When do you ever read the nutrition facts of fun-size and snack-size candies you eat? Remember, they’re not the same as those cute one-inch by one-inch miniatures. Fun-size candies are certainly fun, but the good times stop short when you eat more than one, so check your labels carefully!
MEET THE COMPETITORS:
BABY RUTH VS. TOOTSIE ROLL A Baby Ruth offers more flavor than a Tootsie Roll—we're talking chocolate-covered peanuts, caramel and nougat versus plain chocolate. But Mr. Ruth also manages to pack in the same amount of calories as a mid-morning snack! A fun-size Baby Ruth clocks in at a whopping 129 calories, 7g of fat and 3.4g of saturated fat. For 12 small Tootsie Rolls, you will get the same amount of calories, only 3g of fat and 0.5g of saturated fat.
THE WINNER: Tootsie Roll
BRACH’S CANDY CORN VS. JELLY BEANS For 22 pieces of this Halloween staple, candy corn will set you back 140 calories. Consume 14 jelly beans, a staple any time of the year, and you’ll be getting 150 calories. You can get almost twice as much candy corn as jelly beans for the same calories!
NESTLE CRUNCH VS. BUTTERFINGER Crisped rice or buttery crunch, both surrounded by chocolate – how can you choose? Nestle Crunch packs 70 calories, while Butterfinger tips the scale at 100 calories. Fat and saturated content are pretty much the same, so calories give one of these candies the clear edge.
THE WINNER: Nestle Crunch
THE WINNER: Candy Corn
TWIX VS. SNICKERS How could you possibly decide between a chocolate-covered, caramel-centered cookie and a chocolate-covered, carameldrizzled, peanutty bar of goodness? Well, the good news is you don’t have to! Both of these fun-size treats pack 80 calories, 4g of fat and 1.5g of saturated fat. So if you’re hungry, grab a Snickers for the extra peanut-protein, and if you need a moment, chew things over with Twix!
MILKY WAY VS. MILKY WAY DARK If you love both milk and dark chocolate, which kind of Milky Way should you choose? Eating one over the other won’t affect your waistline calorie-wise. A regular Milky Way weighs in with 75 calories, and a Milky Way Dark weighs in with 80. Fat-wise, they’re almost equal. But those five extra calories are an easy trade-off for the antioxidants found in the dark chocolate. THE WINNER: You choose
THE WINNER: You choose
BLOW POPS VS. CARAMEL APPLE POPS Gum as an added bonus or caramel surrounded by the fall flavor of apple? The blow pop clocks in with 0g of fat while the caramel apple pop barely registers at 0.5g of fat. So it has to come down to calories. The caramel apple pop limps in with 70 calories, compared to only 50 calories in the blow pop. While you may scoff at the difference of 20 calories, if you eat five at a time, you’d still be saving yourself 100 calories! THE WINNER: Blow Pops
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M&MS VS. MILK DUDS It doesn’t matter how you prefer your M&Ms—plain or peanut— because a fun-size packet of Milk Duds still beats them out, in both the calorie and fat department. Plain M&Ms have 100 calories, 4.5g of fat and 2.5g of saturated fat. Peanut M&Ms have 110 calories, 5g of fat and 2g of saturated fat. Milk Duds, in all their chewy caramel-glory, have 53 calories, 2g of fat and 0.7g of saturated fat.
THE WINNER: Milk Duds
ALMOND JOY VS. KIT KAT While you may get heart-healthy almonds and a pile of chewy coconut in the Almond Joy, you’re also getting 91 calories in this tasty creation. Fun-size Kit Kats have only 51 calories, and almost half the grams of fat and saturated fat as Almond Joy. THE WINNER: Kit Kat
Unfortunately, the calories and fat in those innocent looking fun- and snacksized candies can quickly add up. Be discerning when it comes to indulging in candy this Halloween and you won’t have to dress up as a pumpkin!
October 2015
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