Better for Blood Sugar Halloween Candies
To choose Halloween candies that have the least impact on diabetes management, you have to compare the calorie, total carb, sugar, and fat content of the candies you buy.
Though most of us do not enjoy scrutinizing food labels, just a little detective work can allow you to enjoy some sweet treats with significantly fewer grams of carbohydrate and sugar. To prove the point, check out these candy comparisons.
Go Nuts. Almond M&Ms are a wiser choice than plain milk chocolate M&Ms, saving you carb and sugar grams while supplying protein and healthy almond fats. One snack-size bag of Almond M&Ms contains a bit more total fat, but less saturated fat than snack-size plain M&Ms, and three fewer carb grams. Calorie wise, the plain and almond varieties are close to a wash.
Dark Chocolate Differences. You would think all dark chocolate with almonds would have the same amount of sugar, but that is not the case. Three nuggets (1.4 ounces) of Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate with Almonds have seven grams less sugar than five Dove Dark Chocolate Miniatures (1.4 ounces), and 60 fewer calories.
Filling Makes a Difference. Fun size Kit Kat bars are wafer-filled and so have fewer calories and carbs than bars with richer fillings such as peanut butter. A snack-size Kit Kat contains 35 calories, 2.5 g fat, and 3 g carb less than a 0.74 ounce Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
Chewy Options. Chewy, fruity candies, though fun to eat, can be carbohydrate dense. You might consider buying sugar free Jelly Belly Gummy Bears instead of a sugar sweetened variety such as Skittles Original Fruit. Twelve sugar-free gummy bears have 15 g carb—none from sugar. A snack bag of the Skittles brand has 30 more calories and 18 g carb (15 g sugar).
Comparing Pops. Suckers (pops) are always a popular candy since they take a while to eat. Caramel Apple Pops are a good sense choice with 60 calories, 0.5 g fat (no saturated fat), and 15 carb grams (10 g sugar). Compare that to a Sugar Daddy pop with 170 calories, 2 fat grams, and 36 g carb (24 g sugar).
Weight-less Wafers. Another wafer filled candy that saves carbs and calories is Hershey’s 100-Calorie Crisp Wafer Bar. One 0.7 ounce bar has 12 g carb, and 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat). If you were to eat 1/3 cup of Nestle Buncha Crunch pieces you would get 80 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat) and 13 carb grams more.
Hard Choices. Long lasting hard candies are always a Halloween favorite. What has less sugar than a snack size bag of Skittles Wild Berry Candies? That would be three pieces of Jolly Rancher Hard Candies with four fewer grams of sugar.
Peanut Butter Option. Another tasty zero sugar option is sugar-free Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups. Four mini cups have 35 calories and 7 carb grams less than four Butterfinger mini bars.
Try the Twist. One regular size sweet and chewy Strawberry Twizzler Twist has fewer calories, less sugar and fat than three Starburst Original Fruit Chews. Choosing the Twizzler will save you 40 calories, a gram of fat, and four grams of sugar.
Source: Diabetic Living
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