The Halloween Candy Ranking
Share
10 Popular Candies Ranked From Worst to Best
By Adam Potash, Certified Chef and Health Coach
October is here, which means there's a pretty good chance you have a giant bowl of candy sitting somewhere in your house.
So let's have some fun with it.
First, I'm not going to tell you that you can't have candy. It's Halloween. Have the candy.
One or two pieces of candy isn't what gets people into trouble. It's the handful while you're passing it out, another handful while watching TV, three pieces the next afternoon, and then somehow you're still eating leftover Halloween candy on November 12th.
So if you're going to raid the Halloween bowl, which candies are the better choices?
Here's my completely unofficial Halloween Candy Ranking from WORST to BEST.
10. Candy Corn 👎
I know I'm going to upset somebody with this one. But candy corn is basically sugar dressed up for Halloween. There's very little here besides sweetness, and it's incredibly easy to eat a big handful without even realizing it.
9. Skittles
They're colorful. They're addictive. And before you know it, the bag is gone. Mostly sugar with very little to actually satisfy you.
8. Starburst
Same basic problem. They're small, sweet and very easy to keep eating. Plus, nobody eats just one Starburst. I don't think that's ever happened.
7. Sour Patch Kids
Another candy that's primarily about the sugar. And that combination of sour followed by sweet makes it dangerously easy to keep reaching back into the bag.
6. Twix
Now we're entering chocolate territory. Twix tastes fantastic, but you're getting chocolate, caramel AND a cookie. Delicious? Absolutely. Something I'd mindlessly eat five of? Probably not the best plan.
5. Snickers
Snickers moves up the list because the peanuts give it a little more substance and make it more satisfying than straight sugar candy. Still candy. Still dessert. But if we're ranking the bowl, it earns some points.
4. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate and peanut butter might be one of mankind's greatest inventions. The peanut butter adds some fat and protein, which can make Reese's more satisfying than candies made almost entirely from sugar.
3. Peanut M&M's
I'm giving these the edge over regular M&M's because of the peanuts. Again, we're not calling them health food. But compared with candies that are almost entirely sugar, the nuts at least bring something else to the party.
2. A Small Piece of Dark Chocolate
The higher the cacao percentage, generally the less sweet the chocolate tastes, which can make a small portion feel more satisfying. A couple of squares after dinner can scratch that chocolate itch without turning into an entire evening of candy.
1. YOUR FAVORITE CANDY IN A SMALL PORTION 🏆
Wait…what?
Yep.
Because here's the part people miss.
If Reese's is your absolute favorite candy and I tell you to eat something you don't really want because it's supposedly "healthier," you're probably going to eat that…and then eventually eat the Reese's anyway.
Have the Reese's.
Enjoy it.
Then move on.
THE REAL HALLOWEEN LESSON
Health isn't determined by what you eat on Halloween.
It's determined by what you're doing the other 364 days of the year.
Eat real food most of the time. Build balanced meals. Stop grazing all day. Give your body a break between meals. Move. Drink your water. And when there's something you truly enjoy, have some without turning it into a week-long event.
That's a much healthier relationship with food than spending October 31st terrified of a fun-size Snickers.
Happy Halloween. Enjoy the candy. Just don't let the candy bowl become a food group.
Adam Potash
Certified Health Coach
Founder, The Approach
Eat Like a Chef. Still Lose Weight.