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Trick or Treat candy

Do You Swipe Candy From Your Kid’s Halloween Haul?

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Trick Or Treat

Ah — Halloween candy! It’s pretty hard to escape because it’s everywhere – on desks, in restaurants, even in my veterinarian’s office in a nice purple bowl with a dog bone painted on the side.

Halloween week accounts for about eight percent of yearly confectionery sales and 34% of seasonal candy sales (like Christmas and Valentine’s Day). Only Easter, the next largest candy holiday, comes close.

FYI: The top five candies of all time — click here for the list of the top 50 – even though you might not agree:

  1. Reese’s peanut butter cups
  2. Twizzlers
  3. Snickers
  4. Hershey’s Kiss
  5. M&Ms

Can’t resist – do you invade your kid’s Trick or Treat bag — what do you go for first?

Don’t feel guilty — If you’ve ever swiped candy from your kid’s trick or treat bag, you’re certainly not alone. According to the National Confectioners Association, 90% of parents confess they occasionally dip into their kid’s stash. I know I sure did.

It’s been estimated that, on average, a child in the US collects between 3,500 and 7,000 worth of candy calories on Halloween night.

Parents invade that collection big time — they eat one candy bar out of every two a child brings home.  Their favorite targets are snack-sized chocolate bars (70%), candy-coated chocolate pieces (40%), caramels (37%) and gum (26%).

In Case You Want To Pick The Least Caloric Candy . . .

Here are the calories in some popular Halloween candy – just in case you might want to minimize the caloric damage (you didn’t read that wrong — candy has a big range of calories and fat grams) – and, just so you know — minis are small square candies while snack-size and fun-size are usually about 2 inches long:

25 calories or less:

  • 3 Musketeers, Mini
  • Hershey’s Kiss
  • Smarties Candy Roll

30 – 50 calories each:

  • Airheads, Mini Bar
  • Kit Kat, Miniature
  • Milky Way, Mini
  • Peppermint Pattie, Fun size
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Miniature
  • Snickers, Miniature
  • Starburst, 2 Fun Size pieces
  • Twix Caramel Cookie Bars, Mini

50 to 70 calories each:

  • 3 Musketeers, Fun Size
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, snack size
  • Jolly Ranchers Lollipop
  • Skittles, Fun Size Bag
  • Sour Patch Kids, Treat Size
  • Swedish Fish, Treat Size
  • Tootsie Roll Pop

70 to 85 calories each:

  • Brach’s Candy Corn: 10 pieces
  • Butterfinger, Fun Size
  • Kit Kat, Fun size; 73 calories
  • Milky Way, Fun Size
  • M&Ms, Fun size bag
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Fun size
  • Snickers, Fun Size
  • Tootsie Rolls, 3 midgee pieces

Happy Halloween!

Can You Resist Halloween Candy?

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Halloween pumpkins and candy.Is it a foregone conclusion that there’s Halloween candy in your future?  It’s pretty hard to escape because candy is everywhere – on desks, in restaurants, even in my veterinarian’s office in a nice purple bowl with a dog bone painted on the side.

Halloween and the week afterward account for about 5% of all candy consumed for the year. Big box stores don’t wait for mid-October to start stocking their shelves –by the second week in September most of them have already filled their shelves with orange and black trimmed packages of mini-candy boxes and bars – right along side the school supplies.

Have You Ever Invaded Your Kid’s Trick or Treat Bag? What Do You Go For First?

Don’t feel guilty if you have. If you’ve ever swiped candy from your kid’s trick or treat bag, you’re certainly not alone. According to the National Confectioners Association, 90% of parents confess they occasionally dip into their kid’s stash. I know I sure did.

Not only do parents swipe candy form their kids’ bags, they invade them big time — they eat one candy bar out of every two a child brings home.  Their favorite targets are snack-sized chocolate bars (70%), candy-coated chocolate pieces (40%), caramels (37%) and gum (26%).

How Many Calories Are In That Trick Or Treat Bag?

It’s been estimated that, on average, a child in the US collects between 3,500 and 7,000 worth of candy calories on Halloween night.

Since it takes 3,500 calories to gain or lose a pound, you’re looking at a pound or two added to your waistline (or hips) if you would choose to eat all of that on top of your regular daily intake.

To burn off 7000 calories, a one hundred pound child would have to walk for almost 44 hours or play full-court basketball for 14.5 hours.

With 31% of US children and teens ages 2-19 overweight or obese, it really makes you stop and think about having candy and treats so frequently and seemingly available everywhere you look.

A One Day Indulgence Isn’t Such A Big Deal

One day of collecting (and eating) candy isn’t going to make a child – or an adult – overweight or obese (what it can do to behavior is another story).  It’s the constant bombardment with candy, sweets, and other treats that can lead to weight (and health) issues.

Try having a talk with your family ahead of trick or treating to figure out what to do with all of that candy. Is it to be a one-day free for all and then the trash — or will the candy by doled out in measured amounts over a given period of time? Do what works for your family but it will help if the kids buy into the plan.

Some food (or candy) for thought: a treat is only a treat if it happens once in a while – like Halloween, birthdays, and other holidays.  If it’s a common occurrence it can become an expectation or a habit.

How Far Do You Have To Walk To Burn Off Halloween Candy?

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Halloween monsters holding list

Here’s another way to think about Halloween candy — how much walking will it take to work off the candy calories?

According to walking.com:

  • 1 Fun Size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc. is about 80 calories. You’d need to walk 0.8 miles, 1.29 kilometers, or 1600 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 2 Hershey’s Kisses are about 50 calories. You’d need to walk 0.5 miles, 0.80 kilometers, or 1000 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 2 Brachs caramels are about 80 calories. You’d need to walk 0.8 miles, 1.29 kilometers, or 1600 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 mini bite-size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc.) is about 55 calories. You’d need to walk 0.55 miles, 0.88 kilometers, or 1100 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 Fun Size M&M packet – Plain or Peanut, is 90 calories. You’d need to walk 0.9 miles, 1.45 kilometers, or 1800 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is 33 calories. You’d need to walk 0.33 miles, 0.53 kilometers, or 660 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 full size chocolate candy bar (Snickers, Hershey, etc.) is about 275 calories. You’d need to walk 2.75 miles, 4.43 kilometers, or 5500 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 King Size chocolate candy bar (Snickers, Hershey, etc.) is about 500 calories. You’d need to walk 5 miles, 8.06 kilometers, or 10000 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 small Tootsie Roll is 25 calories. You’d need to walk 0.25 miles, 0.40 kilometers, or 500 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.

If You Ate . . .

2 Brachs caramels, 2 Hershey’s Kisses, 1 small Tootsie Roll, 1 Fun Size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc.) 1 mini bite-size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc.), 1 Fun Size M&M packet – Plain or Peanut, 1 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, 1 full size chocolate candy bar (Snickers, Hershey, etc.), 1 King Size chocolate candy bar (Snickers, Hershey, etc.)… the grand total is 1188 calories. You’d need to walk 11.88 miles, 19.16 kilometers, or 23,760 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.

For kids — as a guideline, to burn off 7000 calories a one hundred pound child would have to walk for almost 44 hours or play full-court basketball for 14.5 hours.

Don’t Worry Too Much …

Just remember – we and our bodies have an amazing ability to compensate for occasional holiday overeating – as long as those holidays don’t turn into weeks that turn into months.

So, enjoy your trick or treating and all of the ghosts, princesses, pirates, animals, cars, trains, skeletons, witches, and any other creature that rings your doorbell shouting “trick or treat.”

Happy Halloween!

8 Great Things To Know About Candy Corn

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Infographic courtesy of www.candyusa.com
Infographic from www.candyusa.com

1.  Candy corn was created in the 1880s by the Wunderlee Candy Company. It was popular among farmers who loved the corn kernel shaped candy that looked different from a lot of other candy. The Goelitz Candy Company, famous for their candy corn, began selling their brand around 1900.  They still make candy corn today, but their company name has changed to the Jelly Belly Candy Company (guess what else they make!).

2. Candy corn is a type of candy that’s over 130 years old.  It’s called “mellow cream,” or candy that’s made from corn syrup and sugar with a marshmallow kind of flavor. It tastes rich, but it’s actually fat-free.

3. The original three colors of candy corn — orange, yellow, and white — mimic a corn kernel although each piece of candy is about three times the size of an actual kernel. The wide side of the triangular candy is yellow, it’s orange in the middle, and the pointy end is white.

3.  Although 75% of the annual candy corn production is for Halloween, you can find it year round in varying holiday colors.

  • Indian corn has a chocolate brown wide end, orange center and pointed white tip, often available around Thanksgiving
  • Blackberry cobbler candy corn can be found in eastern Canada around Halloween
  • Reindeer corn, for Christmas, is red, green, and white
  • Cupid corn for Valentine’s Day is red, pink, and white
  • Bunny corn for Easter is only a two-color candy, and comes with a variety of pastel bases (pink, green, yellow, and purple) with white tips all in one package.

4. Brach’s Candy Corn:

  • There are nineteen pieces in a serving.
  • A serving has140 calories (7.4 calories per kernel), zero grams of fat, 70 mg of sodium, 36 grams of carbs, and no protein.
  • A large bag of Brach’s candy corn is 22 ounces and has about 300 pieces.
  • Ingredients in Brach’s candy corn:  sugar, corn syrup, confectioner’s sugar glaze, salt, honey, dextrose, artificial flavor, gelatin, titanium dioxide color, yellow 6, yellow 5, red 3, blue 1, sesame oil.

5. According to the National Confectioners Association:

  • candy makers will produce nearly 35 million pounds of candy corn this year
  • this is equal to about 9 billion individual kernels of corn, enough to circle the moon nearly 21 times if laid end-to-end
  • candy corn is so popular that it has its own day: October 30 is National Candy Corn Day.

6.  How candy corn is made:

  • Originally it was made by hand.
  • Sugar, water, and corn syrup were cooked into a slurry (a thin mud consistency) in large kettles. Fondant (a sweet, creamy paste made from corn syrup, sugar, and water) and marshmallow were whipped in to give it a smooth texture and a soft bite.
  • The hot mixture was poured into “runners,” or hand-held buckets that held 45 pounds of candy mixture. Men called “stringers” walked backwards as they poured the steaming mixture into trays coated with cornstarch and imprinted with kernel-shaped molds. They made three passes; one each for the orange, white and yellow colors.
  • Today, the recipe is much the same but production is mechanized. A machine fills trays of kernel-shaped holes with cornstarch to hold the candy in corn triangle shapes. The holes are partially filled with white syrup, then orange syrup, followed by yellow syrup. The mold is allowed to cool, the mixture hardens for about 24 hours, then a machine empties the trays, the kernels to fall into chutes, and finally the candy corn is glazed to make it shine.

7.  Candy corn and candy corn flavor is big – you find it in drinks, bagels, cookies, and ice cream.

  • Nabisco has a limited-edition of candy-corn Oreos with a yellow-and-orange cream filling sandwiched between vanilla wafers.
  • There are also candy corn M&Ms with this description on Amazon: “Two classic candies join together to put a new spin on a traditional fall favorite.M&M’s candy corn white chocolate candies combine M&M’s chocolate candies and candy corn. In the distinctive orange, yellow and white candy corn colors, these bright candies will bring a festive and delicious approach to snacking and decorating this fall.”

8.  A survey of Americans found:

  • 46.8%think the whole piece of candy corn should be eaten at once
  • 42.7% think you should be start eating at the narrow, white end
  • 10.6%  like to start eating at the wider yellow end

Guess How Many Calories Are In A Trick Or Treat Bag

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What do you think:  3500, 5000, 7500???  Keep in mind that it takes 3500 calories (above your daily caloric needs to gain a pound.

A public heath expert estimated that, on average, a child in the US collects between 3,500 and 7,000 candy calories on Halloween night.

To burn off 7000 calories, a one hundred pound child would have to walk for almost 44 hours or play full-court basketball for 14.5 hours.

What’s In The Trick or Treat Bag?

A NYC mom wrote down what was in her daughter’s trick or treat bag after she returned home on Halloween. Then the curious mom calculated the calories.

Here’s what was in her daughter’s Trick or Treat bag:

8 Hershey’s Kisses (Peanut butter, regular, almond and caramel)

3 Hershey’s Bars

1 Starburst

1 Jolly Rancher

1 Jolly Rancher Stix

12 Peanut Butter Cups

1 Reese’s Fast Break Bar

3 Fun Size Snickers

1 M & Ms

3 Caramels

6 Jawbreakers

3 Skittles

2 Baby Ruths, Fun Size

3 Butter Fingers, Fun Size

5 Kit Kat, Fun Size

2 Peppermints

2 3 Musketeers

1 Hot Tamales

8 Hard Candies

2 SweetTarts

1 Cookie

1 Mini Dove Chocolate

14 Lollipops

2 Now and Laters

2 Super Bubbles

1 Milky Way, Mini

2 Mary Janes

Total calorie count of candy In the bag:   6653

What her daughter estimated she had already eaten from the bag:

1 Nestle Crunch

4 SweetTarts

1 Peppermint

2 Hard Candies

1 Ring Pop

2 Mini Boxes of Nerds

1 Snickers, Fun Size

1 Caramel

2 Twizzlers

Total calorie count of what had already been eaten:    585

Grand Total of calories from the Halloween candy haul:   7238

 

For more holiday eating tips, strategies, and information check out my book,  The Sensible Holiday Eating Guide:  How To Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Without Gaining Weight, available from Amazon for your kindle or kindle reader.