SLASH SUGAR AND SLIM

Trying to lose weight? With these clever tweaks, you don’t have to miss out on the seasonal sweet stuff

Hands up if you love Halloween, but are left with a bucket-load of sweets once the trick-ortreaters have been and gone.

Hardly ideal when you’re trying to watch your weight. What also doesn’t help is that from now until New Year there’s endless temptation with goodies galore stacked high on the supermarket shelves. But sticking to a diet doesn’t mean you can’t have your sweet treats. Use these caloriesaving tips to escape the nightmare of denial and cravings, and indulge in the fun without putting on pounds.

Decoding desserts

Faced with a delicious pud, it’s difficult not to enjoy a double serving – but how much is too much? The UK doesn’t have standardised portion sizes for cakes and desserts – so the calories or sugar content on a label can often not reflect the portion size that you’re really eating. ‘It’s important to look out for the high-sugar foods that contain more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g, and serve a much smaller amount of these,’ says nutritionist Jenna Hope.