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So, just how many calories are we eating when we take a bite of Halloween candy? Lets talk about healthy snack swaps for kids!
Today I am welcoming Kristen from Corporate Mama to talk to us about helping our kids (& ourselves) swap out our snacks for some healthier options. I love this post & I’m sure that you will, too! Take it away, Kristen…
If you are a candy thief in disguise a parent who insists that her child(ren) share the Halloween candy stash after the big night, you may be interested to know just how much you can eat before you’ll have trouble buttoning your favorite jeans. I’m not a calorie counter per se, but I do like to try to keep my junk food snacks at a minimum – if only to make sure I have saved up enough wine calories on those “full moon” kind of days.
With that said, below is a list of popular Halloween candies and their caloric values. I’ve also added in some healthy snack items for reference in case you need to start swapping in diet items until the candy pile is gone. If anyone out there is a glutton for punishment, you can click here for the top 10 worst candies to indulge in. It’s not that bad, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Side note – if you want to mix in exercise to allow for more snacking, it’s safe to assume that the average person can burn 100 calories by walking 2000 steps (slowly), and that equals about 1 mile. I like to assume chasing kids would approximately double that count, depending on how many kids and how fast. *wink*
Happy snacking!
Candy | Amount | Calories | Same as |
Bazooka gum | 1 pc | 15 | 2 cups iceberg lettuce |
Dubble bubble | 1 pc | 15 | 3 raisins or craisins |
Hershey kisses, almond | 1 pc | 23 | 1/2 cup green beans |
Jolly Ranchers | 1 pc | 23 | 3 cups baby spinach |
Dum-dum pops | 1 pop | 25 | 3 medium dill pickes |
Smarties | 1 roll | 25 | 1 cup asparagus |
Hershey kisses | 1 pc | 26 | 2/3 cup broccoli florets |
Whoppers minis (tube) | 1 tube | 30 | 2 tbsp black olives |
Sweet tarts (chewy or not) | 1 pack | 32 | 1 cup cherry tomatoes |
Milky Way bite-size | 1 pc | 38 | 15 goldfish crackers |
Starburst fun pack | 1 pack | 40 | 2 cups raw eggplant |
Twizzlers fun pack | 1 pack | 40 | 1/4 cup chex mix |
Dove promises, minis | 1 pc | 42 | 1 cup sliced red pepper |
Hershey mini bars (mixed) | 1 bar | 42 | 1/2 medium grapefruit |
Snickers bite-size (squares) | 1 pc | 42 | 1 plum |
Reeses mini cups | 1 pc | 44 | 1 medium kiwi fruit |
Blow Pop | 1 pop | 50 | 1 light string cheese |
Hot Tamales fun pack | 1 pack | 50 | 5 stalks celery |
Junior Mints fun pack | 1 pack | 50 | 1.5 cups zucchini |
Mike n Ike | 1 pack | 50 | 1 cup strawberries |
Nerds, mini box | 1 box | 50 | 1.5 cups yellow squash |
Twix (snack size) | 1 bar | 50 | 1 medium cucumber |
LifeSavers Gummies | 1 pack | 52 | 2 tangerines |
Milk Duds | 4 pcs | 52 | 1 cup sugar snap peas |
York peppermint patties | 1 fun size | 53 | 1 cup chopped carrots |
Raisinettes fun pack (yes, people still give these out. much to my older sister’s dismay) | 1 pack | 56 | 1/2 cup sweet peas |
Tootsie pops | 1 pop | 60 | 1/3 cup edamame |
Three Musketeers (fun size) | 1 bar | 64 | 1/8 cup trail mix |
Hershey bar, fun size | 1 bar | 67 | 1/2 medium sweet potato |
Candy corn | 11 pcs | 70 | 1/2 cup black beans |
Kit Kat minis | 1 pack | 70 | 1 cup blueberries |
M&M snack pack (pretzel) | 1 pack | 72 | 1/2 medium potato |
Fall candy corn mix | 11 pcs | 74 | 3 tbsp hummus |
Tootsie rolls | 3 pcs | 76 | 2/3 cup soy milk |
Almond Joy fun size | 1 bar | 80 | 1 medium apple |
Milky Way fun size | 1 bar | 80 | 1/2 cup seedless grapes |
Skittles fun size | 1 pack | 80 | 2 servings lite tofu |
Mounds, snack size | 1 bar | 83 | 1 stick string cheese |
Baby Ruth fun size | 1 bar | 85 | 12 “quakes” mini rice cakes |
Butterfinger bite-size | 1 bar | 85 | 78 pumpkin seeds |
Snickers fun size (bar) | 1 bar | 85 | 2 pretzel rods |
M&M snack pack (plain) | 1 pack | 88 | 12 almonds |
M&M snack pack (pb) | 1 pack | 90 | 5 dried apricots |
M&M snack pack (peanut) | 1 pack | 93 | 1 medium ear of corn |
Lemonheads | 1 oz | 100 | 1 banana |
Whoppers fun pack | 1 pack | 100 | 1/8 cup walnut pieces |
Pixie stix, regular size | 1 stix | 110 | 1/3 medium avocado |
Kristen Bagwell is a corporate director, the voice behind www.CorporateMama.com, and a wife and mother of 2. She loves lists, wine, her pink ballpoint pen, and, conveniently, being over-extended. Connect with Kristen on her blog, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/
Wow! It’s crazy when you compare some of the numbers! Stopping by from Social Media Roundup.
I know!! Isn’t it?
Very interesting!!!! I def need to stay away from he Halloween candy, I’ve been losing weight and don’t need the temptation! Thanks for hosting the blog hop!!