With Halloween upon us, it is tempting to give up on healthy eating and succumb to wolfing down handfuls of candy. But those small, fun-sized morsels are deceptively packaged and can often lead to an unhealthy consumption of candy that would be easier to resist in its full-sized form. So next time you’re reaching into a big candy bowl, keep in mind that even the most minuscule chocolates can contain frightening amounts of calories, fat and sugar. Dump out your pillowcase, set up your candy trading post, and look no further than this list to help you choose all the best treats without the tricks.
TREATS
Of course, abstaining from eating Halloween candy is the healthiest route, but October 31st is no time to stick to your juice cleanse. Prevent yourself from turning as round as a pumpkin by reaching for these five surprisingly light candies.
1. Jolly Ranchers: At less than 25 calories each, you can eat four of these classic hard candies and still be under 100 calories – a Halloween rarity. They also contain no fat and less than 4 grams of sugar per piece.
Photo by Kelda Baljon
2. Blow Pops: These gum-filled suckers are delicious and easy to take with you for an on-the-go cheat treat. Each one has only 60 calories. With no fat and 13 grams of sugar, these are a good choice if you must have some candy but don’t want to blow your entire day’s worth of calories, no pun intended.
Photo by Kelda Baljon
3. Gobstoppers: Each Gobstopper has only 7 calories, so even a handful won’t ruin your Halloween fun. Although they’re not as “everlasting” as they are in the Willy Wonka movie, they will last a long time so you can satisfy your sweet tooth.
4. Pixy Stix: It might seem like these straws of flavored sugar must be a major diet-offender, but seven straws only contains 60 calories, which is a very sweet surprise.
5. Candy Corn: Feel free to grab a giant handful of this Halloween staple. Nineteen pieces have only 140 calories, no fat, and 32 grams of sugar.
Photo by Kelda Baljon
TRICKS
The words “fun” and “mini” can disguise the harsh reality behind these small candies. A few empty wrappers later and you may have just consumed a full-sized chocolate bar.
Photo by Kelda Baljon
1. Fun Size Butterfinger: This tiny chocolate treat packs 100 calories, 4 grams of fat, and 10 grams of sugar, which is definitely not worth a single bite of enjoyment. A regular-sized Butterfinger has 270 calories, so after eating just three of the fun-sized ones you’ve already consumed the same amount of fat and calories there is in a regular Butterfinger.
2. Twix Miniatures: A single mini Twix bar contains 50 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 5 grams of sugar. Eat six of these small guys and that is already 20 calories more than a regular-sized Twix.
3. Fun Size Milky Way: Keeping in mind how tiny the fun size Milky Ways are, you may be shocked to hear that each one contains a whopping 75 calories. Three or four of these easily equates to the caloric intake of eating a regular-sized Milky Way bar.
4. Fun Size M&M’s: We all know how few M&M’s there are in these little bags, but be aware that a fun size pack of regular M&M’s still has 90 calories. A regular-sized pack contains 240 calories, meaning you only need two and a half fun-sized bags to reach that number.
5. Snack Size Mr. Goodbar: Just one of these bars has 90 calories. Eat less than three of these peanut-filled classics and you’ve eaten the same amount of calories, sugar, and fat as a regular-sized Mr. Goodbar.
It can be very difficult to resist a sugary feast at times like these, but with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, Halloween should not be the day to eat like there’s no tomorrow. When surrendering to your sweet tooth this Halloween, keep in mind which candies will still let you have your pumpkin spice latté and which candies will force you to walk a few more trips around the trick-or-treating block.