Sunday, October 24, 2010

Tricky Treats...

Ghosts, goblins, witches, zombies, monsters and scariest of all... CANDY - lots and lots of evil sugar waiting to be devoured and to send poor pancreases everywhere into overdrive.  Yep, it's Halloween and temptation is going to be everywhere and not just for the kids.  Last year Americans spent almost 2 billion dollars on Halloween candy according to the National Retail Federation.  And while there are alternatives to traditional Trick or Treating for the kids the fact is that we will all be exposed to copious amounts of candy and sugar at some time before, on or after this frightening holiday.

This post is dedicated to giving you the bone-chilling facts about all those "Tricky Treats".  Let's take a look at some of the more popular selections:

Snickers Fun Size
Calories: 71
Teaspoons of Sugar: 2

M&M's Fun Size Bag
Calories: 103
Teaspoons of Sugar: 3

Candy Corn (10 Pieces)
Calories: 75
Teaspoons of Sugar: 4

3 Musketeers Fun Size
Calories: 63
Teaspoons of Sugar: 2.5

Smarties (2 Rolls)
Calories: 50
Teaspoons of Sugar: 3

Skittles Snack Pack (These have trans fat too!)
Calories: 60
Teaspoons of Sugar: 2.5

Tootsie Rolls (6 Pieces)
Calories: 140
Teaspoons of Sugar: 5

Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins (1)
Calories: 170
Teaspoons of Sugar: 4

Blow-Pops (1)
Calories: 60
Teaspoons of Sugar: 3

Butterfinger Fun Size
Calories: 100
Teaspoons of Sugar: 2.5

100 Grand Fun Size
Calories: 95
Teaspoons of Sugar: 3

Dubble Bubble Gum (1 Piece)
Calories: 20
Teaspoons of Sugar: 1

There's a look at some of the most popular Halloween sweets.  Some of you might be thinking, "Hey, that doesn't look so bad."  If you're in that crowd, remember these are the "fun size" packages and small servings.  Also, take into consideration that the likelihood of eating "just one" treat is for most, slim and none.  The numbers add up FAST and before you know it you've eaten the sugar equivalent of a couple cans of Mountain Dew and if that doesn't scare you nothing will...

Comments...

4 comments:

  1. That's terrifying! Thank goodness it's once a year (although, unfortunately, most kids see a spike in sugar for a bunch of other holidays too). What are your suggestions for alternatives and what should parents do to keep their little sugar fiends at bay for the candy rush?

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  2. On such occasions that candy is around us for whatever reason, we always allow our kids 1 piece, so on Halloween if we give just 2 or 3 it will seem like a lot.

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  3. I want to print this out but it does not print...:( I want to hang this on my fridge, office, next to my mirror....

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  4. Nice list! For this reason, I cringe when Halloween roles around, and I don't even have kids! But as sure as anything, in about a week, there will be a deluge of colds, flus, stomach bugs, etc. People will blame it on the changing of the seasons, but I blame it on the sugar!

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