obesity, but it is definitely a major contributor for many of our patients.  As Halloween approaches we felt that it might be beneficial to offer some alternative ideas to passing out Halloween candy.  Why contribute to the obesity epidemic in our country?  Kids should be running and playing, not gasping for breath because they are already unhealthily overweight by the age of ten.  Let’s care about the kids of our community and do our part.

How to Plan a Healthy Halloween

It is easy to walk into any store this time of year and see huge bags of candy sitting on the shelves.  You don’t have to look for them.  They are everywhere!  The purpose is to make it easy for you to grab a bag or two to pass out on Halloween, run through the checkout line, and be on your way.  But, it isn’t actually harder to choose healthier alternatives to pass out to the neighborhood kids.

Healthy Halloween Treats

Swap Candy for Goldfish Crackers

We aren’t telling you to pass out toothbrushes and floss (although most dentists would love it if you did!), but we are asking you to choose an alternative to candy this year.  If you go down the snack aisle in the grocery store, there are multi-packs of items, usually intended for kids’ school lunches.  You can grab these instead of candy.  For example, you can pass out little bags of Goldfish crackers.  They contain ZERO sugar!  One tiny miniature Hershey bar contains 4 grams of sugar!

Pass Out Mini Pretzels

What about little bags of Snyder’s mini pretzels?  Twenty mini pretzels only have ½ gram of sugar.  Some kids actually prefer salty snacks to sweet, so this is a great alternative.  Another fun salty snack that many kids love is Smartfood White Cheddar popcorn which also comes in mini bags.  These have virtually no sugar as you would have to eat 3.5 cups to eat ½ gram of sugar!

Encourage Your Kids to Sell their Candy

We are so used to associating Halloween with candy that we forget that kids actually like a lot of different snacks.  There ARE tasty snacks that are not high in sugar like those mentioned in the above paragraphs.  Something else to remember is that if your kids come home with a bag full of candy, you may want to call your dentist – not because looking at candy causes cavities!  We recommend this because many dentists will actually pay kids money to turn in their Halloween candy!  Some dentists take the candy they collect and send it to our military service members serving overseas.  Believe us, they work plenty hard to burn off those grams of sugar!

Start a Weight Loss Program

At Advanced Surgical and Weight Loss Center of Merritt Island, we care about your health.  Maintaining a healthy weight is essential to maintaining your overall health.  Maybe candy has been your weakness since you were a kid, or maybe it’s just been a variety of choices and/or circumstances that have brought you to your current weight.  But, don’t fret!  Healthy choices can begin today!  And, we want to be a part of your health odyssey.  If weight loss surgery, such as the lap band or gastric sleeve is something you are interested in, then give us a call today.  Dr. Diego Velarde is on the cutting-edge of this field.  He is trained in the daVinci robotic surgery method and prefers to be as non-invasive as possible, allowing his patients to heal faster and easier.  We look forward to hearing from you!