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Issue No. 033 · The Candy Bowl
Keep the candy. Switch the bag.
Three swaps from the Halloween aisle, ranked by how fast they hit your blood sugar.
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I raided the candy aisle.
Halloween is three weeks out, and the seasonal shelf at my grocery store is already full of fun-size bags.
Years ago, a doctor told me the candy bowl was off limits for good. He never mentioned that some bags push your blood sugar far harder than others.
So I ran three matchups from that same aisle through the published glycemic index tables.
In other words, I checked how fast each candy’s carbs reach your blood, on a scale where pure glucose scores 100. Fat and protein slow your stomach down, so sugar that comes packed with them tends to arrive later and lower.
A lower number means a slower rise.
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🍬
Jelly beans
78
Glycemic index
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58%
Lower
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🥜
Peanut M&M’s
33
Glycemic index
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GI values come from published lab tests, and your own response may differ. This is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor before changing how you eat.
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Jelly beans are sugar and starch with nothing to slow them down. But every peanut M&M carries a whole peanut, and the fat and protein in that peanut make your stomach empty at a slower pace. That’s a 45 point drop from the same shelf.
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🌈
Skittles
70
Glycemic index
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37%
Lower
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🍫
Twix
44
Glycemic index
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This one surprised me most.
I always thought the fruity candy was the lighter pick, since it has no chocolate. Skittles scored 70, while a Twix scored 44... and the chocolate coating is the reason. That fat slows the cookie and caramel underneath it.
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🍭
Life Savers
70
Glycemic index
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67%
Lower
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🍫
70% dark chocolate
23
Glycemic index
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Hard candy feels harmless because each piece is so small. It is close to pure sugar, though, and most of us unwrap five in a row. A square of 70% dark chocolate has less sugar and more fat, so it sits near the bottom of the whole chart.
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By the way, a low number is not a free pass.
Peanut M&M’s still carry plenty of sugar. Fat slows the rise, but it does not erase it. GI scores also shift by country, recipe, and lab, so read these numbers as a ranking and not a promise.
So here is my rule for the office candy bowl... reach past the jelly beans and grab the chocolate with nuts. Then eat it after lunch, when there is already food in your stomach to slow it down.
And the same swap works for the bowl by your front door. The kids still get a treat, and you still get a piece for yourself.
Nobody has to skip Halloween.
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Where this comes from: GI values from the International Tables of Glycemic Index and the University of Sydney GI Database: jelly beans 78, Life Savers 70, Skittles 70, Twix 44, peanut M&M’s 33, and 70% dark chocolate 23 (published range 18 to 29). Each value is an average from lab tests on healthy adults. GI does not account for portion size, and results can vary between brands, countries, and test labs. |
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Keep the candy bowl.
Change what goes in it.
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★ Welcome to the revolution
Jackie
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