Indulging in your favorite Halloween treats isn't the end of the world, but some candies are ridiculously disproportionate when it comes to nutrition content. And, if you're a health-conscious person with a sweet tooth, you might want to know what candy is "healthier" than others.
INSIDER spoke with registered dietitian Lisa DeFazio about how best to rank the sweets. She agreed that the sugar, calories, and fat are the best numbers to look at to determine how "healthy" these candies are.
We then compared the information for one serving size of either the fun, snack, or mini size available for each of your favorite treats. You would be surprised at how many brands have multiple pieces of candy for one serving, so be sure to check the labels on your favorites. The nutritional information was based on the company's official website or off of the nutrition labeling we found for the products sold online or in stores. It's also important to note that this ranking doesn't consider other relevant factors like sodium and fiber.
When it comes to making the healthiest candy choices, DeFazio recommended going for the hard candies that tend to have low to no fat, instead of choices with higher fat content, like chocolate.
"Overall, candy is candy," she said. "When we are looking at candy they are all going to have sugar, so you can’t really categorize candy by sugar because it is going to be a negligible difference. You’ll do less damage with the stuff that has less total fat."
That said, her personal favorites are chocolate bars — Snickers and 3 Musketeers, to be specific.
See where your favorites rank — based on fat, sugar, and calories — below.
Smarties
Smarties might be the smartest candy choice to indulge in this Halloween. DeFazio says that this is because they are "straight sugar" and they don't contain any saturated fat. There is also the added fact that they are low in calories and are gluten, dairy, and peanut-free, according to the official website.
Tootsie Pops
"Lollipops and Tootsie Pops are good because they take a lot of time to eat," DeFazio said about these treats. She also mentioned that there are under 100 calories in a serving which adds up to less "damage" nutritionally.
"It’s really about what’s going to do the least amount of damage in the least amount of time that you are consuming it," she said. "In 20 minutes you can go through five or 10 mini chocolate bars and be 1000 calories in, that's why the lollipops are good."
Sour Patch Kids
Before Sour Patch Kids were kids, they were martians. According to MentalFloss, the candy was originally called Mars Men in the late 1970s but changed after the product came to the US.
Kids and aliens alike should consider eating this candy before other chocolate sweets, according to DeFazio. This, again, is because of the low fat and calorie content.
Airheads
Only airheads would skip out on these candies. DeFazio said that although these are higher in calories, they are nutritionally sound options with low fat. There are also eight flavor options to ward of taste boredom. When the candies were first released, however, there was only one flavor option — red. People couldn't agree that the flavor was either cherry or strawberry, The Daily Meal reported.
Laffy Taffy
Laffy Taffy was brought to life with the help of a few people. The first was the author of "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" Roald Dahl, the second was Quaker Oats who helped finance the film version of the book to create the accompanying real-life candy line, Mental Floss reports. Laffy Taffy is just one candy that has been brought to life from Willy Wonka's imagination. Nestle, which currently owns the Wonka brand, makes over 13 different Wonka-inspired sweets, according to the official website.
Starburst
Starburst is owned by Wrigley, the home of another candy on this list — Skittles. According to the Wrigley website, Starburst was initially called Opal Fruits when it debuted in the UK. There were only four flavors when Opal Fruits was introduced, and now, Starburst has tons of other products and flavors including jelly beans and gummibursts.
Nutritionally, although Starburst has a lot of sugar, DeFazio said that the low-fat content still makes them a better option compared to chocolate candies — no matter what version of the sweet you eat.
Tootsie Rolls
Tootsie rolls are very low in fat but high in sugar. For World War II soldiers, this sugar rush gave them energy. Mental Floss reports that the candy rolls were in every World War II soldier's rations because they wouldn't melt or go bad over time.
Brach's Candy Corn
Candy corn is a polarizing Halloween candy — people either love them, or they hate them. Even so, USAToday reports that more than 9 billion kernels of candy corn are sold every year. DeFazio ranked this classic Halloween candy as one of the last "better candies" on the list. This is because the tiny treats are high in sugar and calories, but still low in fat.
Skittles
Skittles were ranked by DeFazio as one of the worst non-chocolate candy options. Not only are they high in calories and sugar, but they also have more fat than other candies.
Livestrong reported, however, that Skittles also have a surprisingly high amount of vitamin C. This probably has nothing to do with the fact that Skittles are the second most popular chewy candy in America, according to The Daily Meal. This shows that nutrition really doesn't sway people from indulging in their favorite sweets.
Kit Kat
DeFazio said that Kit Kat candies are ones that will add up quickly due to their addictive qualities.
"When you are eating candy you can’t stop at one, that’s the problem when you start with a chocolate bar, it’s like chess, and chemically your body gets these serotonins and dopamines," she said. "There is a chemical thing going on so if you don’t want to end up eating five or 10 then don’t start."
Kit Kat candies are so popular and addictive that there are more than 200 flavors in Japan and tons of unique variations on the original treat in the Middle East and the Philippines, according to Mental Floss.
Milky Way
Milky Way candies have less fat and sugar compared to other sweets on this list, according to DeFazio, who ranked them after Reese's and Kit Kat bars.
According to Shape, however, they are the "hands-down" best healthy chocolate-bar splurge. This is partly because of the serving size. Back in the day, the bar was more than three ounces, Mental Floss reports, almost double of what a regular size bar is today.
Butterfinger
DeFazio noted that Butterfinger and Milky Way candies are similar from a nutrition standpoint. One thing Butterfinger has that Milky Way doesn't is a partnership with Bart Simpson. According to The Daily Meal, Butterfinger worked with "The Simpsons" from 1998 until 2001 and again in 2013.
Baby Ruth
Although the nutritional content of Baby Ruth bars isn't that different from others on this list, it was named one of the most influential candy bars of all time by Time. The creators of the bar claimed it was named after the current president's daughter Ruth, but the most obvious association is with the Yankees star Babe Ruth.
3 Musketeers
3 Musketeers bars may be the most straightforward sounding candy on this list, with a whipped chocolate center and chocolate coating, but they initially came in three flavors. And yes, that's why it was called a 3Musketeers bar. According to The Daily Meal, the original flavors were chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Rationing during World War II led to the flavors being widdled down to just the chocolate.
M&M'S
There are six different colored regular M&M'S, and only so many pieces come in one Fun Size candy pack.
DeFazio noted to be aware of how many pieces of candy come in packs like M&M'S since some types may have more pieces per serving.
"People will say to eat 8oz of candy, but people don't know what that is and when they see the actual serving size it's a whole different ball game."
Snickers
DeFazio said that Snickers are one of the worst chocolates due to the high amount of sugar, calories, and fat. But that doesn't stop people from indulging in the candy. They are considered a staple candy due to the combination of chocolate, peanuts, and caramel. This is what Time called the "holy trinity of confection." The publication also listed the candy as one of the most influential bars of all time.
Almond Joy
Almond Joy candies are very similar to Snickers nutritionally but have a slightly higher fat content. Greatist reported that Almond Joy has an extra dose of fiber and unsaturated fat thanks to the almond center. The Hershey brand, which creates Almond Joy candies, is the largest buyer of almonds in North America, according to Mental Floss.
Raisinets
Raisinets are very high in calories and sugar but have less fat than other candies on this list. DeFazio said that the good news is you get a serving of fruit with this candy too. Greatist reports, however, that you can make this treat healthier by going for the dark chocolate variety instead. There are also other varieties including chocolate covered cherries and cranberries, according to the official website.
Nestlé Crunch
Crunch bars are one of the highest calorie and sugar options on this list, even though one of the main ingredients is puffed rice. Time reported that this bar is one of the most influential because it introduced a cheaper and unique chocolate bar filling.
Peanut M&M'S
Although Peanut M&M'S have fewer calories than a Crunch bar, they also have two more grams of fat. Again, keep in mind how many pieces are in a package when deciding between candies to indulge in.
The creator of Peanut M&M'S, Forrest Mars, would have passed on these chocolate bites because he was actually allergic to peanuts, MentalFloss reports.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
"Who stops at one peanut butter cup," DeFazio asked. "You can easily eat up to 45 grams of fat and 800 calories with these."
People who can limit their Reeses consumption to one cup missed out on a great candy deal back when the product was first released in the 1930s. Reeses were originally called penny cups, according to Teen Vogue, because they retailed for only 1¢.
Twix
Fun Size Twix bars not only have the highest calories, but the highest amount of fat, which is why DeFazio ranked this candy last. Whether you are team right cookie or left cookie, they both have the same nutritional value. The name Twix actually comes from "Twin Bix" a play on words for the bar's double cookie packaging, The Daily Meal reports.
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