Watch my “Halloween Candy Roundup” on KUTV’s Fresh Living – and read the details below so you know what candy to keep and enjoy this Halloween.
Video = http://kutv.com/features/fresh-living/dr-shawn-talbott-healthier-halloween
It’s that time of year – when ghosts and ghouls (and also princesses and Presidential candidates) will be roaming the streets looking for tricks and treats.
Depending on where you live and how many houses your ghouls get to, you might have an overload of candy by the end of the night. How should you handle all that sugar?
- Let the kids dive in on Halloween night! One night of over-indulging is not going to hurt them.
- The next day, while they’re recovering from their candy-coma – let them pick a few pieces of their favorites – maybe enough for 1-2 pieces each day for the next week?
- Donate the rest. Most local dentists accept candy donations – many even PAY $1 per pound of candy and give you a free toothbrush or discount on future dental services. Charities like the Ronald McDonald House or any homeless shelter or food pantry will be happy to accept your candy donation. If you can’t find one near you, check out Halloween Candy Buy Back (http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com), which will help you locate a participating business that will PAY your kids for their donated candy – and then ship it to American soldiers so they can enjoy a little treat while serving our country.
Here’s my Halloween Candy Roundup – to help you decide which candy to keep, which to donate, and which to avoid.
First, as a nutritionist, I need to remind everyone that while none of these choices (except one) are “healthy” – there is nothing wrong with a little occasional indulgence (emphasis on occasional). Everything in moderation – including moderation!
Think back to the “sweets” that many of our ancestors had access to – FRUIT! – which was often a rare indulgence. Even though fruit is often a concentrated source of sugar (20-30 grams in a medium to large apple), it’s also a concentrated source of vitamins and phytonutrients – and it’s difficult to over-consume fruit because of the bulk (about 5 grams of fiber in that apple).
Large Apple
Serving Size = 1 apple
Calories = 100
Carbs = 28g (5g fiber)
Fat = 0g
Protein = 1g
Candy and caramel apples are a terrific fall treat, but they’re not often what shows up in most trick-or-treat bags these days…
Even though I’m a nutritionist, and I think that soda is perhaps THE single worst food that you can ingest, I am not part of the “anti-soda” or “tax-soda” of “ban-soda” brigades. Why? Because I also think that people should be able to CHOOSE what foods they are consuming – and hopefully make the right choices for them. I’ve been known to enjoy a Coke after a long bike race, or a Pepsi in the middle of an ultramarathon, or a Dr. Pepper with my cheeseburger at the family cookout. But I’m certainly not a fan of people drinking soda on anything but a very occasional basis.
Shasta Cream Soda
Serving Size = 1 can
Calories = 150
Carbs = 37g
Fat = 0g
Protein = 0g
You’ll see that like most sodas, a single can is around 150-ish calories of pure liquid sugar (typically 30-40g). You’ll also see that many of the candy bars below are higher in total calories, and yet I’m making the case that while they’re not “healthier” – they may be “less bad” for you in certain ways. This is because of the ways in which liquid sugar (soda) is consumed (rapidly as a drink), digested (rapidly as a liquid), absorbed (rapidly from the intestine into the bloodstream), and delivered (rapidly to the pleasure centers in the brain). This “rush” of liquid sugar is different physiologically, biochemically, and psychologically – which contributes in important ways to the “metabolic” effects (obesity/diabetes) and “addictive” nature of soda.
There has been a lot of research – and a lot of opinions – on this topic – with a nice summary from Harvard’s School of Public Health HERE (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/soft-drinks-and-disease/)
On to the candy!
*Note = the nutrition info below is based on a “serving” of the snack/mini/”fun” sizes of each candy.
Do you need just a taste of sweetness? Then go for the lower-calorie sweets like Twizzlers or Lollipops. They’re pretty much pure sugar, but because you have to chew or lick them, you consume them a lot slower. Slower sugar is “less bad” sugar.
Jolly Rancher Lollipops
Serving Size = 3 pieces
Calories = 60
Carbs = 16g
Fat = 0g
Protein = 0g
Twizzlers
Serving Size = 4 packs
Calories = 120
Carbs = 28g
Fat = 1g
Protein = 1g
If you’re more of a chocoholic (like me), then a lollipop just won’t do it for you. One of my favorite “less-bad” indulgences is a peppermint pattie – you get a little chocolate and some nice cool sweetness at only about 140 calories.
York Peppermint Pattie
Serving Size = 1 pattie
Calories = 140
Carbs = 31g
Fat = 2.5g
Protein = <1g
A more decadent indulgence is the familiar peanut butter cup. The combination of sweet chocolate and salty creamy peanut butter is delicious – but PB cups deliver a calorie kick at 240 (which will take about 2.5 miles of jogging to burn off).
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Serving Size = 3 cups
Calories = 240
Carbs = 27g
Fat = 14g
Protein = 5g
In the “middle range” of calorie count, we have some of the old standbys – Hershey’s bars, Kit Kats, and Whoppers – all around 200 calories per serving – and a little something to satisfy different tastes whether you like your sweets to be smooth & creamy or with a little crunch.
Hershey’s Miniatures
Serving Size = 5 pieces (Hershey’s bar, Special Dark, Mr. Goodbar, Krackel)
Calories = 210
Carbs = 26g
Fat = 13g
Protein = 3g
Note – Special Dark is 45% cacao – not really enough to qualify as “healthy” dark chocolate, but at least a step in the right direction.
Kit Kat
Serving Size = 3 two-piece bars
Calories = 210
Carbs = 27g
Fat = 11g
Protein = 3g
Whoppers
Serving Size = 6 tubes
Calories = 190
Carbs = 31g
Fat = 7g
Protein = <1g
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate
Serving Size = 3 pieces
Calories = 190
Carbs = 23g
Fat = 12g
Protein = 3g
Some of my favorite “go-to” treats are those that combine chocolate with nuts like peanuts and almonds. Not only does the chocolate/nut combination taste great, but the nuts provide a lot of nutrition in terms of healthier fats, fiber, and protein that can slow sugar absorption. This is one of the reasons that I’m much more likely to include Peanut M&Ms and Snickers bars along with PB&J sandwiches in my race bags for running, cycling, and triathlons, than any of the “energy bars” or “gels” that you could choose from. Again, this doesn’t make Peanut M&Ms and Snickers bars “healthy” or “good” for you by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly makes them among the “less bad” (but still delicious) choices for your Halloween indulgences.
Peanut M&Ms
Serving Size = 2 packs
Calories = 180
Carbs = 21g
Fat = 10g
Protein = 3g
Snickers
Serving Size = 2 bars
Calories = 160
Carbs = 21g
Fat = 8g
Protein = 3g
I hope that helps you with your decisions about which candy to indulge in this Halloween season. Thanks for reading!
Shawn
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Shawn M Talbott, PhD, CNS, LDN, FACSM, FAIS, FACN
Nutritional Biochemist and Author
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