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So, just how many calories are we eating when we take a bite of Halloween candy?  Lets talk about healthy snack swaps for kids!

Today I am welcoming Kristen from Corporate Mama to talk to us about helping our kids (& ourselves) swap out our snacks for some healthier options.  I love this post & I’m sure that you will, too!  Take it away, Kristen… 

If you are a candy thief in disguise a parent who insists that her child(ren) share the Halloween candy stash after the big night, you may be interested to know just how much you can eat before you’ll have trouble buttoning your favorite jeans. I’m not a calorie counter per se, but I do like to try to keep my junk food snacks at a minimum – if only to make sure I have saved up enough wine calories on those “full moon” kind of days.

 

With that said, below is a list of popular Halloween candies and their caloric values. I’ve also added in some healthy snack items for reference in case you need to start swapping in diet items until the candy pile is gone. If anyone out there is a glutton for punishment, you can click here for the top 10 worst candies to indulge in. It’s not that bad, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

Side note – if you want to mix in exercise to allow for more snacking, it’s safe to assume that the average person can burn 100 calories by walking 2000 steps (slowly), and that equals about 1 mile. I like to assume chasing kids would approximately double that count, depending on how many kids and how fast. *wink*

healthy snack swaps for kids

 

Happy snacking!

Candy Amount Calories Same as 
Bazooka gum 1 pc 15 2 cups iceberg lettuce
Dubble bubble 1 pc 15 3 raisins or craisins
Hershey kisses, almond 1 pc 23 1/2 cup green beans
Jolly Ranchers 1 pc 23 3 cups baby spinach
Dum-dum pops 1 pop 25 3 medium dill pickes
Smarties 1 roll 25 1 cup asparagus
Hershey kisses 1 pc 26 2/3 cup broccoli florets
Whoppers minis (tube) 1 tube 30 2 tbsp black olives
Sweet tarts (chewy or not) 1 pack 32 1 cup cherry tomatoes
Milky Way bite-size 1 pc 38 15 goldfish crackers
Starburst fun pack 1 pack 40 2 cups raw eggplant
Twizzlers fun pack 1 pack 40 1/4 cup chex mix
Dove promises, minis 1 pc 42 1 cup sliced red pepper
Hershey mini bars (mixed) 1 bar 42 1/2 medium grapefruit
Snickers bite-size (squares) 1 pc 42 1 plum
Reeses mini cups 1 pc 44 1 medium kiwi fruit
Blow Pop 1 pop 50 1 light string cheese
Hot Tamales fun pack 1 pack 50 5 stalks celery
Junior Mints fun pack 1 pack 50 1.5 cups zucchini
Mike n Ike 1 pack 50 1 cup strawberries
Nerds, mini box 1 box 50 1.5 cups yellow squash
Twix (snack size) 1 bar 50 1 medium cucumber
LifeSavers Gummies 1 pack 52 2 tangerines
Milk Duds 4 pcs 52 1 cup sugar snap peas
York peppermint patties 1 fun size 53 1 cup chopped carrots
Raisinettes fun pack (yes, people still give these out. much to my older sister’s dismay) 1 pack 56 1/2 cup sweet peas
Tootsie pops 1 pop 60 1/3 cup edamame
Three Musketeers (fun size) 1 bar 64 1/8 cup trail mix
Hershey bar, fun size 1 bar 67 1/2 medium sweet potato
Candy corn 11 pcs 70 1/2 cup black beans
Kit Kat minis 1 pack 70 1 cup blueberries
M&M snack pack (pretzel) 1 pack 72 1/2 medium potato
Fall candy corn mix 11 pcs 74 3 tbsp hummus
Tootsie rolls 3 pcs 76 2/3 cup soy milk
Almond Joy fun size 1 bar 80 1 medium apple
Milky Way fun size 1 bar 80 1/2 cup seedless grapes
Skittles fun size 1 pack 80 2 servings lite tofu
Mounds, snack size 1 bar 83 1 stick string cheese
Baby Ruth fun size 1 bar 85 12 “quakes” mini rice cakes
Butterfinger bite-size 1 bar 85 78 pumpkin seeds
Snickers fun size (bar) 1 bar 85 2 pretzel rods
M&M snack pack (plain) 1 pack 88 12 almonds
M&M snack pack (pb) 1 pack 90 5 dried apricots
M&M snack pack (peanut) 1 pack 93 1 medium ear of corn
Lemonheads 1 oz 100 1 banana
Whoppers fun pack 1 pack 100 1/8 cup walnut pieces
Pixie stix, regular size 1 stix 110 1/3 medium avocado

 

corporate mama
Kristen Bagwell is a corporate director, the voice behind www.CorporateMama.com, and a wife and mother of 2. She loves lists, wine, her pink ballpoint pen, and, conveniently, being over-extended. Connect with Kristen on her blog, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/corporatemama) and on Twitter @corpmamanc.

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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3 Comments

  1. Wow! It’s crazy when you compare some of the numbers! Stopping by from Social Media Roundup.

  2. Very interesting!!!! I def need to stay away from he Halloween candy, I’ve been losing weight and don’t need the temptation! Thanks for hosting the blog hop!!