Spooky season has arrived, and whether you dress in costume with full abandon or turn off the porch lights first thing on Halloween night, there's one thing that's unavoidable this time of year: candy.
In fact, the National Retail Federation estimates that consumers will spend $3.5 billion on candy in 2024.
There's candy sitting out in the office breakroom, every grocery store end cap, and in your kid's trick-or-treat bag (will they really notice if you grab a few fun size bars for yourself?). In other words, the temptation to reach for a handful of sweets instead of a healthy snack is inescapable.
But when you're working on maintaining a lifestyle with healthy habits, it's important to balance nutritious food choices with the joy of having a sweet treat every now and then. While it should go without saying that candy generally doesn't have much to offer in the way of nutritional value, there are a few things to keep in mind if you're looking to make a healthier choice.
Hers ranked 23 of the most popular Halloween candies in the U.S., based on pounds sold in each state, according to CandyStore.com. Using nutrition labels, the candies were ranked based on their nutrition content.
Here are the categories we looked at (and why):
Ready for the full list? Here's how Halloween candy stacked up.
1. Jolly Ranchers
2. Salt Water Taffy
3. Blow Pops and Hot Tamales (tied)
5. Swedish Fish and Tootsie Pops (tied)
7. Candy Corn
8. Dubble Bubble Gum
9. Butterfinger and Sour Patch Kids (tied)
11. Lemonhead
12. Starburst
13. Almond Joy and Kit Kat (tied)
15. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
16. Hershey's Mini Bars
17. Hershey's Kisses
18. M&M's
19. Skittles
20. Milky Way
21. Snickers
22. Twix
23. 3 Musketeers
Next, Hers broke down these candies into more detail to find the best and worst treats in each nutritional category.
Candy with the most protein
Candy with the least protein
The following candies have no protein listed on their nutrition labels: Blow Pops, Candy Corn, Double Bubble Gum, Hot Tamales, Jolly Ranchers, Lemonhead, Salt Water Taffy, Sour Patch Kids, Starbursts, Swedish Fish, and Tootsie Pops.
Candy with the most calories
Candy with the least calories
Candy with the most sugar
Candy with the least sugar
Candy with the most fat
Candy with the least fat
The following candies have no fat listed on their nutrition labels: Blow Pops, Candy Corn, Dubble Bubble Gum, Hot Tamales, Jolly Ranchers, Lemonhead, Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, and Tootsie Pops.
Only five candies on this list contain trans fat: 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, Skittles, Snickers, and Twix.
Candy with the most fiber
Candy with the least fiber
The following candies have no fiber listed on their nutrition labels: Blow Pops, Candy Corn, Dubble Bubble Gum, Hershey Kisses, Hershey's Mini Bars, Hot Tamales, Jolly Ranchers, Lemondhead, M&Ms, Salt Water Taffy, Skittles, Starburst, Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, and Tootsie Pops.
Here's how Hers ranked 23 types of Halloween candy from best to worst from a nutritional standpoint (while recognizing that none of these processed candies are actually "healthy"). First, the most popular seasonal candies were identified using data from CandyStore.com. Their rankings were based on the number of pounds sold in each state. Hers pulled every candy that placed first, second, or third on this list from all 50 states.
From there, nutrition labels were used to calculate the amount of protein, calories, sugar, fiber, fat, trans fat, and fiber in each ounce of candy. This is an important distinction since serving sizes can vary greatly for different types of sweets. Additionally, a 2x multiplier for trans fat was used because of its direct association with heart disease. While certainly not considered health foods, the best-rated candies using this methodology prioritized higher protein and fiber levels and lower amounts of calories, sugar, and fat. Ultimately, however, the options with more protein also had more calories and fat, leaving these choices toward the bottom of the list.
You can still enjoy the flavors of the Halloween season without breaking your health routine. It may be helpful to create a weight loss or maintenance plan in advance and get a sense of when and where you want to indulge. Here are some more ideas to help you successfully navigate Halloween and all the treats that come with it.
Understanding what's in your favorite Halloween candy is a great way to monitor your intake and mindfully enjoy treats throughout the season.
This story was produced by Hers and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.