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What’s to Be Done About All This Candy?

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When we were younger, we used to be able to gorge on candy after trick-or-treating and pretty much feel fine. Now that we’re older, and maybe a tad bit more health conscious, the biggest threat to our healthy eating habits is often the office candy bowl. That’s bad enough on a regular office day, but now that Halloween is approaching it seems like everybody’s got a tub of mini Snickers on their desks. So how do you avoid making yourself sick on office treats?

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(Photo Credit: KOMUnews/Flickr)

Look, before you judge, there are lots of reasons why someone wouldn’t want to eat all the candy in the world. Maybe they’re turning over a new leaf and trying to not snack on candy or junk food in order to lose weight. Perhaps they noticed their blood sugar numbers are creeping up towards the pre-diabetes levels (or they actually already have diabetes). Or it could be that they’re struggling with some stuff right now (stress, quitting smoking, some mild OCD) and don’t need the temptation of a giant bowl of future cavities and stomachache, OK?

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If you’re one of these folks who can eat candy all day long and not have any ill effects, good for you! But if you’re struggling to avoid the lure of the teeny tiny Baby Ruths that are just staring at you from your cube neighbor’s desk all day long, here are some tips.

1. Fight fire with healthier fire.

They’ve got a bowl of chocolate? Get your own bowl and fill it with stuff you’d like (or should like) to snack on. This can mean apples (fresh fruit!), nuts (not chocolate covered ones), the notorious raisins (nature’s candy!), jerky (mmm, protein), or even some sugar-free mints (fresh breath, suckas!). Make sure your alternatives are relatively shelf stable (no putting out cheese all day, right?) and maybe you’ll draw some attention for being a good influence in the office.

2. Block it out.

If the candy bowl is eyeing you like a jerk, then put it out of view. If you sit by someone’s bowl, ask your neighbor to move it to another corner where you can’t catch sight of it. If you often walk by a mess of candy and tend to lose control of your hands, then take another route (or try to keep your hands full of good things like a big glass of water and your trusty notebook). If you can’t grab the candy, you (likely) can’t eat it. Take a cue from Lord Humungus and “just walk away.”

3. Tweet it, don’t eat it.

Feel the need to participate or bond over candy? Take the opposite approach of these hipsters, and take some snaps of the good n’ plenty, but keep your hands on your phone at all times. Maybe your coworker brought back some exotic flavors of Kit Kats from their trip abroad. When they ask you to sample one, share a photo instead! You’re still sparking conversation, but not putting out a pure “pass” at a treat.

4. Avoid the 3 p.m. sugar siren.

It’s late, you’re stressed, and you still have a few hours till you can go home. Don’t let low blood sugar and boredom derail your candy avoidance! Get up off your butt and go for a quick walk. Grab a hot beverage (as long as it’s not a calorie-dense sugar bomb) and give your hands something good to hold on to. Start a mid-afternoon yoga club and do some quick office-friendly stretches to wake up your mind and distract your brain. As long as your hands aren’t in the candy bowl, you’re doing good stuff there, champ.

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How do you avoid office candy? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.


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GreenIvory

No candy, sugary treats, or any engineered ‘food’ products are safe for human consumption…not even in moderation which has no definitive unit of measurement….nor will any exercise account for all the toxic sugar and artificial chemicals in them that can disrupt normal cell growth and cause diabetes AND cancer….it is simply against all laws of nature and biology…humans should only be eating the real food that grows organically from the earth….the earth that God created. Why is this just so… Read more »

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