10 Most Dangerous and Unhealthy Candies

Do you even know what’s in those Skittles? (Photos: Demand Media Studio)

Candy is meant to be a treat, but even when consumed in moderation some varieties push the wellness envelope. To have your sweets and stay healthy too, limit candy that’s particularly high in sugar, unhealthy fats and artificial ingredients. Read on for 10 candies that can really spook your health.

1. 3 Musketeers
3 Musketeers are marketed as a “lighter” way to enjoy chocolate. Lighter than what? A single candy bar has five grams of saturated fat and more sugar than three Krispy Kreme doughnuts! This bar is also guilty of “sneaky trans fats” – the nutrition label states there are zero grams but hydrogenated palm kernel oil and/or palm oil (a type of trans fat) is listed as an ingredient. Trans fats are able to slip in if they contain less than the required threshold for the nutrition facts panel.

2. Starburst
They may suit gluten-free diets, but Starbursts aren’t without risk. The ingredient that makes the fruity squares “unexplainably juicy” isn’t as healthy as it sounds. The first three ingredients listed? Sugar, corn syrup and apple-juice concentrate – also known as sugar, sugar and sugar. There are 22 grams of sugar in just nine pieces.

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3. Reese’s Pieces
Don’t let the peanut-buttery taste fool you into thinking these are in any way healthy. Sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel and soybean oil, corn syrup and dextrose are some of the first few ingredients listed. Artificial colors Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Red 40 Lake and so on round out the list. Just don’t.

4. Skittles
When you “taste the rainbow” of Skittles, you’re actually tasting sugar and some not-good-for-you fats. Skittles contain nine different artificial colors and hydrogenated oil (aka trans fats). These chemically engineered fats can be lethal to your cholesterol health. They cause plaque to accumulate inside your arteries, which can cause a heart attack. In fact, in 2015 the FDA called for partially hydrogenated oils to be removed from processed foods.

5. Whoppers
Sugar, corn syrup and hydrogenated palm kernel oil are the first three ingredients listed in these little malted balls. One serving (18 pieces) will whop you with 24 grams of sugar and seven grams of saturated fat.

6. M&Ms
These cute little guys are full of color: Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Red 40 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake and Blue 2. Like many other chocolates on the market, they contain GMOs from sugar and soy and contain artificial flavors to boot.

7. Candy Corn
Enter another sticky, sugary, full-of-fake-ingredients treat. For many people, Halloween just isn’t right without candy corn. From a dietary standpoint, though, they’re more likely a trick than a treat. Even brands that list “real honey” as an ingredient contain 28 grams of sugar and several artificial colors in just one serving of 19 pieces. Because they’re chewy, candy corn may also stick to your teeth, raising the risk for cavities.

8. Sour Patch Kids
Naturally colorful foods are highly nutritious, but Sour Patch Kids definitely don’t grow on trees. The fruity flavors and colors aren’t derived from actual fruit. Consisting mostly of sugar and corn syrup, these sweet and tart candies also contain artificial flavors and colors. The United States Food and Drug Administration maintains that artificial additives like Yellow 5 are safe, but the science is mixed, so some food companies are responding to consumer concern by removing these food dyes and turning to natural alternatives.

Related: 8 Healthy Apple Snacks

9. Twizzlers
Don’t let the “low fat” marketing fool you. What they lack in fat they make up for in sugar. Twizzlers consist almost entirely of sugar (along with some refined flour and artificial additives to keep things interesting). One piece provides five grams of sugar. But who eats just one? Since it’s also a chewy treat, the sugar will likely stick where it’s least welcome – all over your teeth and gums.

10. Mounds
Coconut may be the single redeeming quality of these chocolate candies. The bar is essentially a mound of corn syrup and artificial flavors. Another plus is that it’s lower in sugar compared with other typical candy bars (10 grams per bar), but what it lacks in sugar it makes up for in saturated fat, with 10 grams per bar (or 50 percent of the Daily Value)! Hershey’s has promised to remove genetically products from their Kisses and chocolate milk products. They’re also removing artificial flavors, colors and high fructose corn syrup over the next few years.

The original article “The 20 Most Dangerous Candies“ appeared on LIVESTRONG.COM.

By August McLaughlin

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