The Truth About Halloween Candy

Counting the calories of Halloween

The Truth About Halloween Candy

KiaraS, Copy Editor

For about 100 years children have been celebrating the beloved holiday of Halloween; more specifically, Trick-or-Treating. Each year on October 31st, children go from door to door as they receive large sums of candy and other sugary treats, but just how many calories are consumed per kid on Halloween? According to a report posted by Medical Daily, each child will -on average- consume over 3,000 calories from Halloween candy tonight.

The report goes on to state that each parent will consume around an extra 1,710 calories from the candy. These numbers do not include the calories consumed during each meal of the day; they are purely based off the calories consumed through the candy. An increase of calories as large as this could cause a rise of obesity if consumed at a constant rate. Excessive sugar consumption has been proven to be a main factor in the rise of obesity- especially in adolescents. The CDC has reported that childhood obesity has more than doubled in adults and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The World Obesity Federation estimates that around 268 million children will be overweight by 2025.

While several thousand calories are being eaten on Halloween night, scientists have now released the results of a study that shows it is nearly impossible to die from overdosing on sugar. According to the American Chemical Society, one would need to consume 13.5 grams of sugar per pound of one’s body weight in a single sitting to create a 50-50 chance of ingesting a lethal amount.

If you want to calculate your own lethal dose of candy, multiply your weight by 13.5, then divide the result by the grams of sugar in the candy of your choice. The answer you get will tell you how many servings you’d need to eat during one sitting for 50-50 percent chance of death by sugar overdose.