The 10 Unhealthiest Halloween Candies

A healthy lifestyle isn't about depriving yourself, but rather making better choices when you do choose to indulge. Some candies contain more sugar than others, some more fat, and some are full of ingredients you simply can't pronounce, let alone identify. When Halloween rolls around, it's a good idea to know which candies will have you tipping the scales come November 1, and which won't.

1. 3 Musketeers

These bars might be marketed as a "lighter" way to enjoy chocolate, but there's nothing light about them. Not only does one bar contain 240 calories, 36 grams of sugar, and five grams of saturated fat, it also contains trans fats hiding in the form of hydrogenated palm kernel oil.

2. Sour Patch Kids

One two-ounce box of Sour Patch Kids contains a stunning 36 grams of sugar and 140 calories. This is no surprise, considering the first three ingredients are sugar, invert sugar (a mixture of glucose and fructose), and corn syrup. The remaining ingredients include preservatives, like citric acid, and artificial colorings.

3. Milky Way

Fun-size bars are supposed to help keep calories and sugar intake in check, but that's not the case with these. Milky Way's caramel and nougat center has the fun size weighing in at 21 grams of sugar and the full size variety contains a whopping 31 grams of sugar. Not to mention, they're known to stick in your teeth, which can cause cavities. This 240-calorie treat has nine grams of fat, seven of which are saturated.

4. Butterfingers

One regular Butterfinger contain 275 calories, 29 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of fat, six of which are saturated. The first ingredient is corn syrup, followed by sugar, peanuts, and hydrogenated palm oil. It also contains a host of other artificial preservatives, like TBHQ, which is made up of phenol and butane (also known as lighter fluid).

5. Snickers

In addition to 27 grams of sugar, 250 calories, and 12 grams of fat, a Snickers bar contains an unhealthy dose of corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Eating corn syrup has been thought to lead to the development of metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetic condition. Hydrogenated oil is proven to raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol, while lowering your HDL (good) cholesterol level.

6. Twix

In this case, one is definitely better than two. One fun size pack of Twix contains a whopping 24 grams of sugar and 250 calories! In addition, it contains seven grams of saturated fat, which accounts for 30 percent of the daily-recommended intake.

7. Starburst

These "unexplainably juicy" fruity squares are inexplicably unhealthy as well. The first three ingredients in Starburst are sugar, corn syrup, and apple-juice concentrate, followed by an array of artificial dyes, including Red 40, which contains a known carcinogen called benzidine. There are 22 grams of sugar in one serving and 130 calories.

8. Fun Dip

You don't need to hear it from us. A stick made of sugar dipped into a packet of flavored sugar just screams unhealthy. Although it is only 50 calories, one packet of fun dip powder and 2/3 of the dipping stick contains 13 grams of pure sugar.  

9. Nerds

One mini box of nerds contains 50 calories and 12 grams of sugar, which isn't surprising considering 93 percent of its weight comes from pure sugar. Like most other fruit flavored candies, these sugary bites are loaded with artificial flavors and coated in unnatural dyes.

10. Take 5

Give your arteries a break and don't Take 5! This popular candy packs a saccharine punch, with sugar as its first ingredient. Watch out for the regular-size bars in particular, one of which contains a quarter of your daily-recommended saturated fats. Take 5 has 210 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 18 grams of sugar.