Sugar season

Halloween kicks off two months of seasonal snacking, holiday parties and leftover candy around the home and office. Sugar makes us feel good, releasing dopamine and activating the reward centers of the brain. But Americans consume twice the recommended daily amount of sugar, leading to high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Nobody wants to get a cheddar popcorn ball or bag of carrots in their goodie bag, but we all can do a better job on our own of reducing the amount of sugar we eat. Here are a few tips for Halloween and beyond:

• Fill up before trick-or-treating. If you eat before you hit the streets, you’ll indulge in fewer pieces of candy on your neighborhood circuit.

• Choose wisely. Sort through your candy haul, keep your favorites, then toss or donate the remainder—nobody really likes Necco Wafers.

• Regulate. Limit candy intake to two or three pieces a day as your stash dwindles over the coming weeks.

Sources: American Heart Association; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention