Healthy Holidays: On Being Okay With Throwing Out the Candy

I hate wasting food and I have a mean sweet tooth, so the annual flood of Halloween candy used to mean several weeks of munching on chocolate and fruit chews, until I had either eaten or given it all away. But recently I've started tossing out most of the junk food that comes my way and I couldn't feel better about it.

I don't have kids, so the candy that comes into my house is usually given by well-meaning friends or relatives who don't realize a giant bag of mini candy bars has all kinds of complicated feelings attached to it. They're so good! So full of nostalgic Halloween memories! One or two isn't so bad at the end of the day, until it's been a week and I realize I've eaten 14 mini candy bars instead of my usual zero.

For me, good eating habits are all about the habit, the pattern I click into on a daily basis. Having lots of candy around means cheap candy becomes my after-dinner habit, instead of fresh fruit, or a few dates and nuts. The easiest way to break this habit? Get rid of the candy. That means setting aside a few pieces of candy for myself and my husband, pawning off a little more on friends, and throwing the rest in the trash. I hate wasting food, but I don't feel a shred of guilt about throwing away what, quite honestly, barely qualifies as food. (A peek at the ingredient list usually brushes away any lingering doubts.)

For a fascinating explanation of the science of habit, and how to kick bad eating habits, check out this post from Charles Duhigg, author of the book The Power of Habit:

Kicking the Dessert Habit at Dinner: A Love Story

How do you deal with the excess of candy at this time of year?

Related: What's the Best Way to Lose Weight Without Doing a Crazy Diet?

(Image: Flickr member mateoutah licensed under Creative Commons)

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A New Favorite Snack: Willamette Valley Granola Chips

This summer I had a goal to take my lunch to the day job each and every day. Every two weeks I'd slip up, but for the most part my plan to brown bag it worked. That said, things got a little monotonous mid-summer. Leftovers and fresh salads are great, but what I really wanted was junk food. Chips, people, I'm talking chips. Enter Willamette Valley's granola chips.

When packing my own healthy lunch, I've found my biggest breakdown point is craving textures of my youth. I want Cheetos or a soft (tasteless) Little Debbie brownie. It doesn't matter how great the food you packed is - sometimes you really want snack-like stuff. Although there's nothing wrong with a nostalgic food now and then, I've been trying to watch what goes into my body.

A few weeks ago I was sent a few bags of Willamette Valley Granola Chips. Packed with GMO-free ingredients and healthy stuff like quinoa and barley, these small crisps have been the perfect midday snack when you feel nothing but a cookie will do. They're a great middle-of-the-road food when you want something snacky without being too processed. I've even tossed them on my morning yogurt! I liked them so much I even went and bought several bags in different flavors for a recent road trip. They seem to range in price from $4-$5 depending on the store, so keep your eye out at a retailer near you.

Find It! Willamette Valley Granola Chips, $4.99 at Alice.com

Related: Recipe: Crunchy Granola Bars

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.

(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)

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