No Caramel in Twix? Really?

I have been known to pass out full-sized candy bars at Halloween. It’s not that I am looking to be the most popular stop on the street for Halloween, but rather that I am trying to unload a box of Hebert candy bars that one of my kids is selling for Cub Scouts.

However, on those off years when there were no candy quotas on the agenda, I have given Reese’s peanut butter cups and Hershey bars (because, really, don’t we all want to like what’s left over when the crowds go home?)

But, in the name of good health, it appears there are better reasons to choose the holiday goods. Specifically, health – if you can call it that. According to dietitian Gloria Tsang, author of Go UnDiet: 50 Small Actions for Lasting Weight Loss, some candy is better than others and she has the battle results.

"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,” said Tsang.

The analysis was done by HealthCastle.com with these results: 

• 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. 

Interesting? Yes, but I am not trading in my emulsified peanut butter cups for a Mounds bar. I am left wondering, though, if this is information you will use when picking out perks for the pumpkins that come to your door this year. What's your favorite Halloween candy and do you plan to give it out for Halloween this year?

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on the latest Westborough news, or simply hit the "like" button at the top of this page.