Halloween candy seems to be ubiquitous—everywhere we look, it is around us. At the grocery store, pharmacy, or even card store, candy or pictures of candy are everywhere. Now there are even Halloween pop-up stores with many varieties of trick-or-treat baskets, and even more varieties of candy to fill them.
Of course for emotional eaters, and even the vast majority of adults who try to limit their intake of sugar, this can be a festive and fun, but also challenging day. Even the days leading up to Halloween can be difficult as people are often tempted to use the excuse of trick-or-treaters, or an upcoming Halloween party to purchase sweets that they wouldn’t typically indulge in, and then to eat them all before the date actually arrives.
In addition, many people suffer a fair amount of remorse after Halloween when they sneak into their children’s candy bag, or perhaps even the leftover candy that they bought for trick-or-treaters. Many closet eaters, or night eaters find themselves in the awkward and sometimes expensive position of having to return to the store to replace Halloween candy that they ate before, during, or after the holiday that was not their own to eat.
However, Halloween can and should be a fun holiday for children, teens, and adults of all ages. The key to enjoying Halloween is the ability to be honest with oneself and to ask the following questions:
- Am I purchasing the candy for myself, that I am telling myself is for others?
- Can I “handle” having this candy in my home before, during, and after the holiday?
- Am I open to choosing candy or other goodies to offer at Halloween that I will not binge on, and to make the decision of what is “safe food” for me to have for myself and other people?
With all that said, we know that the more some people deprive themselves, the more they binge. If you’re going to feel frustrated and deprived not having any Halloween sweets, choose carefully a treat or two in a contained amount that you can eat, sitting down, slowly, enjoyably, and with self-acceptance, not followed by self-hatred. In this way, you can be part of the holiday celebration, while maintaining a sense of dignity and self-respect.