Throw Away Those Halloween Leftovers

Do you find yourself finishing off those left over "fun-sized" Halloween treats even though you don't want to? You know they're not good for you, yet you don't know what else to do with them. Here's an idea... throw them in the garbage.

That may sound like an easy solution, but it's not. Some people can't stand the idea of throwing away food. They just can't bring themselves to do it. I must admit that as I threw mine away I had a moment where my other hand tried to catch them before they went in. We are taught to always "clean your plate" and not waste food because there are starving kids somewhere. The usual solution is to eat them a little at a time, but our self restraint is limited so we bring them to the office and let someone else eat them, or even worse give them to a friend.

Are Halloween treats really considered food? Do we have to feel guilty about throwing them away? Can we turn a mental switch and consider them something else? Maybe poison, which, in large enough quantities, they probably are? And if they are poisonous, is it a crime to give them to someone, even an office mate? Maybe you can think of them as dog food, something not fit for human consumption. The irony being you wouldn’t give the stuff to your dog because it’s not good for him, but you’d eat it yourself.

There is real guilt over wasting food. But aren't you worth more than that candy? We spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on health insurance and health care every month and yet a couple of dollars worth of candy is worth more?

People often bring leftover Halloween candy to the health club where I work thinking we are thin and fit and we can easily absorb a few calories. Well, If you bring them here thinking we will be grateful, I will throw them away. In fact, that might be a good solution for you - bring them here and I will throw them away for you. One of the staff once fished them out of the garbage and yelled at me for throwing them out.

The other option is to eat them all at once and see how sick you get. Call your doctor first and make sure your pancreas can take it. It is a holiday, and it is OK to indulge once in a while. Unfortunately we have the opportunity for a special occasion nearly every day. We have to pick our indulgences carefully. And when they’re over, they’re over, and in this case it’s best to throw away the leftovers.