The truly scary part Halloween is the calorie- and sugar-laden treats that abound. Eat a few of these and your diet won't just be haunted but your waistline will look as scary as your costume. But there are some goodies on the market that are truly yummy treats but provide some nutrition, while offering fewer preservatives, additives, chemicals and other scary ingredients. Try some of these healthier treats this season.
Fruity Treats
FruitaBü Organic Smoooshed Fruit Sploooshers and Fruit Twirls may be a mouthful, in more ways than one. The Sploooshers are plastic tubes filled with a full serving of blended organic fruit. You can either freeze them and eat them as ice pops, or slurp them straight from the tube. Fruit Twirls are similar to Fruit Rollups, but they are made from organic fruit (without added sugars or other artificial additives). The same company that makes FruitaBü also makes a fruit leather that comes in 12 fruit flavors. Each piece provides half a serving of fruit and all of these treats weigh in at less than 60 calories each. They are available at whole food supermarkets and whole food stores.
Chocolate Delights
If you want to enjoy chocolate, pair it with something healthy. Kopali Organics offers delicious goji berries coated with antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. Wolfgang candies (not Wolfgang Puck's food product line) packs fresh fruits, such as blueberries, raspberries and cranberries into dark chocolate truffles and individually wraps them to ensure freshness. Of course, if it's just the calorie control you are seeking, and not necessarily the nutrition, take advantage of all of the 100-calorie bars and snack packs available. Some of the tastiest choices include: Hershey’s York Peppermint Wafer Bars, Reese's 100-calorie wafer bars and whips and the Nabisco 100-calorie snack packs. Also, try Mars' line of CocoaVia chocolate bars, such as the Blueberry & Almond bar. It's lower in sugar than a conventional chocolate bar, is an excellent source of calcium and only has 104 calories. In general, choose dark chocolate, almost bitter varieties. The darkest chocolate is lowest in cocoa butter and richest in antioxidants.
Yummy Snack Bars
Though marketed for children, adults can enjoy Clif Kid Organic ZBars too. They are low in fat, made with whole oats (a whole grain), and fortified with vitamins and minerals. Unlike many conventional treats, they are free of hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavors or colors. They come in seven flavors, but the favorite for this Halloween is Spooky S'Mores. Each bar has 120 to 130 calories and you can buy them at Trader Joe's food stores for only $.69 each, as of 2009. If you're craving something chewy and fruity, try Kashi TLC chewy granola bars. They are all natural, fiber-rich, and provide less than 150 calories per bar and you can buy them at a supermarket.
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