We Had ObamaCare… Happy Halloween

"How to Actually Choose HEALTHY Chocolate for Halloween"

Candies with sugars, HFCS, and other frightening ingredients can wreak havoc on your health. Now enjoy these chocolate treats without the negatives...

ew snack foods evoke as much passion and desire as chocolate.

And if you have children, Halloween provides you with a wide assortment of sugary chocolate temptations -- all part of this family fun event.

Regardless of whether or not it's Halloween... if you're a chocolate lover, the idea of giving it up even for health reasons is often not an option you consider.

As far as your kids go... well, most kids love chocolate. Asking them not to eat any from their Halloween trick-or-treat stashes is pretty much wishful thinking.

Believe it or not, this is one instance when you can have your chocolate and eat it too... more and more studies confirm some types of chocolate are actually very good for you.

Since I realize many people simply refuse to give up their chocolate, and there are actually healthy versions of chocolate, I put my team to task to create guidelines to help you select and eat chocolate at a healthy level.

Especially at Halloween time, this could help give you some direction for the healthiest chocolate for you and your kids.

I do feel it's important to remind you about wholesome foods like organic vegetables and fruits that provide you with healthy nutrients -- without the sugar content of most chocolates.

With Halloween just around the corner, the potential for you and your family to consume even more chocolate is simply a reality that you will have to contend with. However, if you follow the guidelines my staff and I created for you, you can now enjoy one of your passions, and boost your health at the same time.

Guidelines for Selecting Healthy Chocolate

If you're a chocolate lover, or even occasionally indulge, I strongly recommend you follow these guidelines... which will allow you to enjoy your chocolate and help you protect your health at the same time.

• Find chocolate made from the least destructive processing techniques -- Organic is always best as over-processing reduces your healthy nutrients and can introduce lead contamination.

• Restrict your intake to dark, organic chocolate -- Consuming chocolate as close to its original raw state (unprocessed cacao) provides you the best health benefits.

• Avoid chocolate made from milk or milk byproducts -- Adding milk to the chocolate process can diminish your antioxidant benefits.

• Select chocolate with low sugar content -- Sugar can seriously impact your immune system

• Consume chocolate in moderation -- When you eat too much chocolate, you potentially diminish and defeat any health benefits due to the sugar.

• Avoid chocolate if you're struggling with a health challenge -- Sugar can suppress your immune system.

• Choose a chocolate made to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility -- Fair Trade certification should be part of your selection process.

I'll get into more details on each of these selection and consumption criteria in just a minute...

But first do this -- very thoroughly...

Pumkins - One for the Porch, One for Your Plate

When you grab a pumpkin for your fall porch this year, grab one for your plate, too. 

Why? Two really good reasons: Pumpkin makes an incredibly rich and flavorful base for all sorts of soups, stews, and desserts. And it’s absolutely packed with blood-pressure-friendly nutrients. 

Halloween Help for Your Heart
Pumpkin flesh is crammed full of phenols -- a type of health-promoting antioxidant that’s found in many plant-based foods. But pumpkin phenols may have particularly body-kind qualities. In cell studies, phenols from pumpkin flesh put a damper on the same enzyme that some blood pressure drugs target to reduce vascular tension. In other words, the phenols in pumpkin may help keep blood vessels relaxed, which means better blood pressure and better heart health

Halloween Is Coming... With Sugary Goodies Galore

Halloween is coming...

In the U.S., we spend $1 billion dollars on Halloween candy (we load up on 20 million pounds of candy corn alone!).

And for what?

To help the visiting ghosts and goblins (and ourselves and our own kids) experience more of sugar’s spooky fallout: obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, accelerated aging, and a host of other health concerns.

It’s not your fault. Marketing of sugary products is very intentional and very slick. In fact, the food industry spends millions upon millions of dollars each year to advertise products loaded with sugar to a public that just can’t seem to get enough.

As children, most of us loved Halloween and all things sweet. Now, in a perfect world, I would advise you to forget about eating sugar and just stick with healthy foods. And that's still the best policy to follow most of the time.

But it's not always practical — or realistic. Especially on holidays such as Halloween, when you don’t want to disappoint those trick-or-treaters… or your own children.

So, maybe it’s time to…explore some options and be creative:

Homemade snacks for people you know

sugarless candy

give out quarters

energy or nutrition bars

candy with dark chocolate and coconut (at least a bit healthier)

coupons

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