This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

NEW ORLEANS — There’s just no way around it, Halloween is one of the year’s top sugar fests — but it is possible to keep Trick-or-Treaters happy without piling on even more sugar.   In today’s Love it, Like it, Hate it, we’ve got the best & worst of Halloween treats, including some that you can actually feel good about.

 

LOVE IT!

Popcorn Snack Packs like Angie’s BoomChickaPop Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn

  • Per pack: 70 calories – 9 grams carb – 1 gram fiber – 4 grams sugar
  • Ingredients: popcorn, sunflower oil, dried cane sugar, sea salt

Apple “Chips” like Bare Snacks | 100% apple, no sugar added

Non-edible treats! Halloween tattoos, bracelets, bubbles, glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth!

 

LIKE IT!

Teddy Grahams & Annie’s Bunnies

  • Per Pack: 50 calories – 8 grams carb – 1 gram fiber – 3 grams sugar
  • Ingredients include: whole wheat flour, wheat (white) flour, sugar, oil

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish “with whole grain”

  • Per pack: ~50 cals – 7 grams carb – 0 fiber – 0 sugar
  • Ingredients include: whole wheat flour, white flour, cheddar cheese, vegetable oils, salt, sugar…

Pretzel packs

  • Per Pack: ~50 calories – 12 grams carb – 0 fiber – 0 sugar
  • First few ingredients: enriched (white) flour, water, salt

 

HATE IT!

Most chocolate candy bars, and pure-sugar candies like Starbursts, Skittles, Candy Corn, Gushers

  • Typical ingredients: Sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, artificial food dyes

“All natural” fruity-sugary candies like Fruit Snacks + “Organic” Gummy Snacks

  • Ingredients still typically include include brown rice syrup, cane sugar, gelatin, fruit juice…

Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

  • Made with 3 different types of sugar + BHT preservative. Same goes for other “healthier” treats like Rice Krispie Treats, “yogurt” pretzels, etc.

 

Want more from Molly?  Click here to sign up for Nutrition Bites, her weekly e-newsletter with links to her Get the Skinny TV segments here on WGNO, and her weekly column in NOLA.com|The Times-Picayune!   And you can follow Molly on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram:  @MollyKimballRD