For some, Halloween is the perfect time to shut out the rest of the world and sit back with near-endless marathons of classic Universal and Hammer monster movies. For others, it’s just an excuse to rock vampire capes and Wonder Woman tiaras in the office.
Then there are those that see Halloween for what it really is—the one day a year when strict diets and calorie counting take a backseat to pumpkin-shaped buckets full of fun-sized Snickers, Twix, Kit-Kats, and any other sugary morsel you get your hands on.
But breaking your diet for a day is as stressful as it is indulgent, and you don’t want to waste this sugary mulligan on low-tier candy like black licorice, Mary Janes, or those weird strawberry hard candies that are always inexplicably in the possession of the elderly.
No—on Halloween, you need to be smart. You need to strategize your candy cheat to perfection. And thankfully, we here at Muscle & Fitness are here to help you choose the right candy to break your diet for.
Editor’s note: Three of the six people polled here went with Reese’s peanut butter cups, which is absurd, especially since they become melted catastrophes at any temperature higher than 60°F. But in the interest of freedom, I’ll allow it.
“Reese’s Cups…specifically the Reese’s Cups that come out around Halloween shaped like pumpkins. They taste 100x better than regular Reese’s Cups. This is a fact. I don’t make the rules.” — Kelly Twardziak, editorial intern.”I love Reese’s peanut butter cups. Sure, they’re delicious. But they’re also not too terrible for you, when consumed in moderation. They’ve got peanut butter, which is chockfull of protein. And they’ve got chocolate, which has antioxidants and can improve vascular function. Plus, the cups come in an orange and black wrapper, so they just feel like Halloween.” — Shawn Donnelly, deputy editor.”Hey, it’s got peanut butter, so it can’t be that bad, right? Fine, we concede that there’s no way to pretend that these chocolately, slightly salty Halloween favorites are remotely healthy—they have 230 calories, 13.7 grams of fat, and 160 grams of sodium per serving (two peanut butter cups)—but they’re absolutely delicious, and well worth the cheat for Halloween season. At least they have 4.6 grams of protein. Limit yourself to two cups, or have two minis instead, which have only 88 calories and 5.2 grams of fat.” — Elizabeth Yun, editor.
2 of 5
Julia Ewan/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Twix
“Few candies hit all the notes you want in a treat—crunchy, sweet, savory, salty—like a Twix does. I throw mine in the back of the freezer instead of eating it on the spot (like my dad and I used to do when I was a kid), forget about it for a few days, and then take a bite out of the nostalgia-laden, chocolate covered biscuit.” — Andrew Gutman, fitness editor.Photo: Julia Ewan/The Washington Post/Getty Images
3 of 5
pepifoto/Getty
Snickers
“This is one of few candy bars that’s actually satisfying. It’s both chewy and crunchy, and you absolutely can’t go wrong with caramel and milk chocolate. Sure, it’s high in calories and loaded down with sugar and fat, but if I’m going to indulge, I just go for it. Plus, just one really is enough to kill that sweets craving.” — Rose McNulty, associate editor.Photo: pepifoto/Getty
4 of 5
butch Dillinger / FOAP
Sour Skittles
“Sweet and Sour Skittles without a doubt is at the top of my Halloween candy hierarchy. If I’m going to indulge in the festivities and attempt to rot all of my teeth in one day, this is the premier weapon of choice. This edition of skittles is an addictive power punch that’s worth the impending stomachache.” — Brian Riley, editor.Photo: butch Dillinger / FOAP
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpP0-j6hr_t
Crunch Bar
“I don’t appreciate extravagance in my candy bars. The Take 5 bar may have pretzels, peanut butter, peanuts, and caramel covered in chocolate, but to me, that screams identity crisis. It’s the reason why I’ve always respected the Crunch bar—this is a candy that knows what it is. It’s just chocolate with a healthy sprinkling of crispy rice that excels in simplicity and texture. You can set your watch to it. Plus, it’s easy to break off into smaller segments that you can eat throughout the day, so it makes it at least feel like you’re gorging responsibly. (But let’s face it, you’re an animal, I’m an animal, and we’re all just shoving the whole bar into our mouths without taking a breath.)” — Jason Serafino, senior editor.
“Reese’s Cups…specifically the Reese’s Cups that come out around Halloween shaped like pumpkins. They taste 100x better than regular Reese’s Cups. This is a fact. I don’t make the rules.” — Kelly Twardziak, editorial intern.
“I love Reese’s peanut butter cups. Sure, they’re delicious. But they’re also not too terrible for you, when consumed in moderation. They’ve got peanut butter, which is chockfull of protein. And they’ve got chocolate, which has antioxidants and can improve vascular function. Plus, the cups come in an orange and black wrapper, so they just feel like Halloween.” — Shawn Donnelly, deputy editor.
“Hey, it’s got peanut butter, so it can’t be that bad, right? Fine, we concede that there’s no way to pretend that these chocolately, slightly salty Halloween favorites are remotely healthy—they have 230 calories, 13.7 grams of fat, and 160 grams of sodium per serving (two peanut butter cups)—but they’re absolutely delicious, and well worth the cheat for Halloween season. At least they have 4.6 grams of protein. Limit yourself to two cups, or have two minis instead, which have only 88 calories and 5.2 grams of fat.” — Elizabeth Yun, editor.
Twix
“Few candies hit all the notes you want in a treat—crunchy, sweet, savory, salty—like a Twix does. I throw mine in the back of the freezer instead of eating it on the spot (like my dad and I used to do when I was a kid), forget about it for a few days, and then take a bite out of the nostalgia-laden, chocolate covered biscuit.” — Andrew Gutman, fitness editor.
Photo: Julia Ewan/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Snickers
“This is one of few candy bars that’s actually satisfying. It’s both chewy and crunchy, and you absolutely can’t go wrong with caramel and milk chocolate. Sure, it’s high in calories and loaded down with sugar and fat, but if I’m going to indulge, I just go for it. Plus, just one really is enough to kill that sweets craving.” — Rose McNulty, associate editor.
Photo: pepifoto/Getty
Sour Skittles
“Sweet and Sour Skittles without a doubt is at the top of my Halloween candy hierarchy. If I’m going to indulge in the festivities and attempt to rot all of my teeth in one day, this is the premier weapon of choice. This edition of skittles is an addictive power punch that’s worth the impending stomachache.” — Brian Riley, editor.
Photo: butch Dillinger / FOAP
Crunch Bar
“I don’t appreciate extravagance in my candy bars. The Take 5 bar may have pretzels, peanut butter, peanuts, and caramel covered in chocolate, but to me, that screams identity crisis. It’s the reason why I’ve always respected the Crunch bar—this is a candy that knows what it is. It’s just chocolate with a healthy sprinkling of crispy rice that excels in simplicity and texture. You can set your watch to it. Plus, it’s easy to break off into smaller segments that you can eat throughout the day, so it makes it at least feel like you’re gorging responsibly. (But let’s face it, you’re an animal, I’m an animal, and we’re all just shoving the whole bar into our mouths without taking a breath.)” — Jason Serafino, senior editor.
