M&Ms Beat Skittles; A Candy Comparison

Halloween is a time for collecting sweet treats rather than eating healthy, of course.

But not all candies are created equal. With 17 percent of children considered obese according to the Centers for Disease Control, some parents may want their little spooks and specters, ghouls and goblins, to choose sweets with the least amount of calories, sugar and fat.

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, selecting the right candy can reduce the health impact of your kid's trick-or-treat haul.

Here are the winners and losers of HealthCastle.com's recent 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.