Let’s Talk About Candy!
When me and our team say that we love candy, we mean it. However, lately there has been an ongoing debate about which candy is the best candy. Obviously, everyone has their own favorites and it’s very hard to come up with one which checks all the criteria you might set.
We will be judging all candies you can possibly think of in today’s article based on 3 things:
- How healthy is it?
- How restrictive it is to some (Ex: causes allergies, and has ingredients which could be intolerable)?
- Statistics, whoever votes more on a specific candy.
Based on numerous responses we’ve received from students/teachers of FDRHS, top 5 chocolate/candy snacks for people are:
- Hershey’s (25.4% votes)
- Snickers (21.4%)
- Twix (14.3%)
- Kit Kat (10.9%)
- Jolly Ranchers (7.1%)
- Honorable mentions: Sour Patch Kids, M&M’s, and Reese’s PB Cups!
The results really astonished me, because I did not expect Hershey’s to be the number one pick for many students! Do you think students and teachers got it right from a scientific point of view? Let’s find out!
Although not a single one of the stated above candy is considered to be healthy compared to others, a fun sized Snickers bar is going to leave you feeling fuller than others, all due to its protein. It also has less sugar than some other candies, which are almost entirely sugar, according to the everydayhealth website. It is also 80 calories per “fun-size” Snickers bar- not so bad compared to a highly dense Hershey’s bar, which has 130 calories more than a Snickers does. But, are Snickers really the winner? The answer is no! The Snickers does violate our 2 criteria, because snickers contains peanuts. Peanuts familiarize themselves with allergic reactions to many humans, which is why not everyone can enjoy that burning sweetness in their throats.
Twix! Before we proceed, are you a left Twix person or a right one? Regardless, Twix is also not going to be the winner, because it also violates the 2 criteria! Twix bars at one point contained ingredients made with meat inside of it, meaning vegetarian people cannot eat it! How is it possible? Well the article named, “The Untold Truth of Twix,” on ‘Mashed’ website, stated that, “In 2007, the BBC was reporting on some serious outrage: Mars had announced they were going to be adding rennet to their UK ingredient list, and it was going to be showing up in candy bars like Twix, Milky Way, and Bounty. Rennet — which comes from the stomachs of calves — definitely isn’t vegetarian.” This very controversial statement turned out to be true and Twix was faced with backlash for it! Consequently, Twix no longer has the ingredient, yet still it was problematic for a while and is out of question not the best candy.
Kit Kat. Did you know there are lots of ways to eat a KitKat? Kourteny Kardashian once shown her followers the ‘right’ way to eat a KitKat, and since then, it has been an occurring trend. People continue to try out different methods to eat a KitKat. However, KitKats are also not the best choice for you! We all know the effects of chocolate on our bodies, the most popular ones being: rapid weight gain, and high sugars. However, with KitKat it’s a different story. 2 fingers of KitKat have 106 calories, mind you they are also smaller in size and value than a Snickers bar, meaning they won’t keep you full enough to move on from the snack- causing overeating. This alone is a deal-breaker in this competition, because nobody wants a snack that won’t keep them full and satisfied. Moreover, KitKats have the palm kernel oil which is high in saturated fat. It is used to prolong shelf life and stability of the product. Ingesting high amounts of these fats can lead to cardiovascular issues, diabetes, and obesity.
Jolly Ranchers! I love Jolly Ranchers. They are very addictive and yummy! However, they are one of the hardest candies available, which puts your teeth at high risk for chipping and breaking. Sucking on hard candy for extended periods of time coats your teeth in sugar and makes them much more vulnerable to cavities and decay. Those with braces will especially face a hard time with them, since Jolly Ranchers are very sticky and could cluster inside your braces, making them hard to come off! People will still eat Jollies during Halloween, and many of our contributors will too. Yet still for the purposes of the article, it ruins our teeth and is not the healthiest choice out there!
Hershey’s is the safest choice for people. We agree! Students were correct. There are a variety of Hershey types either with candy canes, or pumpkin, or cookies and creme, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, milk substitutes (limited editions) and a lot more! Many people chose Hershey’s based on statistics as well, which proves the point that a lot of people can eat Hersheys without a need to worry about peanuts, nuts, or allergies. Hershey bars are also not sticky or hard to chew on, which is another plus for the elderly. They are also producing a better-for-you line of chocolates, which have lesser calories, and more healthy ingredients. According to the website, ‘Mashed,’ “To date, most of Hershey’s better-for-you offers have covered making portions smaller. But the company is now looking to do more. ‘People are still going to eat a Reese’s Cup — we know that. People are still going to choose Reese’s Eggs at Easter — we know that,’ Kristen Riggs, the company’s chief growth officer tells Food Dive. ‘But if we have solutions like Zero Sugar Reese’s, Thin Reese’s, Organic Reese’s — then all of a sudden we start to meet a broader set of needs.” The article talks about how the Hershey’s company is finally deciding to produce ‘better’ chocolate for its people, while still acknowledging the fact that people will continue to consume the OG, unhealthy, beloved snacks. All in all, Hershey’s is approved by the 3-step criteria!
