Halloween is a time, it seems, for gorging yourself on candy and forgetting about calories or preservatives.
But it doesn’t have to be.
If you want to eat the cleanest, healthiest treats you can, we have the answer for you. Nutritionist Dana James of Food Coach told Elle magazine about her favorite Halloween candy picks. Here they are for you:
- The original: Baby Ruths and Snickers. A small Baby Ruth bar is just 85 calories, but it’s packed with high fructose corn syrup and trans fats. Too manyof these, and you’ve got a recipe for obesity. No thanks. Snickers aren’t much better—they’ve got the same number of calories. But instead of HFCS, they’ve just got normal corn syrup, sugar, and dextrin. But it still has trans fats, so maybe stay away if possible.
The replacement: The Ocho Bar—Caramel and Peanut. This is an organic substitute for these two bars, and has the same caloric value as two of the mini bars. With all-natural ingredients, it’s easily the best choice.
- The original: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. One of these is worth 105 calories. There’s no HFCS or trans fats in them, and its main ingredients are sugar, peanuts, and chocolate. It’s got one preservative, but mostly it’s not too bad of a choice.
The replacement: Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups. These are organic Reese’s cups, and they’re free of preservatives. They’re the same amount of calories as Reese’s, but they’re way better for you.
- The original: Swedish fish. These guys may not look like anything, but they’re mostly sugar, mineral oil, and wax. You can eat 19 pieces for 140 calories.
The replacement: Annie’s Bunny Fruit Snacks. These organic jellies get their color from carrot and blackcurrant juice, and are sweetened with fruit juice. They’re still waxy, but the sugar is from natural sources.
