Trick-or-treating for a healthy Halloween

My childhood memories of Halloween, like those of so many other people my age, revolve around trick-or-treating. Oh, those were the good old days, when I could wear a princess costume and lug a pillow case all around town, filling it with chocolate and pretzels. I learned which homes gave away the best candy (that red brick house at the end of the street), and I shamefully knew which one gave the worst—mine. Yes, it was my home that distributed toothbrushes every year. My dentist father made it his priority to traumatize every child that dared walk down my driveway.

But now, as Halloween approaches again, I cannot stop wondering: Aren’t there any healthy alternatives to candy that my father could have given these children? Can students find candy to enjoy without feeling the need to visit the gym or the dentist soon after?

Surprisingly, finding simultaneously tasty and healthy candy was not as challenging a restriction as I expected it to be, especially since I knew exactly where to look. Because drugstores like Rite Aid and Duane Reade are unfortunately lacking in healthier candy options, I realized that I would have to visit several supermarkets. Westside Market, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods proved to be havens for healthy candy shopping.

Chimes Gourmet Ginger Chews, which I stumbled upon in the checkout line at Westside, come in a variety of flavors—original, peppermint, mango, orange, and peanut butter. Each chew contains a mere two grams of sugar and 16 calories—compare that to the 210 calories in only one Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Plus, the ginger in the candy helps with digestion and fights symptoms of colds, allergies, and motion sickness.

If more traditional candy is what students are yearning for, Darrell Lea’s licorice (conveniently located below the ginger chews at Westside) is an incredibly delicious alternative to Twizzlers. Even though I’m not personally a fan of licorice candy and the like, I found Darrell Lea’s to be very addictive. Luckily, three sizeable pieces won’t send hungry students straight to Dodge. There are no artificial colors or flavors, and each serving contains a gram of protein. The mango licorice I tasted was surprisingly flavorful, but maybe a bit too chewy and difficult to eat for a quick candy fix.

Trader Joe’s has a vast selection of healthy-ish candy, ranging from yogurt bites to fruit jellies. The chocolate-covered espresso beans have a nice kick, and the entire package—which is practically impossible to eat in one day—has the same number of calories as two apples. (Admittedly, though, the apples are probably better for you.) For vegan (and non-vegan) candy-lovers, Trader Joe’s has Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats and an assortment of dark chocolate bars, including a Belgian variety that is 73 percent cocoa. If chocolate is what students are craving, dark is the healthiest way to go. And because Trader Joe’s does all of its own packaging and advertising, the candy tends to be very reasonably priced.

The candy at Whole Foods is equally satisfying. The Surf Sweets Halloween Sour Worms look and taste better than the ones students likely encountered in their childhood days. But instead of being made from completely artificial ingredients, the coloring is all-natural and the sweetener comes from organic fruit juices. The packaging even boasts that each serving-sized packet of worms—there are 20 per package—contains 100 percent of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C. Like the worms, EnviroKidz Peanut Choco Drizzle Crispy Rice Bars are trans fat-free, gluten-free, and contain no artificial flavoring. To give candy-lovers an even bigger incentive, 1 percent of each sale goes to several different charity organizations.

While all of this candy is certainly better for students than candy corn or Snickers, and in many cases even medicinally good (like the ginger chews), eating it in moderation is still important. A candy binge, no matter how healthy, will still send you straight to the gym.

And with all of these awesome options, trick-or-treaters and students alike won’t ever have to encounter another Halloween toothbrush ever again.