Having a Guiltless Halloween Sweet Tooth

It’s the Halloween season, and you know what that means: costumes, scary movies, and a LOT of sweet temptations. There’s apple cider donuts, pumpkin pies, and any candy you can get your hands on. It’s easy to give into these sweets of the season, and VALLEY is here to say that that is completely okay.

While keeping your body healthy is extremely important, sometimes it is even more important to maintain your brain health. This means that it’s totally fine to give into temptations every now and again and treat yourself with a few Twix bars or an extra slice of that pie. It’s okay to ignore the voice in your head telling you that the few extra calories are going to make a big difference, because here is the truth: they’re not. As long as this sweet eating does not become a persistent and constant habit, it’s not going to have a huge impact on your health or physique. It’s time to embrace a guiltless Halloween sweet tooth and truly treat yourself.

This guiltlessness can and should carry into other aspects of life. Modern society has placed too heavy of an emphasis on having the “perfect body,” and it’s hard for a lot of us to keep this from permeating through our brains and translating into actions like not having that extra slice of pizza because we are afraid it will drastically affect our bodies. The emphasis should instead be focused on brain health first. If all we feel is guilty when we eat the sweet treats that we love, then can we truly ever enjoy them?

VALLEY wants to remind anyone reading this that life is too short to be hyperaware of each and every thing you eat. Sure, you would be damaging your body if you only ever ate unhealthy food and didn’t ever exercise or properly nourish yourself. But treating yourself every now and again is important when it comes to being happy and fully appreciating the body that you have. So, don’t ever feel bad about yourself when you go for seconds and thirds at the buffet, when your Kiwi froyo rings up at $7 because you wanted to load up on the toppings, when you polish off a meal at a restaurant that easily could have served three, when you follow through on your out-of-the-blue craving for McDonalds French fries, or when you have a few more pieces of candy than you intended because its Halloween night and you just have to celebrate. There’s no reason to dwell on the guilt; instead, just be happy that you had a good meal to eat or an occasion to celebrate.

We need to dispel the belief that each sweet you eat is horrible for you. It’s good for your brain health. That’s what society needs to emphasize.