Which Halloween Candies are More Trick than Treat?

Parents: If you've ever trick-or-treated as a child and/or plan to let your own children trick-or-treat this year, then it goes without saying that you understand Halloween is all about the candy!

Let's face it, drop an apple or granola bar in their bag and take one guess where it's going? Most likely, in the circular file.

Well, there is one way you can give in to this decadent day of sweets-giving without feeling totally irresponsible to your child's health (and teeth): Know the difference between what's just "bad" and what's "worst."

Because not all candy is created equal.

According to dietitian Gloria Tsang, author of the new book Go UnDiet: 50 Small Actions for Lasting Weight Loss and founder of nutrition network HealthCastle.com, choosing the right candy can reduce the health impact of your kid's trick-or-treat haul.

"With big differences in calories, sugar, and quality of ingredients used, it's just not true that all Halloween candy is the same," Gloria says. "None of them are exactly good for you, but we've done some close analysis of common competitors to see which options are best from a nutrition perspective."

Here are the winners and losers of HealthCastle.com's candy comparison:

• PayDay beats Reese Peanut Butter Cups: Reese Cups contain polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), a commercial emulsifier used to reduce cocoa butter. Plus, PayDay is the only candy to list peanuts, not sugar, as the first ingredient.   

• Kit Kat beats Twix: They're similar in calories and sugar (and both include PGPR), but Twix’s ingredient list is surprisingly long. Even more surprising? Twix is marketed as a biscuit topped with caramel and chocolate, but there’s no caramel on the ingredient list.

• M&Ms beat Skittles: Both contestants in this classic Halloween showdown contain artificial colorings and wax. M&Ms at least offer a tiny amount of calcium and protein, and less sugar. 

• Baby Ruth beats Snickers: There's no real winner here – Snickers has partially hydrogenated oil, and Baby Ruth has high-fructose corn syrup and the preservative TBHQ. Snickers loses out simply because the portion is larger, leaving room for more calories. 

• Mounds beats Almond Joy: Mounds has a shorter ingredient list, and skips the partially hydrogenated oil found in Almond Joy. 

• 3 Musketeers beats Hershey Milk Chocolate: The Hershey bar has that sneaky PGPR, while 3 Musketeers was unique among the candies surveyed in actually including real cocoa powder.

• Whoppers beat Milk Duds: Milk Duds will stick to your (or your kid's) teeth, so they're a no-no for anyone with dental issues. Plus, the smaller Whoppers serving saves some calories. 

Also, Gloria advises, regardless of which treats your child brings home, limit them to eating two or three small treats at a time so they can enjoy their haul without gorging themselves or making themselves sick.

About Gloria Tsang: Gloria Tsang has been featured on more than 15 TV shows and 30+ radio programs, as well as in many print publications, revealing compelling “undieting” strategies from her book, Go UnDiet. The Huffington Post named Gloria one of its Top 20 Nutrition Experts on Twitter, and Gloria’s website, HealthCastle.com, was named one of the Top 50 Best Food Websites by The Independent.