Fighting Obesity One Treat at a Time

From Calorie Lab:

Halloween treats that won’t contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic

You want to hand out something to the youngsters, but something that won’t contribute to their weight. Allow us to offer a few helpful suggestions.

• Sugar-free gum. Stores sell it right alongside the candy, so it qualifies as such, but with zero calories or fat.
• Tums. They look enough like rolls of Lifesavers to pass, and after the kid has eaten the first pound or so of Milky Ways and Kit-Kats and Gummi Bears, they might actually come in handy.
• Popcorn balls. Unbuttered popcorn has the same approximate caloric, sugar and fat content (not to mention taste) as styrofoam. The trick here is not to form it into balls using the traditional melted caramel, but to substitute library paste, which in itself is one of your first and second grader’s favorite snacks already.
• Rye-Krisp. It’s as devoid of sugar and trans fats as it is of flavor, and if you run out, just cut some cardboard into strips, salt lightly and distribute.
• Cocktail olives. In the dark, the kids will probably just take them for jawbreakers or milk chocolate balls.
• Eggplant pate on melba toast. Low-cal, nutritious, and a guarantee that the kids won’t bother stopping at your house next Halloween.
• Shares of GM stock. As handouts go, they’re actually cheaper than most Hershey products these days.

(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)