Tricks for Keeping Tasty Treats

Trick-or-treaters are expected to come home Monday night with bags filled with candy that can last months, even years. While most candies can't be called healthy, some are definitely better for a person's body than others.

"With big differences in calories, sugar and quality of ingredients used, it's just not true that all Halloween candy is the same," said dietitian Gloria Tsang in a news release promoting her website HealthCastle.com. "None of them are exactly good for you, but we've done some close analysis of common competitors to see which options are best from a nutrition perspective."

Here are the results, according to the news release:

• PayDay beats Reese Peanut Butter Cups because PayDay is the only candy to list peanuts—not sugar—as the first ingredient. Additionally, Reese Cups contain polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), an emulsifier used to reduce cocoa butter.

• Kit Kat beats Twix, even though they're similar in calories and sugar, and both contain PGPR. Twix is also marketed as a biscuit topped with caramel and chococlate—but there's no caramel on the ingredient list.

• M&Ms beat Skittles because M&Ms have a tiny amount of calcium and protein, as well as less sugar.

• Baby Ruth beats Snickers only because the portion is smaller.

• Mounds beats Almond Joy because Mounds has a shorter ingredient list. Plus, Almond Joy contains partially hydrogenated oil.

• 3 Musketeers beats Hershey Milk Chocolate in that the former is unique—it actually contains real cocoa powder.

• Whoppers beat Milk Duds, especially for kids with braces. The lack of sticky caramel and the smaller serving put the malted milk balls on top.

What to do with all the extra candy? Well, according to the National Confectioners Association, if stored in the proper conditions, some candies can last up to a year.

Here are the organization's tips on how to extend the life of Halloween candy:

• Dark chocolate can be kept for as long as one year or even two if wrapped in foil and stored in a cool, dark, and dry place, according to the association; but milk and white chocolate can only be stored in similar conditions for about eight months.

• Lollipops, lifesavers, and butterscotches can last up to one year when stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place.

• Soft and jellied candies, such as Starbursts, should be kept in packaging away from heat and light at room temperature. When stored in this manner, they should last about nine months.

• If a package of candy corn has been opened, store it in the same conditions as jellied candy and it should last about three to six months. But if it remains unopened, it will last about nine months.

• As long as the packaging is kept sealed, most gum products last about six to nine months. To keep it fresh, store the gum in a cool, dry place.

• Caramels should be kept covered, away from heat and light, and stored in room temperature for a shelf life of about six to nine months.