Spooky season is here and whether you’re all in on costumes or avoiding trick-or-treaters, one thing is certain — candy is everywhere.
The National Retail Federation predicts $3.5 billion will be spent on candy in 2024. From the office breakroom to your kid’s trick-or-treat bag, temptation is hard to avoid.
If you’re trying to balance healthy habits with an occasional treat, it’s important to make mindful choices. Candy might not offer much in terms of nutrition, but some options are better than others. Hers ranked 23 popular Halloween candies using data from CandyStore.com and their nutrition labels.
Ingredients to Watch When Choosing Halloween Candy
Here are the categories we looked at (and why):
- Protein: Higher protein intake is shown to increase feelings of fullness. Grabbing a candy that has a higher protein content could keep you from going back for more once you’ve satisfied your sweet tooth.
- Calories: Increased snacking is likely to lead to weight gain, especially with higher levels of consumption and lower-quality food choices—like candy.
- Sugar: Over-consuming sugar is linked to higher risks of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Limiting high-sugar candies could lower your risk of these diseases over time.
- Fat: The World Health Organization recommends a daily maximum fat intake of 30% of your overall calories for the day. Paying attention to fat content in different Halloween candy options helps you know when to stop snacking.
- Trans Fat: Research reveals that trans fatty acids are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, which is the current leading cause of death.
- Fiber: Research shows that dietary fiber intake not only promotes weight loss, but also helps individuals stick to their diets. Fiber has also been shown to slow the absorption of sugar in the body, slowing your glucose response. In other words, it may reduce insulin resistance.
Ready for the full list? Here’s how Halloween candy stacked up.
Halloween Candy Ranked from Most to Least Healthy
1. Jolly Ranchers
2. Salt Water Taffy
3. Blow Pops and Hot Tamales (tied)
5. Swedish Fish and Tootsie Pops (tied)
7. Candy Corn
8. Dubble Bubble Gum
9. Butterfinger and Sour Patch Kids (tied)
11. Lemonhead
12. Starburst
13. Almond Joy and Kit Kat (tied)
15. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
16. Hershey’s Mini Bars
17. Hershey’s Kisses
18. M&M’s
19. Skittles
20. Milky Way
21. Snickers
22. Twix
23. 3 Musketeers
Looking for some Halloween fun? Read these stories:
- Spooktacular Halloween Happenings for Kids in Chicagoland
- Halloween Books for Kids You’ll Love to Read
- Kid-Friendly Haunted Houses and Trails in Chicagoland
Key Findings
- Based on ingredients, the better candy options were all hard or chewy candies, including Jolly Ranchers, Salt Water Taffy, Blow Pops, and Hot Tamales.
- Only one chocolate candy made it in the healthier top half. (Spoiler alert: it’s Butterfinger.)
- The bottom half of the list contained mostly chocolate-based sweets, with Skittles as the exception.
- Reese’s and M&M’s are the most popular Halloween candies, but rank 15th and 18th, respectively.
How to Enjoy a Healthy Halloween
You can still enjoy the flavors of the Halloween season without breaking your health routine. It may be helpful to create a weight loss or maintenance plan in advance and get a sense of when and where you want to indulge. Here are some more ideas to help you successfully navigate Halloween and all the treats that come with it.
- Pair candy with fiber. If you expect to eat more sugar throughout October, consider pairing it with additional fiber because of its impact on helping to slow absorption of sugar. So eating some raw veggies, nuts, or seeds before you snack on candy could be beneficial.
- Host with healthy snacks. If you’re hosting a party or contributing to a potluck, include some healthy food options along with any treats. You and your guests can fill up with more nutritious options, then enjoy your favorite Halloween candies as a treat. Search for seasonal inspiration to turn healthy, whole foods into a thematic party centerpiece that you and your guests will love. (Think apple slices and peanut butter transformed into monsters’ mouths or bananas and chocolate chips becoming ghosts.)
- Practice moderation. This tip applies to both parties and Halloween night. Using the nutritional values and serving sizes, find a portion size and frequency that feels right for your health goals.
This story was produced by Hers and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
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