Community Corner

Which Halloween Candies Are the 'Healthiest?'

A look at what kind of candy will cause the least damage to the ghouls and goblins in your neighborhood this Halloween.

Halloween is that of time of year when kids (young and old) are focused on candy.

We all know that candy is not good for you, but there are some ways to make your Halloween a little bit healthier.

Set Ground Rules
, Wellness Roadtrip nutritionist and Upper St. Clair resident, suggests making ground rules for your children.

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1. Have a good/real dinner before trick or treat. Often in the excitement, eating a healthy meal goes by the wayside and then kids want to eat more candy. 

2. One treat Halloween night. Just because it is there, doesn't give free license for over consumption.  

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3. Children should not have free access to the candy. Store it in a sealable container. Every family should institute set times that treats can be eaten during the day.  One or two treats a day is plenty.

Eat Healthy Desserts
, a plant-based nutrition counselor and Peters Township resident, also participates in Halloween by handing out candy to neighborhood kids.

"I'm not as tempted to snack on candy even if it's in the house for Halloween because I try to make healthy desserts to accompany dinner as often as I can," Eakin said.

She makes desserts like mocha mousse and chocolate cherry nirvana smoothie. And on days when she doesn't have enough time to whip something up, she keeps Tofutti ice cream products in the freezer.

Instead of eating candy herself, Eakin chooses to eat Vega whole food energy bars and Vega whole food vibrancy bars. However, she said they're too expensive to pass out to children.

Choose the Right Kind of Candy
Gloria Tsang, author of Go UnDiet: 50 Small Actions for Lasting Weight Loss and found of HealthCastle.com said some candy choices are better than others.

"None of them are exactly good for you, but we've done some close analysis of common competitors to see which options are best from a nutrition perspective," Tsang said.

Here's a breakdown of her candy analysis:

  • PayDay beats Reese Peanut Butter Cups: Reese Cups contain polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), a commercial emulsifier used to reduce cocoa butter. Plus, PayDay is the only candy to list peanuts, not sugar, as the first ingredient.   
  • Kit Kat beats Twix: They're similar in calories and sugar (and both include PGPR), but Twix’s ingredient list is surprisingly long. Even more surprising? Twix is marketed as a biscuit topped with caramel and chocolate, but there’s no caramel on the ingredient list.
  • M&Ms beat Skittles: Both contestants in this classic Halloween showdown contain artificial colorings and wax. M&Ms at least offer a tiny amount of calcium and protein, and less sugar. 
  • Baby Ruth beats Snickers: There's no real winner here—Snickers has partially hydrogenated oil, and Baby Ruth has high-fructose corn syrup and the preservative TBHQ. Snickers loses out simply because the portion is larger, leaving room for more calories. 
  • Mounds beats Almond Joy: Mounds has a shorter ingredient list, and skips the partially hydrogenated oil found in Almond Joy. 
  • 3 Musketeers beats Hershey Milk Chocolate: The Hershey bar has that sneaky PGPR, while 3 Musketeers was unique among the candies surveyed in actually including real cocoa powder.
  • Whoppers beat Milk Duds: Milk Duds will stick to your (or your kid's) teeth, so they're a no-no for anyone with dental issues. Plus, the smaller Whoppers serving saves some calories.

Have a happy, and semi-healthy, Halloween!

Spill your secrets! What kind of candy is your favorite splurge? Tell us in the comments.

for the Upper St. Clair trick-or-treat times.

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