The Scary Ingredients Hidden in Your Halloween Candy

What to look out for and some healthy alternatives

Oct 31, 2024

Hello Reader,

Halloween candy is the scariest part of Halloween.

This may be controversial, but the fact that its widely accepted to stuff your face (especially young children) with harmful ingredients, is frightening to me.

Sorry if I’m the Debby Downer on your Halloween parade…

Please don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate, I love candy, and I’m definitely not saying you should withhold yourself from the sweeter things in life. What I’m saying is that there are ways in which these foods were made years before the ‘big companies’ came in and ruined perfectly good recipes with toxic chemicals and artificial ingredients.

Let’s get into it.

Ingredients in your candy to look out for

If you choose to indulge in some festivities this halloween, here are some of the key culprits hidden in the candy passed out in your neighborhood.

Artificial food dyes
- red no 40
- red no 3
- blue no 1
- yellow no 5

If its name is a color, its a no from me…

These dyes are derived from petroleum, and there is evidence that they are carcinogenic (cancer causing). Studies have shown that they can cause DNA damage and human breast carcinogenesis.

High fructose corn syrup

This is processed food at its finest. It increases fat production, worsens insulin resistance, and is found in some of our favorites like Reeses, Oreos, Take 5, and Baby Ruth to name a few.

Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose

These sneaky sweeteners can negatively impact our bodies in more ways than one. From the functions of the gastrointestinal, and neurologic, all the way to cardiovascular systems, they are simply not our friends.

TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone)

This ingredient can cause allergies, and harm the immune system, and with overuse, can cause cytotoxic, genotoxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects. Derived from petroleum, and found in candies like Reeses.

Recipe for my healthier version of Reeses here.

Titanium Dioxide

This additive, often used for food coloring, was deemed unsafe for human consumption by the European Food Safety Authority.

Mars, the candy giant, was sued because they continued to use titanium dioxide in candies like Skittles, Sour Patch, Sweedish Fish.

Healthy Alternatives

Lesserevil popcorn
Justins PB cups
Hu chocolate bars
Evolved cups or bars
Alter eco truffles
That’s it chocolate covered figs
Yumearth fruit snacks, or pops

Natural Sweeteners

honey
agave
maple syrup
date syrup
fruit juice

Long story short, there’s absolutely no reason why you should not enjoy candy on Halloween. My goal is simply to help you make informed decisions around these foods.

There is the argument that Halloween is only 1 day a year, so that being said if you do indulge, I hope you enjoy.

If you don’t, I hope you enjoy some healthy alternatives.

And lastly if you are new here, thank you for reading, thank you for having an interest in your health, and I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

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