Halloween by the Calories; Calories In Every Chocolate Bar

Spooky season has come around once more; a time to dress up, a time to enjoy the cool weather, and a time to indulge in our favorite Halloween candy. Every October, nearly 600 pounds of candy are sold whether for oneself or to give to little children. As such, for nutritionists or people trying to lose weight, Halloween is certainly a dreaded time of the year (along with the two holidays after!). But which candy bars are the most unhealthy, especially as many contain the same levels of fat and carbohydrates? Fortunately, the NLEA and Health Administrations provide lists of the number of calories in candy brands so you know exactly how much to eat this year to enjoy the holiday (NOTE: The number of calories to consume per day is 2500-3000 in men and 2000-2500 in women)

Hershey’s Bar: One of the oldest Halloween candies founded since the 19^th century, the Hershey’s bar is 214 calories for every 17 pieces the bar comes with. This means the fun-sized Hersheys pieces (the ones usually distributed on Halloween) are about 12 calories per piece.

Kit-Kat: A rather iconic Halloween candy, perhaps due to the orange wrapping. One full sized Kit-Kat wafer, which typically comes in two pieces, is about 218 calories. This means that one wafer, assuming you break the pieces apart (which we hope you do!) is about 109 calories.

Butterfingers: Another popular Halloween candy, one Butterfingers bar (about 0.75 oz) is 96 calories. A full-size bar, which are quite uncommon, can be upwards of 400 calories.

Snickers: A full size Snickers bar is 214 calories while the fun-sized bars are 73 calories each.

Milky Way/3 Musketeers: A Milky Way chocolate bar, also marketed as “3 Musketeers” contains 264 calories for a full-sized bar and 77 calories for a fun-size bar. It may be unsurprising that the nutritional value is close to a Snickers Bar since both have similar tastes.

Crunch: Nestle markets their Crunch Bar as one of the healthier Halloween options and it shows. One regular sized Crunch bar is 71 calories, making it less calories than a fun-sized Snickers or Milky Way/3 Musketeers bar. In addition, Crunch bars have a fair amount of protein for a candy bar, which makes them filling.

Baby Ruth: A full-sized Baby Ruth bar is 275 calories while the fun-sized bars are about 83 calories, according to the NLEA.

Twix: Of course, the tastiest Halloween candy bar is also the most unhealthy. A typical 2 oz Twix bar is 286 calories meaning the full-sized bars can be 650 calories a pop! The reason for the gratuitous calories may be from the caramel, the cookie wafer, or the chocolate coating but, sadly, Twix definitely ranks as the candy with the most calories per serving.

Mr. Goodbar: In spite of it’s reputation, Mr. Goodbar is the same number of calories as other chocolate bars: 264 calories for a full-sized bar and 72 calories for a sun-sized bar.

Almond Joy: One full-sized Almond Joy bar is 234 calories and contains a high amount of fiber and protein from the nuts. The smaller version of Almond Joy is marketing as “snack size” and are slightly larger than “fun size” bars. These snack size bars are about 91 calories each and are also filling making Almond Joy one of the “healthier” Halloween options available.

Mounds: Almost the exactly same as Almond Joy, a full size bar is 235 calories while the snack size as 92 calories; an all-of-one calorie difference from Almond Joy.

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups: While not technically a chocolate bar, the true King of Halloween deserves an honorable mention. One package of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (two cups each) is 232 calories: 87 calories per cup. The smaller sized Reeses, known as Reeses Pieces, are 40 calories for every 10 pieces while Reeses Take 5 is 100 calories per piece.

With these metrics in mind, there are 3 ways to enjoy Halloween while not overindulging. The first way is to chose healthier bars such as Crunch, Almond Joy, or Hersheys. The second is to be thankful when given fun-sized candy bars as they pack a punch without the number of calories found in a full-sized bar. And the final (and best method): DON’T WORRY ABOUT CALORIES! Going all out one night will not affect your health in any way, shape, or form. Enjoy yourself, have a nice Halloween, make this one count.