Have you been sneaking the kids Halloween candy? I know I have, especially after our church’s Trunk or Treat event got cancelled because of snow…yes snow, in October, in Pennsylvania.
So here we are with a big bowl of candy and no way to hand it out (our semi-rural neighborhood, with its zero sidewalks and houses far apart get zero trick or treaters), meaning that there have been one or two (or five) Romans grabbing a piece or two here or there. We only buy the good stuff.
I was curious to know which of the candy, the Kit Kats, the Butterfingers, the lollipops were the worst to choose. Fortunately, MyHealthNewsDaily put together a couple of lists based on the most popular candy. I admit there were some surprises. Some candy that in my opinion is just pure sugar came out better than the stuff that has nuts (hey, protein). I admit that my hand reaches for the stuff on the worst list far more often than the stuff on the best list.
Here is the list. How did you do?
The best
1. Jolly Ranchers: Three of these hard candies have 70 calories, no fat and 11 grams of sugar. It’s hard to do much better than that.
2. Blow Pops: This 18-gram candy-gum combo has 60 calories, no fat and 13 grams of sugar.
3. Gobstoppers: Nine pieces of this everlasting treat have 60 calories, no fat and 14 grams of sugar.
4. Pixy Stix: There are 60 calories, 0 grams of fat and 15 grams of sugar in seven straws of this fruit-flavored candy.
Candy corn: Nineteen pieces of this ultimate Halloween candy has 140 calories, no fat and 32 grams of sugar.The worst
1. Mr. Goodbar: A 49-gram Mr. Goodbar will cost you 250 calories, 17 grams of fat (including seven grams of saturated fat) and 23 grams of sugar.
2. NutRageous: Another nutty candy, a 51-gram NutRageous bar, will run you 260 calories, 16 grams of fat (including five grams of saturated fat) and 22 grams of sugar.
3. Snickers: Maybe a Snickers bar really should be a meal on its own. A 59-gram bar has 280 calories, 14 grams of fat — (including five grams of saturated fat) and 30 grams of sugar.
4. Baby Ruth: A 60-gram bar has 280 calories, 14 grams of fat (including 8 grams of saturated fat). It also has 33 grams of sugar, the second-highest sugar total among the candies examined, better only than a 60-gram 3 Musketeers candy bar that has 40 grams of sugar (though a 3 Musketeers bar has only eight grams of total fat).
5. Mounds: The only candy on our “Worst 5” list to not have peanuts, a 49-gram bar of this coconut treat has 230 calories, 13 grams of fat and 21 grams of sugar. It also has 10 grams of saturated fat, the most of any of the 37 surveyed candies.
The candy on the worst list tends to have the most saturated fat. Keep in mind that this is a heart healthy list, not a teeth-healthy list. Some of the healthiest treats for your body (in comparison) such as raisins can have the most negative impact on your teeth (the stickiness leads to more tooth decay).
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