TORONTO – You’ve got a shiny red apple at your desk, but your office’s Halloween loot is only steps away. Looks like you’ve got a tough decision to make.
The little fun-sized snacks seem harmless, but they add up. Last year, Global News created a master list of Halloween goodies (the smaller “treat” sized ones), stacking the options side by side according to calories, fat, sugar and sodium for two Canadian dietitians to grade.
There were some winners and losers.
READ MORE: The best and worst Halloween treats as rated by nutritionists
This time around, we asked Kate Comeau, dietitian and spokesperson for the Dietitians of Canada, to compare the treats to their healthier counterparts. If a two-bite Coffee Crisp chocolate is 60 calories, that’s on par with an orange.
Here are 5 comparisons from Comeau:
Lays Chips vs. 1.5 cups of air popped popcorn drizzled with olive oil and smoked paprika
Sure, the chips are in a portion-controlled bag. It’s 90 calories with 70 milligrams of sodium and six grams of fat. While the two snacks share the same calorie count, Comeau said the popcorn would pack way more volume, making it more visually satisfying.
Popcorn is also a whole grain and has more fibre than chips. There’s no virtually no sodium and the teaspoon of olive oil is a source of healthy fats.
- B.C. to ban drug use in all public places in major overhaul of decriminalization
- 3 women diagnosed with HIV after ‘vampire facials’ at unlicensed U.S. spa
- Solar eclipse eye damage: More than 160 cases reported in Ontario, Quebec
- ‘Super lice’ are becoming more resistant to chemical shampoos. What to use instead
READ MORE: A closer look at ingredients found in Halloween candy
15 Skittles vs. 15 grapes
Skittles are sugary sweet, and come in a rainbow of colours but Comeau said grapes are your best bet. They’re just about the same in calories (60 in a fun-size of Skittles and 50 for 15 grapes) and carbohydrates, but the grapes aren’t just empty calories. You’ll benefit from the vitamins, antioxidants and fibre from the fruit.
It’ll also take longer to eat a bowl of 15 grapes than a handful of 15 Skittles.
Reese peanut butter cup vs. a homemade chocolate peanut butter smoothie
The Reese peanut butter cup is 80 calories, but Comeau suggested a smoothie with similar ingredients will be satiating with a nutritional punch.
Whip up a smoothie with skim milk, a piece of banana, cocoa powder and a spoonful of peanut butter and you’ll have a dessert with protein, vitamins and minerals. Bananas provide the natural sweetness so you won’t miss what you’d get from the added sugar in the peanut butter cup.
(Use half of a cup of skim milk, half a teaspoon of peanut butter, half a teaspoon of cocoa powder and a quarter of a banana per serving.)
READ MORE: 5 alternative Halloween treats for kids
A Tootsie Roll vs. coffee-flavoured yogurt
A Halloween-sized Tootsie Roll comes with 140 calories, and the candy is infamous for coating your teeth in sticky sugar.
Comeau suggested that coffee-flavoured yogurt is the wiser choice. It has less added sugar and more protein. It also has 25 per cent of your daily value for calcium.
READ MORE: How much sugar is in Nutella? Canadian doctor decodes what’s in the hazelnut spread
Baby Ruth vs. half of an apple with almond butter and raisins
Three little squares of the chocolate clock in at 170 calories. With that kind of wiggle room, you can feast on apple slices with almond butter and raisins.
They’ll keep you full for a longer period of time thanks to the protein in the nut butter and fibre in the apple and raisins. You’re also trading in processed sugar for healthy fats in the almond butter.
carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
Follow @Carmen_Chai
Comments