Kids aren't the only ones who get excited about candy. Come on, admit it... you get just as thrilled to eat their leftover candy from Halloween night.
In fact, Americans eat approximately 24 pounds of candy every year. But do you really know what exactly you're eating?
Unfortunately, today there are so many more ingredients mixed into candy than the days of old when you could actually pronounce the ingredients in your chocolate bar.
For example, the infamous candy corn contains Blue No. 1, which is a synthetic dye used in soaps, shampoos and other cosmetics. Candy corn also contains Yellow No. 5, a dye that's found in DayQuil, wax that's used to polish your car and fortune cookies. M&M's, one of the highest selling chocolate candies, have the ingredient Yellow No. 6 that has been linked to hyperactivity in small children.
Just because certain candies have ingredients that you should eat with caution, it doesn't mean there aren't any that are safe. When buying, or before digesting your candy, look at the label to make sure it's a safe candy. A good rule of thumb is this: if you wouldn't eat it, would you let your children?
Registered Dietitian, spokesperson and media personality with a private practice in New York City, Keri Gans, shares what's really inside your candy wrapper, as well as some of the better candies to eat.
Halloween Candy: What's Really Inside the Wrapper
Americans eat about 24 pounds of candy each year. But do you really know what you're eating?
Additional Info
- Segment Number: 2
- Audio File: staying_well/1344sw1b.mp3
- Featured Speaker: Keri Gans, MS, RD
- Book Title: The Small Change Diet
- Guest Website: Keri Gans Nutrition
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Guest Bio:
Keri Gans is a Registered Dietitian, spokesperson and media personality with a private practice in New York City. She is the author of The Small Change Diet (Gallery, March 2011), a Past-Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a Past-President of The New York State Dietetic Association. Keri holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University and Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Ohio University.
Keri spends the majority of her time conducting individual nutrition counseling, public speaking, writing and consulting. She is the official Weight-Loss Coach weekly blogger for Shape.com and also blogs bi-monthly for U.S. News' Eat + Run. She is frequently quoted as the nutrition expert in local and national publications, such as Glamour, Fitness, Shape, Self, Women's Health, and Health. Keri has made several television appearances including, EXTRA, The Dr. Oz Show, ABC News, WPIX11 Morning Show, Primetime, and Good Morning America and is regularly on radio shows such as Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's Dr. Radio and Martha Stewart Living.
For five years, Keri was the host of a weekly nutrition/lifestyle show called Diet Diva on Manhattan Public Access TV. She is also the proud winner of the New York State Dietetic Association's 2010 Media Excellence Award and 2006 Emerging Dietetic Leader Award. Keri lives with her husband Bart and four-legged son, Henry, in NYC and East Hampton and is an avid yoga practitioner. - Length (mins): 10
- Waiver Received: Yes
- Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Published in
Staying Well