If you secretly love fishnet tights and backcombed hair as much as us (ever since you saw the video for Lady Marmalade, right?) then you’ll probably love Halloween as much as we do too. But, just like every other holiday, it ain’t so great if you’re trying to lose weight – or if you just fancy being healthy.

The problem with Halloween, as much as we love it, is the sugar. When you actually add up the grams of sweet stuff in all of these tasty treats... Well, the numbers are pretty terrifying. Almost as terrifying as watching Insidious with the lights off.

Yes, Halloween is the one time of year (ok, now and Christmas) that you can overindulge on sweeties. But before you find yourself up to your neck in nougat, be careful – sugar is the worst offender for ballsing up a balanced lifestyle. Plus, it’s seriously addictive stuff!

Fortunately, we’ve rounded up a list of ways to get your sugar-fix without sacrificing all those extra Sunday mornings in the gym (well done for those, by the way).

Make Your Own Ice-Cream

Totally sugar-free. All you need to do is blend a banana, then flavour it with whichever fruit you fancy. We tried ours with a handful of frozen strawberries. Yum! After a quick whizz in the food processor, they should get to a creamy consistency. Then simply freeze and ta-daa! A tasty, guilt-free frozen treat!

And for Halloween? Ice-scream… It’s scary enough!

Be in the Know About Nut Butter

This might sound weird, but it’s not. We actually mean peanut butter, and all its alternatives! Be careful with peanut – the branded stuff you find in supermarkets is usually loaded with sugar – but you can get low-sugar versions.

Basically, your best bet is to opt for organic alternatives such as cashew or almond butter. These have a naturally ‘sweet’ taste anyway, and when you combine them with fruit, your cravings will be no more.

If you’re in need of sugar-free treats for a Halloween party, nut butters are great. Simply mix together some almond butter, crushed almonds, a little vanilla extract and some cornflakes, and crunch into balls. Serve next to a roll of toilet roll for a gross yet yummy snack that also serves as a conversation-starter…

Don’t Be Afraid to Try a Date or Two

Dates might look a bit like mouldy old zombie toes, but they’re actually delicious. Plus, when chopped, pureed or juiced to make a syrup, they also act as a fantastic natural sweetener.

Be careful with dating (in every sense of the word) because they are high in sugar. But, there’s no doubt that they do the trick when you want something sweet and you’re trying to avoid any artificial or refined sugars. Extra points if you add them to the scary nut butter balls we mentioned above!

Remember all those lovely, natural alternatives

Stevia. Agave nectar. Coconut flakes.

The list goes on. All of these are totally natural and guaranteed to hit that sweet spot. Stevia goes without saying – you can add it to unsweetened yogurt or almond milk. Or you can even try it in organic whipped cream, coconut cream or quark. All delicious. Combine all of these, and you’ll get a creamy, yummy, coconut-y mousse!

If you’ve got the girls over for a spooky Halloween movie night, we recommend spooning some of the mix into ghost-shaped moulds. Chill in the fridge then serve with chopped up blueberries for eyes… It’ll be a total fright-fest!

And remember if you’re serving spirits… Always drink with a sugar-free mixer or soda water and fresh lime!

And if all else fails…

There’s loads of stuff you can try on Halloween to shut your sweet tooth up, but if you’re really desperate… There is such a thing as sugar-free gummy bears.

Happy Halloween!