If you know me, you know I love me some Halloween candy. Mmm mmm good.
You also know that I’m obsessed with health and fitness. My body is my temple and I do not like poisoning it. Unfortunately, as livestrong.com has clearly pointed out, Halloween candy is anything but good for our temples. With livestrong.com‘s recent slideshow, “25 Worst Halloween Candies,” they have succinctly and informatively popped astonishing facts of these delectable sweet treats.
Here are a few that struck me as particularly interesting — and disturbing.
18. Tootsie Roll
Little known fact: All Tootsie Rolls are made from leftovers of the previous day’s batch. That might explain the waxy, chewy goodness of this classic treat. While one Tootsie will only cost you 155 calories, you’re still loading nearly 25 grams of sugar into your body — or as much as four Oreos.
Really? Tootsie Rolls are made from the leftovers of the previous day? How disturbing is that?! I appreciate being in the know with this little known fact. I will never consume this candy again. On to the next:
15. Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Cream
The “new” kid on the block, this treat first appeared in 1994. It was an instant hit when it featured its distinct — and unique — white chocolate. With only 19 grams of sugar, it’s actually relatively low for a candy bar. The problem? White chocolate is no longer an ingredient — it’s since been replaced by oil substitutes — and nearly half of the calories are from fat.
Whew. You gotta be kidding me! White chocolate isn’t even an ingredient?! Thankfully I don’t even remember having this candy, but I will make sure to steer clear from now on. Yikes. This next one makes me want to cry:
14. Whoppers
One of the original malted milk balls, Whoppers may look and taste like an American classic, but they’re more reminiscent of a synthetic blend of the future. Once you look past the high sugar content, you’ll notice that chocolate isn’t even listed on the ingredient list, but corn syrup, malted milk and barley milk are. Whoops. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
How can this be? These delicious little balls of meltedy goodness. Ah! The humanity! And again, a major ingredient completely synthetic. Disturbing on so many levels.
12. Reese’s Pieces
Wondering why you should avoid the sinfully sweet combination of chocolate and peanut butter? Four words come to mind: Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil — otherwise known as trans fats. While a few of these candies won’t do any harm, it’s hard to limit your intake before the bag is gone.
Both disheartening and self explanatory. No more of these sweet morsels in this house.
9. Milk Duds
The worst part about Milk Duds: The name is misleading. In 2008 Hershey changed the ingredients to make production cheaper. So while chocolate is still a part of this candy, it has lost its signature phrase and can no longer be referred to as a candy coated in milk chocolate.
Thumbs up, Hershey. Thumbs up.
Thank you, livestrong.com, for opening my eyes and making me sad about my Halloween treats. I know they’re bad for me. And now I know which ones are the worst. There are 25 total listed, so I urge you to check out the slideshow. I didn’t include the worst ones. Just the most shocking as applicable to my snacking habits.
I think next year we’ll be passing out pennies and apples. Yum!
Happy Halloween!
