We're into the 'real-talk' advice we get from health coach and founder of Raw Beauty Talks, Erin Treloar. Here are some tips on navigating Halloween candy (for yourself and with your kiddos) and ditching the guilt:

From Erin:

Here's how I approach the Halloween treats these days as a health coach who also promotes food freedom.

• Give Yourself Permission to Eat - I give myself full permission to have whatever I want food-wise with no repercussions if I do overeat. Restriction is actually what causes us to eventually overeat as our body kicks in to fight famine. Instead, ensure that you have balanced meals and snacks throughout the day so you're less prone to cravings and emotional eating. 
  
  
• Focus on How You Want to Feel - I focus on how I want to FEEL throughout the day. I want to feel energized, stable, grounded, in choice, and vibrant so I do my best to align myself with food, activities and people that help me feel that way. I know a bunch of Halloween treats will leave me feeling tired, inflamed and on a blood sugar rollercoaster. 1 or 2 no big deal, but after that it's downhill. 
  
  
• Get In Tune with Your Emotions - if you find yourself continuously going back to the treat box try asking yourself the question, "What am I hungry for that can't be solved in this box?".  Perhaps you're feeling anxious, lonely, bored, stressed or tired!  When you identify what you're really hungry for (sleep, fun, connection, relaxation) you can find something to satisfy that need other than food.
  
  
• Slow down your eating - when you do have treats, try to eat them mindfully.  Slow down and actually taste the flavours and textures. Do you even like what you're eating?  If you do (yay!), then actually give yourself the chance to enjoy it. 

• Avoid Labeling Foods as "Good "or "Bad" - we try not to call food "good" or 'bad" in our house and instead we simply call it by it's name without a bunch of labels. For example carrots are "carrots" and chocolate bars are "chocolate bars". So simple hey lol.  The idea is that we're not attaching moral value to foods.  You can explain to your kids that we need everything in moderation. If we only eat chocolate we won't feel great, in the same way that if we only eat broccoli we won't feel great either!
  
• Help Your Kids Connect to their Bodies - prompt your kids to get curious about how they feel after eating certain foods. Kids are naturally intuitive eaters so you may be surprised at how connected they are and what they feel after eating certain things. 
  
  
• Let Them Set The Rules - on Halloween, Scott and I will ask them what they think is an appropriate amount of candy every day and usually they say 2-3 pieces. We're fine with that and they feel in control and responsible for what they put in their body. 
  
  
• Permission to Eat - on Halloween we'll give them full permission to have what they want.  I also always emphasize with the kids that they can eat in front of us and don't need to hide their eating.  As soon as they feel judged or like what they are doing is "wrong" you may notice them sneaking or hiding candy. Try to encourage them to feel safe eating with you to help them build a healthy relationship with food (no guilt attached).
  
   
• Switch Witch - we do the Switch Witch a couple days after Halloween. They can leave some of their candy out at night and the Switch Witch trades it for a book/toy.  We talk about how candy is the currency for choosing a special gift and they love it.

It's OK to Love Chocolate  

There are a lot of reasons to love chocolate, high quality dark chocolate that is. Here are a few:

* Contains more calcium than cow's milk (for healthy bones & teeth)
* Natural mood elevator 
* High in free radical fighting antioxidants (3 cheers for healthy cells!)

* Packed with magnesium (for brain & heart health)

Do you get hit with chocolate cravings? If yes, you’re not alone. According to John Hopkins Medicine, a huge percentage of us do. We love the approach taken in this article. Check it out for a deeper dive into the health benefits and suggestions on how to reframe your love-guilt relationship with chocolate.  

Have a fun & safe Halloween!