The One Halloween Candy You Should Never Eat
It's safe to say the best part of Halloween has always been the candy. Yes, getting to dress up as someone else for the night is fun too, but it's the fact that you always knew you had a pillowcase full of candy to devour was the true highlight. And even once your trick-or-treating days were behind you, it was very hard not to just mindlessly munching on candy from the bowl you had ready for those costumed kiddos. But not all Halloween candy is innocent. (No matter how small they are!) In fact, there is one Halloween candy that you're much better not eating if you can avoid it.
So what's the one Halloween candy you should never bother eating? Well, great ready because this reveal is going to hurt your heart a bit when you uncover what's actually the worst Halloween candy…
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
We hate to admit it, but it's important you know the truth. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are simply dangerous. So why is that? It all comes down to that pesky sugar.
See, one serving of the snack size Reese's costs you 160 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 16 grams of sugar. That serving size? It's just two cups. And don't think those festive pumpkin-shaped Reese's are any better—they're just as bad, coming in at 170 calories for just one, and that same 16 grams of sugar.
You want to keep in mind that The American Heart Association recommends women eat no more than 32 grams of sugar a day and men should stick to 36 grams. The problem with these mini candies is that it's often impossible to stick to the serving size. Soon enough, you look down and see four or five wrappers in front of you, and you've just wiped out all of your allotted sugar for the day.
What's the big deal when it comes to sugar you may ask? Added sugar is a the big problem. See, there is tons of research that links to sugar and weight gain, and consuming so much added sugar often can make it difficult to lose weight. One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also found that the one food associated with the highest energy density—which means the most with weight gain—was chocolate bars. These little milk-chocolate snacks could be part of the reason why you're not losing that unwanted weight! Plus, added sugar can negatively impact your skin, leading to breakouts, affect your mood, and disrupt your sleeping patterns. Big yikes.
When it comes to Reese's, all but 1 gram of the total sugar is actually added sugar. It's one of the most popular Halloween candies out there and a poll from the Morning Consult and the National Confectioners Association even found 79% of parents say they do, in fact, take some Halloween treats from their kids' bag of loot. We all know how hard it is to actually stick to a serving size, so perhaps it's best to just leave the Reese's alone this year. Or indulge in just one mini-sized cup. If you can control yourself, that is!
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