We Ranked 15 Halloween Candies by Nutritional Value
Healthy Halloween candy: an oxymoron or a legitimate possibility? Even though most us of can't get away with trick-or-treating anymore (curse that middle school growth spurt!), we never really get too old to resist the bowlfuls of Halloween candy that materialize in every office kitchen and grocery aisle come October. (My weakness is sour lollipops… I can't put them down!)
Now, we wouldn’t wish a candy-free October on anyone, but there are certain sweet treats whose nutrition facts are scarier than others. We carefully studied the ingredient lists, calories, fat, and sugar content of 15 popular Halloween candies and ranked them in order of frightfulness. (We also threw in how long the average woman would have to trick-or-treat—at a brisk pace, may we add—in order to burn them off.)
So when raiding your little cousin's Halloween loot this year, now you'll know which treats will keep your costume fitting comfortably. Before you unwrap a single piece, read this!
From Worst to Best
Serving size: 3 pieces
Calories: 108
Fat: 6.4 grams
Sugar: 9.9 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed to burn off: 30
Say it ain't so! These depressingly delicious peanut butter cups contain enough sugar and fat to send your diet goals into early hibernation. And that's just for three pieces. Think about how many you actually eat on Halloween. Spooky!
Serving size: 4 pieces
Calories: 80
Fat: 1.25 grams
Sugar: 11.5 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 20
The highest sugar content on our entire list belongs to these brightly colored chews. A frightful recipe of corn syrup, sugar, and (greasy as heck) hydrogenated palm kernel oil are responsible for the cartoonish fruit flavor and gummy texture.
Serving size: 2 pieces
Calories: 80
Fat: 0.2 grams
Sugar: 9.5 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 20
These licorice-like twists are marketed as a "low-fat" food, which is true. But don't be fooled into thinking they're healthy—a formula of white flour, sugar, and cornstarch makes these a nutritional nightmare. There are almost 10 grams of sugar in just two straws, and really, who only eats two Twizzlers?
Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 80
Fat: 4 grams
Sugar: 8.5 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 20
If you think Snickers aren't that bad because they're made with peanuts and "real" chocolate, think again. This cheap artificially flavored chocolate product barely counts as food, and it's only made worse by the corn syrup, sugar, and fatty processed oils.
Serving size: 9 pieces
Calories: 85
Fat: 0.9 grams
Sugar: 16 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 22
Remember: The serving size here is only nine measly skittles. You're more likely to consume the whole pack, which contains about as much sugar as a scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Corn syrup and food dyes round out the startling ingredient list.
Serving size: 9 pieces
Calories: 70
Fat: 0 grams
Sugar: 14 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 18
This packaging boasts "made with real honey!" but the bag fails to advertise its ickier types of sugar (white sugar, corn syrup, confectioner's glaze, and dextrose). Not to mention the artificial flavors, dyes, and gelatin (which, need we remind you, is made from horse hooves?).
Serving size: 2 pieces
Calories: 72
Fat: 2.8 grams
Sugar: 9.6 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 19
Seriously, who eats just two mini Milky Ways and calls it a night?! We shudder to think of the amounts of sugar, corn syrup, milk fat, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, and artificial flavors we actually consume on our Halloween Milky Way binges.
Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 46
Fat: 0.5 grams
Sugar: 6.3 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 12
You can just tell by the packaging that this isn't a food meant to be consumed by humans. An ingredient list of various sugars, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors, and artificial flavors renders these stretchy-sweet bars a total nutrition fail.
Serving size: 3 pieces
Calories: 70
Fat: 1.5 grams
Sugar: 9.5 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 18
Does anyone even really like Tootsie Rolls? They're a sorry excuse for chocolate. But they somehow contain just as much sugar? Not worth it.
Serving size: 3 pieces
Calories: 67
Fat: 4 grams
Sugar: 7.7 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 16
The fat content of these American treasures is pretty high, but if you stick to the serving size, they won't do you in. And stopping at three Hershey's Kisses actually isn't that hard—they're too rich and chocolatey and take too long to unwrap to eat many more.
Serving size: 1 pouch
Calories: 70
Fat: 3 grams
Sugar: 7 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 18
Reese's Cups might be your doom, but in Pieces form, they're not that scary. You can eat an entire snack-size bag and only ingest 7 grams of sugar.
Serving size: One two-piece bar
Calories: 70
Fat: 3.6 grams
Sugar: 7 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 18
Unlike heavier candy bars, the super-light wafer in this chocolatey treat saves you some calories. Plus, the fat and sugar contents aren't quite as high as the Hershey's Kisses. So if you like chocolate, go ahead; break yourself a piece.
Serving size: One bag
Calories: 60
Fat: 2 grams
Sugar: 7 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 15
If you're going to go the M&Ms route, opt for the pretzel variation. They don't offer much in the way of vitamins and minerals, but less chocolate and more pretzel mean lower levels of sugar and fat.
Serving size: One packet
Calories: 45
Fat: 0 grams
Sugar: 6 grams
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 12
A fun-size bag of these chewy goodies contains no fat and comparatively little sugar. Better yet, you get 15% of your daily vitamin A quota and 50% of your vitamin C!
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Calories: 180
Fat: 14 grams
Sugar: 1 gram
Minutes of trick-or-treating needed: 50
Okay, okay, we know—this isn't really a Halloween candy. But if you actually want to stay healthy this Halloween, stick to these (surprisingly addictive) salted pumpkin seeds. One serving contains healthy fats and 9 grams of protein, plus healthy doses of iron, vitamin E, manganese, and zinc.
Get your mind off calories by checking out nine different ways to be a cat this Halloween!