We Asked Dietitians Their Favorite Halloween Candy and This Was the No. 1 Brand

With Halloween just one day away, you may be craving a good scare, but one thing you don’t need to fear is the candy bowl, dietitians say.Chocolate and sugary gummies aren’t exactly nutrient-packed health foods, and they don’t need to be. The only thing candy should be is delicious. And you don’t need to avoid it, dietitians tell TODAY.com, especially if doing so would mean denying yourself a part of a fun holiday tradition like Halloween.Sugary candy, including Halloween candy, can definitely still be part of a mindful, healthy diet, Erin Palinski-Wade, a registered dietitian based in New Jersey, tells TODAY.com. “In fact, trying to avoid it completely usually just makes you crave it more,” she says.And, yes, even dietitians eat candy, says Grace Derocha, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It’s fun, and food can be part of traditions and celebrations,” she explains. Your approach to candy should be “about balance and not perfection,” Derocha adds.How to Fit Candy Into a Healthy DietWhen thinking about Halloween or any time of year when treats are part of the season, Derocha suggests leaning on what she calls the three Ps: portion size, being present and taking pleasure.Regarding portion size, take advantage of the fact that Halloween candy typically comes in a smaller “fun size,” Derocha says. “It will satisfy your craving without going overboard because it’s already in that smaller packaging,” she explains.Next, take a moment to be mindful and present when eating your chosen candy. “Slow down and really taste it,” Derocha says, “so that you can enjoy that chocolatey or sweet moment of that candy.”And finally, know that food should be pleasurable, especially if it’s a meaningful part of a celebration like Halloween festivities.“I like to think of candy as part of the fun of the season,” Palinski-Wade says. “(It’s) something to be enjoyed mindfully, not something to feel guilty about.”Caroline Susie, a registered dietitian based in Dallas, agrees that “all foods fit.” She likes to pair candy with a meal containing fiber and protein, which “helps blunt blood sugar spikes and makes it a more satisfying experience,” she explains.But, ultimately, no single food defines a “healthy” diet, Susie says. “What matters most is the dietary pattern.” That should include a variety of nutrient-dense foods, “while leaving space for enjoyment and flexibility,” she explains. “Candy can absolutely fit into that picture without guilt.”Dietitians’ Favorite Halloween CandyReese’s Peanut Butter CupsDessert is a daily habit for Whitney Linsenmeyer, Ph.D, registered dietitian, and she frequently chooses dark chocolate.When it comes to Halloween candy, she tells TODAY.com that her decision is purely guided by taste. When she’s feeling “savory and salty,” she chooses a Reese’s.In fact, Reese’s items were a consistent favorite across the dietitians TODAY.com polled. The classic peanut butter cups are Susie’s favorite, and Derocha is partial to the mini cups.Meanwhile, registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo, who is also the nutrition editor at TODAY, gravitates to Reese’s Pieces. “I have always been more of a savory person, so if I could choose a dessert, it would always be peanut-butter flavored,” Rizzo says.SkittlesPalinski-Wade is a big fan of foods that combine sweet and sour tastes, so she likes the combination of tangy flavors found in candies like Skittles and Starbursts.Peanut M&MsAnother of Derocha’s top picks is M&Ms — specifically the peanut variety — for the satisfying combination of textures. “I like the crunch from the peanut, I like the chocolateyness, and then the sugary coating,” she says. “It has all the things!”And, thanks to the peanut, there is a little bit of fat and protein in this candy, Derocha notes.Mini SnickersDerocha also loves the mini Snickers bars and turns finding them into a game with her family.Each of the small candies has a letter of the word Snickers on the packaging, and her kids “know that’s one of my favorites, so they try to spell Snickers for me,” she explains. “And then my thing is that I get a Snickers a week.”It’s fun to find all the letters (and to see what words the family can spell as they run out of certain letters), she says, “but it also does give me some perspective on the amount.”York Peppermint PattiesWhen Linsenmeyer is the mood for something “light and zesty,” she likes to reach for minty candies, like York Peppermint Patties or Junior Mints.Malted Milk BallsThis one is all about nostalgia for Palinski-Wade. “Malted milk balls always remind me of my own Nana who always had a stash of these on hand whenever we came over to visit,” she says.Smarties“They’re sweet and tart at the same time, without being overly sweet like some of the other like pure sugar candies,” Derocha says of this favorite. Plus, her kids aren’t fans of Smarties, so she gets to have theirs.