The Candy Edit
Better-for-you swaps inspired by Halloween
Hi and Happy (belated) Halloween to all who celebrate! After September’s ‘Slow Your Roll’ post, I took my own advice and slowed my roll. The weekly Lacey List became monthly for a moment. If you noticed, I’m flattered. If you didn’t, I’m okay with that too. I’m going to play with the cadence a little to find our sweet spot (get it?) and see what new formats I can unlock (interviews! audio! etcetera!). I’d love to hear what you’d love to see (or hear) most.
So, back to Halloween. Somehow, spooky season feels even spookier this year. With Election Day less than a week away, I’m finding myself more anxious and unsettled than ever. So, I thought this week I’d focus on something we can control: our candy consumption. I realize this might be coming on a week when you (or your kids) are bringing home mountains of the worst kind of candy — this is precisely the point. Times of uncertainty are also times when we’re looking for a little dopamine boost, like a frivolous online purchase or a sweet, decadent something to eat. I’m not here to tell you not to do it! Instead, I’m here to inspire you to choose better-for-you options when the candy craving strikes.
I’m a firm believer in the 80/20 rule — make informed choices 80% of the time and enjoy yourself the rest of the 20%, without stressing over whether it’s a decision for your health. That said, Dr. Will Cole, a leader in functional medicine, shared a great post that made me remember that eating conventional candy is not how I want to spend my 20%. He shows us the evolution of ingredients over time in America’s favorite candy and, spoiler, it’s gross. Short ingredient lists (malted milk! egg whites! molasses!) have evolved into much longer lists touting harmful additives we definitely don’t need (high fructose corn syrup, seed oil, yellow 5, red 40, emulsifiers, carcinogens, the list goes on and on... ). As if the insane sugar content in modern, conventional candy isn’t enough, manufacturers have paired it with artificial additives, preservatives, and even more sugar. As Dr. Cole points out, many of the chemicals found in this type of candy have been linked to chronic conditions like metabolic disorders and inflammation. This is a particularly upsetting truth when we consider that candy’s most loyal consumer is our children! (And Max, my editor, who is #notsorry 😂).
The 2024 list of America’s most popular halloween candy, ranked by popularity, is as follows:
M&M’s
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Sour Patch Kids
Skittles
Starburst
Hot Tamales
Candy Corn
Hershey Kisses
Hershey Mini Bars
Butterfinger
I was planning to pull out the ingredients in each of these and highlight the worst offenders one by one. That felt like a depressing exercise (and I’m here to be positive! motivating! not a fear monger!) So, instead, let’s talk about the candy brands that are doing it better. There are so many! And they’re reimagining what it means to enjoy a treat. They’re also (thankfully!) raising awareness and creating a movement in the process. Unreal’s launch video in 2012 says it all. I highly recommend watching it if you haven’t.
Here is a list of better-for-you swaps that, I promise, are still just as satisfying!
1. Instead of M&M’s, try:
Available in Peanut too, these are undetectably close to the classic M&M we all know and love. The main difference? They’re formulated with less sugar and no artificial ingredients. Don’t tell Tim this, but they’re also colored with veggies. I also love that Unreal was started by a teenager and his (well-connected) dad on a quest to make candy less bad for you.
2. Instead of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, try:
Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
3. Instead of Sour Patch Kids, try:
Better Sour Gummy Candy
Smart Sweets Sour Blast Buddies
They’re made with plant based colors and no artificial sweeteners, plus they’re high in fiber and low in sugar. Check and check.
4. Instead of Skittles, try:
5. Instead of Starbursts try:
6. Instead of Hot Talames, try:
7. Instead of Candy Corn… just don’t eat Candy Corn.
8. Instead of Hershey’s Kisses, try:
Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Gems
9. Instead of Hershey’s Mini Bars, try:
10. Instead of Butterfinger, try:
Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels
Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears
What else am I missing? Let me know your favorite better candy brands and we’ll add them to the list!
Since yesterday was Halloween, I wanted to mention a brilliant tradition I just learned about from a friend. Here’s how it works:
Your child goes out trick-or-treating on Halloween. They come home with a boat load of the worst kind of candy. From that, they get to pick out FIVE of their absolute FAVORITE pieces of candy. The rest of their hard-earned bounty they leave outside for the Switch Witch, who magically replaces it with a toy ✨ the next morning. Brilliant. Elsie is going to know the Switch Witch well when the time comes.
Sarah Wragge’s recipes rarely disappoint and this pumpkin pancake is no exception! And, speaking of better-for-you treats, this apple pie dupe is as healthy as they come and will have you forgetting about the real thing, possibly for good.
I just bought my second batch of Emi Jay hair accessories (yes, I’m sure I’m late to discovering this brand and, admittedly, first learned about them through the incredible substack
about marketing and Youth Culture). I’m wearing Emi Jay’s headband as I type this and their Big Effing Clip in Cherry Kiss has been on heavy rotation for me this fall.This one is random but I don’t have pierced ears and LOVE earrings. I’ve been on the hunt for good clip on earrings and found a gold mine (literally) on The Real Real. Well priced, high quality, comfortable… everything you want in a clip-on.
Niche but Pehr now makes socks and tights for babies! I ordered a bunch for Elsie and am very excited to play fall dress up now that we’re finally getting a little colder weather.
And, with that… thank you for reading. I’ve missed you!
