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I can’t hide my love of Halloween – it is hands down my favorite holiday! Gorgeous Autumn days with changing leaves, scary movie nights, spooky decorations, fun costumes, and of course…the candy. Our favorite seasonal candies are so much more than sugar – they are part of the Halloween tradition, they often bring us nostalgia, and, you know, they’re delicious. We at GUADS are always advocates of balance, moderation, and knowledge, so if you want to indulge in some of your favorite treats, go for it – AND, we wanted to provide you with some stats as you head into Halloween 2022!!

Daily Recommended Sugar Intake:

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36g (roughly 9 teaspoons or 150 calories) of sugar per day for adult men and no more than 25g (roughly 6 teaspoons or 100 calories) of sugar per day for adult women. But here’s where it gets spooky: the average adult in the US consumes around 17g of sugar a day – Yikes!! Excess sugar in your diet puts you at risk for:

  • Cavities/tooth decay
  • Inflammation
  • Overeating
  • Weight gain / increased waist size
  • Skin problems: Acne, skin aging, and wrinkles. Again, YIKES.

So with that in mind, here is a little overview of some of the most popular Halloween candies and how much sugar they are packin’:

Favorite Fun-Size Treats and (not so fun) Sugar Count:

  1. 1 Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup – 8.5 g
  2. Fun-size Skittles – 11 g
  3. Fun-size Peanut M&M’s – 9 g
  4. Fun size Starburst – 8 g
  5. Fun size Milky Way bar – 10.5 g
  6. Fun size Take 5 – 11 g
  7. 1 Mini Box of Nerds – 11 g
  8. Fun size Snickers – 9 g
  9. Fun size Twix – 8 g
  10. Fun size Butterfinger – 7 g
  11. 1 Mini box Junior Mints – 14.5 g
  12. Fun size 100 Grand – 11 g
  13. 19 pieces of Candy Corn – 28 g

Again, it’s important to indulge sometimes and enjoy your favorite treats. However, knowledge is power and knowing how much sugar you are consuming this Halloween is powerful for your health. Now, be safe, get your spooky season on and…

Happy Halloween!!!

Written by GUADS staff member Kate with contributions from Usatoday.com, heart.org and popsugar.com