How to Avoid Halloween Havoc

Halloween goodies can derail a diet, so here are timely tips to help you scare up the resolve to survive.
Don't be tricked.

By Max Kovins
eDiets Contributor


Halloween is approaching and it's just one more excuse for me to stuff my face with sugar.

I know, I know, you've been reading my columns, and I'm sure by now you think I use any holiday as an excuse to eat. Heck, you probably think I have a favorite recipe for cooking groundhogs for Groundhog Day. Well, truth be known, there are several tasty recipes for groundhog on the web already. So, I'll spare you the details. But you tell me: How do you go through the month of October without devouring all of those tasty treats?

Bad eating habits start early. Mine? They started very early. Most babies' first words are "Mommy, mommy." Mine were "pastrami, pastrami." Hey, is it my fault my baby formula was chocolate flavored?

OK, before you call Child Services for retroactive child abuse, let me assure you that I'm exaggerating. But not by much. Ever since I was a child, I craved sugar. I refused to drink water and I wouldn't drink milk unless it was malted. I demanded orange and apple juice, which I pronounced “apu ju.” In fact, I drank so much of the stuff, I can't even look at it today.

So when I first learned about this holiday where you could get candy just by saying three magic words, I was in bliss! Trick or treat, indeed! And then, when I got older, the bliss continued. Of course, I'm not so blissful when I look in the mirror, but I'm working on it.

<>Psst... Want to know the easiest way to good nutrition and weight loss?
<>Hint: It's delicious, you don't have to cook and you get a FREE eDiets profile

I have vowed to lose 50 pounds. I have given up soda. I have not had a drop since the Fourth of July. Next on my list is giving up sugar, but I will wait until after the 31st of this month. I can't give up candy corn cold turkey. Great! Now I'm thinking about turkey, and how I can't eat canned cranberry sauce with it. Well, I'll deal with that in November.

Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought I'd give you my favorite recipe for a low-calorie trick or treat snack. And, it's so simple that it takes almost no time to prepare. All you have to do is take a hot dog and remove all of the meat inside. I know what you're thinking, "What does that leave me with?" The answer is simple -- "a Hollow Weenie!" OK, you can send all of the "I hate bad puns mail" directly to me. But look at it from my point of view: I can only use that joke one time a year.

Well, I guess this means I owe you a real Halloween recipe that won't pack on the pounds. Here it is:

This recipe is a fun family project. Now, I stress FAMILY project, because this does require supervision. Gather up some large apples. Any type you like, as long as they are large. Hollow out the inside of the apple (I swear this is not another set up for a joke) and set aside the pieces of the apple. A grapefruit knife works real well for this process.

Now comes the fun part! Take some pumpkin carving tools and carve out different Jack O' Lanterns. Once you have your Lanterns carved out, take the apple pieces and chop them up and mix them together with some honey peanut butter and raisins. Now, fill your creations with the mixture, and you have table decorations you can eat!

Two tablespoons (or 32 grams) of Roasted Honey Nut Creamy Peanut Butter has 190 calories, 140 from fat. Total fat is 17g, 3.5g saturated fat, 125g of sodium, 7g of total carbohydrate, 2g of dietary fiber, 3g of sugars and 7g of protein.

Four ounces of raisins (100g) have 250 calories, but they are high in fiber and have vitamin A and even some B. The average apple has about 50 calories, but these need to be a bit larger -- so add a few calories to be on the safe side. And, just like oranges, apples are a great source of vitamin C.

I'd give you some more Halloween recipes, but I need to get back to letting out the waistband of my Halloween costume. I've gained a few pounds since last year.

eDiets has a whole team of nutritionists and fitness experts ready to help you lose all the weight you hate. With 24 diets to choose from, you're sure to find your perfect match!

Max Kovins, an award-winning copywriter and professional magician, writes copy and content for several websites and was the writer of The Cannell Channel, the newsletter for Stephen J. Cannell Studios. When Max isn't scarfing Twinkies and Cokes you can find him writing feature-length screenplays and anything else that needs to be written for hire

Dieting doesn't have to be scary

Healthy Halloween!

Forget ghouls, protect yourself from the candy



Among the goblins and ghouls at Halloween awaits a scary sight -- the mountain of candy. It can yank youngsters, as well as grown-ups, from their good eating habits, creating a weeklong sugar fest.

The mountain can also send you on a steep descent into holiday bingeing if you aren't careful. So should you avoid all candy? Nah... it's Halloween, for goodness sake!

But here are some tricks to help avoid a total sugar-nutrition breakdown that can lead to hurt tummies or fat tummies.

Dieting doesn't have to be scary! With our #1-rated meal delivery plan, you'll love the food so much, you won't even know you're on a diet! Plus, check out our new "Weekends Off" plan! Get more info at eDiets

• Buy the candy for Halloween. The holiday is at the end of October, not the month before and after as well...
• Buy candy you don't like. I knew a woman who gave out hard butterscotch candy (poor trick-or-treaters.) Now I know what she was up to.
• Consider the candyless route. While Halloween does not have to be the time to push proper health and nutrition, providing a diversion to excess is not such a bad idea. Snack-sized bags of popcorn, pretzels, cheese crackers, gummy things, animal cookies or raisins are good alternatives. Little toys, pencils, stickers or baseball cards are also a hit. The best treat my boys ever got was a shark's tooth.
• Donate the leftovers. I put my bowl out on the porch toward the end of the evening and somehow it evaporates. If you do end up with auxiliary candy, carry it to work, the nursing home or a homeless shelter.
• Prepare the trick-or-treaters real food. This isn't easy on the big night with so much excitement in the air. Organize a pre trick-or-treat party with friends or just your own family. Serve hot dogs or hamburgers before they head out so they aren't hungry and tempted to devour all the candy. Shape or arrange the meal for the holiday. For example, use purple and green ketchup to draw faces on the hamburgers. Arrange string beans around for creepy hair and carrot sticks for the body. Assorted sandwiches cut into shapes with Halloween cookie cutters and raisin eyes are also fun. Serve apple slices with caramel for dipping or sprinkled with unprepared strawberry gelatin powder. Fill scooped-out orange Jack-o-lanterns with chocolate ice cream. Make it fun.
• Avoid Candy Dispenser Syndrome. This is the very serious malady that befalls the person doling out candy -- "One for you and two for me." Eat a good meal, sip on some low-calorie hot chocolate or spiced tea, and watch a scary movie between doorbell rings.
• Ration or bargain the loot. Okay, so the little goblins come back to base with the lion's share. This can ruin a week's worth of meals if they load up everyday after school with candy. A couple of approaches: First, you can ration the candy and allow a few pieces on a daily basis. They may even forget they had so much. Or perhaps you can buy back the candy with money or some desired prize. Try not to snatch it all away. After all, they feel that they have earned it. Oh, and try not to steal too much. "That Snickers bar looks tampered with, I'll dispose of it..."
• Let it be done with. After Halloween, the stores will continue to push their overstocked candy. You will feel it is the fall-Thanksgiving thing to do, having bowls of orange-and-brown Kisses sitting around. Overcome this compulsion, and buy apples and pears instead -- it's truly the fall thing to do. Speaking of apples, here is a wonderful mix of lean pork and apples that is very easy and tasty.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apples

2 pork tenderloins
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. butter
2 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey

Mix mustard, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic together in a shallow bowl or large plastic Ziploc bag. This can be done in advance and stored in the refrigerator for two to three days. Add the trimmed tenderloins and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat grill and cook pork until done. Don't overcook. Transfer to a platter and slice in 1-inch slices.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the apples. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to the platter with the pork. Add the honey and vinegar to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture becomes syrupy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the syrup over the pork and apples and serve. Serves four.

Good news for food lovers! You can get savory, gourmet meals like this -- without spending time in the kitchen -- with our new eDiets DeliciouslyYours meal delivery plan. Mouthwatering, chef-prepared meals delivered fresh, right to your front door. Simply heat, eat and enjoy how delicious weight loss can be! Viqsit eDiets to learn more.

Brown bag tips

Brown Baggin' It: Better Lunches

By Jaclyn Johnson
eDiets Contributor

When I think of a brown-bag lunch, potato chips, PB & Js and whole milk come to mind. But no longer do packed lunches have to be child-like. Now, it’s easy to pack a simple, healthy and, most importantly, delicious lunch. No longer do you have to resort to fast food or expensive restaurant lunches. Our eDiets experts will give you some tips on how to make lunches lovable again.

eDiets offers over 20 fabulous weight-loss plans, including the the GI Diet plan. Visit eDiets and fill out a free profile.

When it comes to packing your own lunch, it is necessary to plan! Write out a list of what you would like for lunch that week before you go to the grocery store. This will decrease the chance you will impulsively grab food you don’t need. Also buy pre-chopped fruits and veggies and sliced deli meats, this will make it easier for you to pack your lunch and not make a mess. If you have 10 minutes of free time, you can pack a healthy lunch!

What do you need to include?
According to eDiets nutrition expert Pamela Ofstein, a well-rounded lunch should include “protein, fruits and vegetables (good fiber sources), some carbohydrates (whole grain sources), even a little healthy fat is good (nuts, avocado, etc).” Pamela’s idea of a healthy lunch is “some tuna salad or a piece of chicken (cold is just as yummy), a few crackers, small salad with vinaigrette dressing, and a piece of fruit for dessert.”

What to avoid
Try to avoid excessively fattening foods and too many snacks. For instance, when making a turkey sandwich, what would you typically put on it? Lettuce? Yes. Tomato? Yes. Mayo? No. Oil and vinegar? No.

Try to avoid those extra fatty calories by substituting mayo with a small layer of hummus or low-fat mayo.

Secondly, don’t overdo the carbohydrates. If you are a carb-craver, avoid that fettuccine Alfred and try some whole-wheat pasta salad. Use less pasta and more mixed chopped vegetables such as carrots, olives and tomatoes. Instead of mayonnaise, toss the pasta salad in some fat-free Italian dressing, throw it in some Tupperware, refrigerate and voila!

Try to avoid the infamous sandwich companion -- chips! But if you crave the crunch Pam suggests “Low fat chips are a good alternative if you want something crunchy -- baked is the key. Some other good suggestions are baked tortilla chips, pretzels, whole-grain/low-fat crackers and rice cakes. The important thing is portion control -- that is the key.”

Lastly, try to resist temptation for dessert. After a nice healthy lunch it’s hard to fight off that craving for something sweet. Try to add some fruit, such as grapes or strawberries, to curve the sweet craving. If you can’t control the craving, don’t make yourself suffer! Every now and then it’s OK to indulge your craving as long as you don’t overdo (i.e. have a cookie not 12 cookies).

Snack Attack
We all get it! Around 4 o’clock, lunch seems like it was ages ago and dinner seems even further away. Don’t worry, have a healthy snack to hold you over. Some great snack foods are nuts (almonds and walnuts), sliced apples, Nabisco 100-Calorie snack packs, rice cakes, nonfat cottage cheese or low-fat graham crackers. Snacking isn’t a bad habit if you do it correctly!

For those of you on the go, keep a variety of pre-sliced fruits such as cantaloupe, strawberries and mango. Add them to your lunch for a quick and nutritious snack.

And Remember
Boredom can break any healthful lunch plan. Pam says, “Variety is the best. Try different foods. Add vegetables into your tuna salad; a balanced lunch can include all types of foods. You don’t have to make a typical lunch like a sandwich. Plus, leftovers make great bagged lunches.”

To beat boredom, think outside the box! When making a salad for lunch, don’t just stick to same old lettuce, tomatoes and carrots. Why not add some walnuts, raisins, chick peas, even sliced apples to the mix.

Find yourself sick of sandwiches and salads? Try soup! There is a great variety of low-fat, low-sodium and organic soups available. Just stick it in the microwave, and you will soon have a healthy and hearty meal. Another healthy alternative to a sandwich is a baked sweet potato!

Pam reminds us that “the goal is to keep the portions within a healthy range -- 3-oz. piece of protein (meat, chicken, and tuna). And if you are on a calorie restricted plan, if you eat more at one meal than another it is fine as long as you keep within your calorie allotment for the day.”

eDiets has great ways for you to eat healthy, lose weight and take control of your health. We're just a click away whenever you need us for inspiration and support. To get started, visit eDiets and fill out a free diet profile.

Jaclyn Johnson is an eDiets editorial intern and a journalism/mass communications major at New York University.

Model'sTips: How to Stop Looking Fat

By Carolina Diaz-Bordon
eDiets Staff Writer
eDiets Staff Writer

Chances are, if you’re a woman and you wear clothes, you’ve experienced, more than one torturous morning staring in the mirror in agony because you simply feel too fat to feel sexy. You realize that you should go to the gym and that you probably shouldn’t have eaten that piece of birthday cake last week, but there’s nothing you can do it about in the 20 minutes you have left to get ready before work.

According to Danica Lo, author of How Not to Look Fat (HarperCollins), there are countless of simple tricks that will work wonders to magnify your “skinnifying potentials.”

“All these magazines try to give people advice about how to look thinner but many of the writers writing this advice wear size-2, size-4 in clothes, I know, because I am friends with some of them but they don’t really understand what it means to live as a full-figured woman,” says Lo.

Now, proud and happy to show off her beautiful size-12 figure, Danica is not ashamed to admit that once upon a time she felt insecure about her perfectly average-sized body. It wasn’t until after her first modeling job, where she barred both her insecurities and her birthday suit, that she decided to put her self-consciousness to rest and put her savvy sense of fashion into good use.

In her insightful guide to creating a slimmer illusion, Danica, addresses the harsh realities of how sporting an unflattering hair cut, the wrong makeup or even wearing the wrong style of shoe can pack on the pounds, she then arms her readers with detail solutions on how, every woman, regardless of body type, can look thinner and maximize their gorgeousness without stepping foot in a gym.

“Some of the most common mistakes are so simple. By simply changing the style of underwear you wear, you can shed pounds and add pizzazz to your appearance," says Lo. “So many gorgeous girls and women I know unnecessarily feel bad about themselves. But after just a few tips from this book and a couple of waves of the hair and makeup brush, they can hardly believe their eyes.”

How Not to Look Fat uncovers top tricks of the trade for looking thinner in all situations. Here’s a glimpse of a few fashion tips we got out of her.

CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET:

Jersey is Not Your Friend:
“As far as fabric goes, Jersey is one of the biggest mistakes. It doesn’t work on a lot of bodies because if you have any kind of rolls of fat and you’re wearing tight-fitting jersey fabric, it shows right away.

Cut Loose the Crew Necks:
“Another really common mistake is crew necks. They just don’t do anything for any type of figure. Even if you are fit and have tons of muscle tone, it doesn’t really enhance your attributes. For somebody who is insecure about their arms, back or chest, crew necks will do absolutely nothing to make you feel better.”

Cheerio Capri Pants:
“Capri pants are the worst things in the entire world. They make everybody’s legs look shorter. Even if you look at supermodels, in runways and you look at the way these models look in Capri pants, their legs look shorter. Can you imagine an average height woman?”

CLOSET KEEPERS:

Long Live V-Necks:
“I, personally, believe that everyone should have a v-neck sweater. If you are very busty you should have a high v-neck, if you’re not busty you should have a lower v-neck.”

Jazz it Up with a Jacket:
“Every woman should have a great jacket with a great high collar. Not only because it’s dramatic but because it makes your neck look longer, it helps bring out your jaw line and it instantly dresses you up.”

SEXY SLIMMING SOLUTIONS:

Banish Back Fat:
“You can fix back fat up in many ways. The number one way is by simply standing up straight. Also, if you wear a really big undershirt, your outer shirt will cling more to the under shirt and, in turn, hide your back fat.”

Redeem your Jeans:
“I know many people believe that if you get a bigger pocket your butt will look smaller or if you get a smaller pocket your butt will look bigger. Really, big pockets make people look shorter. When you put on your jeans look in the mirror then check to see if the middle seams line up and if they are parallel. If they are, then, chances are, you got a pretty good pair of jeans in your hands.”

Say a Lot with Sleeves:
“Never pick anything that ends at the fattest part of anything on your body. If you have a thick waist, don’t pick a top that ends dead at your waist.”

Stick to a Style:
“One of the things that I started realizing when I started working in fashion is that hardcore fashion people, such as top designers, never look different. It’s better to look the same and be hot and feel good about yourself then having to think about different ways to put yourself together every morning under a whole new look. Fashion people don’t dress like that anyway.”

Ready to take control of your weight? eDiets offers 24 customized programs -- each with shopping lists, meal plans, expert advice, peer support and much more. You won't have a problem finding a program to match your needs and food preferences. CLICK HERE to fill out a personal profile

Best Nutrition for Your Buck

Dr. Katz's 5 Healthy Eating Tips

By Glenn Mueller
eDiets Senior Writer

Nationally renowned health expert Dr. David Katz has some encouraging news about nutritious eating: "We should be able to get to health by pursuing pleasure and pleasure by pursuing health."

An associate professor of public health practice at the Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Katz is also a medical contributor for ABC News. When he isn't busy appearing on programs like Good Morning America, 20/20 and other ABC programming, Dr. Katz writes regular nutrition columns for The New York Times and O, The Oprah Magazine. He is also the author of nine best-selling books to date, including The Way to Eat. (This innovative book, which was created in cooperation with the American Dietetic Association, provides all the tips and strategies you need to take control of your weight for life. To find out more about his online diet plan, click here.)

Recently, this popular expert sat down with eDiets to dish out generous portions of advice about healthy eating. According to Dr. Katz, the connection between health and pleasure begins with fresh foods.

"The cultures around the world that have some of the best cuisine and some of the best health place a strong emphasis on fresh and locally-grown food, and I think we should learn something from them," he says.

Getting The Best Nutrition for Your Buck
One of Dr. Katz's general guidelines about nutrition is to eat foods that are closer to nature, including plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. He emphasizes that incorporating such foods into your diet can lower your risk for heart disease, cancer and premature death. In order to increase your intake of fresh foods, Dr. Katz suggests buying produce at family-owned farms whenever possible.

Are you ready to sink your teeth into a new lifestyle, one that will help you drop pounds and improve your health? Try one of our 24 super diets. To get the ball rolling, simply visit eDiets and fill out a free profile.

"Here, where I live in Connecticut, we have a lot of small farms," he says. "So throughout the growing season, we have opportunities for locally-grown corn, tomatoes and lettuce."

Though he generally recommends buying organic foods, Dr. Katz says eating a nutritious diet is the most important thing to remember.

"If you can afford to buy organic foods, it is a lovely thing to do," he says. "But if you can't, what I tell my patients is, ‘Don't make perfect the enemy of good.' Get the best nutrition your buck can afford."

Be a Nutrition Detective
Personally, Dr. Katz believes navigating the product ingredient lists and nutrition facts panels is too much work for the average consumer. In fact, he's been working on developing a set of symbols that will reflect the overall nutritional value of foods.

"My hope is that this will come soon to a supermarket near you, and you won't have to do the heavy lifting yourself," Dr. Katz says.

In the meantime, he has implemented an educational program in elementary schools around the country called "Nutrition Detectives." This innovative approach narrows everything you need to know in order to find healthy products down to five basic clues.

"Since the average 8-year-old can remember these, I think just about anybody can put them to good use," Dr. Katz says.

Now, in this eDiets exclusive, Dr. Katz shares his 5 tips for deciphering food labels.

1. Never Trust the Front of the Package. No matter how enticing the claims on the front of that bag, box, bottle or can may seem, you need to spin that package around in order to get to the truth. "Always look at the ingredient list and the nutrition facts," Dr. Katz advises. "That's the only place on a food package where you are guaranteed to get the truth… and nothing but the truth."

2. Pay Attention to the First Ingredient. Remember the ingredients are listed in order of abundance. Therefore, Dr. Katz advises consumers to pay careful attention to the first item on an ingredient list. "In a breakfast cereal, if the first ingredient is sugar, you have to ask yourself whether this is really a cereal product. I think if the first ingredient is sugar, it is a sugar product. That means it is more like a dessert."

3. Beware of Common Public Enemies. There are certain ingredients people should be certain to avoid at all cost. Dr. Katz says public enemies number one and two are partially hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup. Other ingredients to look out for are artificial ingredients of any kind, especially those with long, chemical names. "You have to find them in a crowded ingredient list, and that's kind of like looking for Waldo in the ‘Where's Waldo' game," he says. "It is looking for a familiar face in a big crowd. But, in this case, when you find partially hydrogenated oil in a crowded ingredient list, step away from the box and nobody will get hurt."

4. Look for a Short Ingredient List. According to Dr. Katz, this fourth clue is the most important one. "If someone were to ask me for just one tip about reading labels, I would tell them to look for a short ingredient list," Dr. Katz says. "In almost any food category, the shorter the ingredient list, the more wholesome the product." After all, he says, the foods that have the shortest ingredient lists of all are perfectly natural foods. For instance, the ingredient list in a banana is "banana"… and that's it!

5. Look for Whole Grains and Fiber. The fifth and final clue pertains only to grain products, such as breads, cereals, granola bars, chips and crackers. This one is really two clues in one. First of all, Dr. Katz suggests looking for the word "whole" in the ingredient list. "If something says wheat bread, that doesn't mean it is whole-wheat bread," he says. The next indicator of whether or not a product is a good source of whole grains is the amount of fiber it contains. "Fiber is your friend," Dr. Katz advises. "Look for 2 grams or more for every 100 calories to know that you are getting a decent whole grain."

Those are Dr. Katz's tips for kids and adults alike to help make better choices when stocking the pantry, refrigerator or freezer. Once you start making better choices, he says the additive effect on the quality of your overall diet can be absolutely huge. And yet, you won't have to make any major sacrifices.

"You are not giving up chips; you're just finding better ones," Dr. Katz says. "You're not giving up cookies; you're just picking better ones. So it is an important principle that ties back in with the philosophy I started with. Basically, you want to get to health by pursuing pleasure, and get pleasure in the pursuit of health."

Would you like to listen to more of our conversation with Dr. David Katz? Click here to hear the eDiets podcast! (Note: This will open in your computer's default media player.)

To find out more information about Dr. David Katz, click here.