Too many active people believe eating candy is bad for their health. They avoid M&Ms and Hershey’s Kisses like the plague. Instead, they opt for "healthy foods" like raisins and bananas. (That is, until the day comes when the go off ‘the deep end.”) While the natural goodness of fruit is indeed the more nutritious choice, a candy bar can also fit into a healthy diet. It’s far better to enjoy an occasional candy bar as a part of your overall well balanced diet than it is to binge-eat the whole bag of Kisses on a “bad diet day”, thinking "this is my last chance to ever eat chocolate before I go back on my diet, so I'd better eat the whole thing now."

Keep in mind, your brain has a memory for the delightful taste of chocolate (or whatever food you crave). If you try to ignore your urge for chocolate, you’ll end up eating the candy bar eventually – often after having tried to curb your craving with an apple, crackers, pretzels, sugar-free fudgesicle, anything but the candy bar…. and then, 500 calories later, you succumb to the Milky Way. You could have more wisely enjoyed it in the first place.

Next time you have a craving for a specific food, relax, eat the treat slowly, taste it, savor the flavor, and enjoy the treat -- guilt-free. One candy bar will not ruin your health forever. In fact, it might enhance your (mental) health. Moderation is the key!

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD