Test Your Halloween Candy Knowledge . . . Which Choice is Healthier?

A lot of people scrap their diets on Halloween and just pig out. But if you've still got some will power left, "Real Simple" magazine has a list of Halloween candy choices . . . with info on which one is worse for you.

--So let's see how much you know. Here are six different options . . . you decide which one is healthier.

#1.) Skittles or Peanut M&M's? A snack-sized bag of Skittles only has 61 calories, compared to 90 calories in a snack-sized bag of Peanut M&M's.

--But peanut M&M's are lower on the glycemic index. That means the sugar gets released into your bloodstream more gradually. Skittles spike your blood sugar, and don't fill you up. So the winner is . . . Peanut M&Ms.

#2.) Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Snickers? Reese's have more protein. But fun-size Snickers have less fat and 10 fewer calories than one peanut butter cup. So the obvious winner is . . . Snickers.

#3.) Sweet Tarts or Smarties? Sweet Tarts are a little bigger, but even if they were the same size as smarties, they'd still be worse for you.

--An entire roll of 15 Smarties only has 25 calories and five grams of sugar. Just eight Sweet Tarts have about 50 calories and 13 grams of sugar. So the winner is . . . Smarties

#4.) Twix or Kit Kat? They're both bad for you, but Twix has more calories and three times as much sodium. So the healthier option is . . . Kit Kat.

#5.) Caramel Apple or Candy Apple? They're not as bad as you think, because underneath all that sugar, you're still eating an apple.

--But caramel is made with butter, which adds more calories and fat, so the better choice is . . . the candy apple,

#6.) Tootsie Rolls or Candy Corn? "Real Simple" says it's a tie because they both have artificial colors and flavors. But you have to eat four pieces of candy corn to rack up the same number of calories in one Tootsie Roll.

--So really, candy corn is healthier. But the problem is, you never eat ONE piece of candy corn. Or even just four pieces. Twenty million pounds of it are sold every year. So that's why they call it a tie.

--But if you're vegan, opt for Tootsie Rolls. Candy corn has gelatin, which is an animal byproduct. Winner overall . . . Tootsie Rolls.


(Real Simple)