Topping the Sweet Treat List
It's Christmastime, but it's not sugarplums dancing through candy fanciers' heads this year.
According to a Candystore.com survey, the three favorite Christmas candies of Pennsylvanians in 2019 are, in order: Reese's Cup Minis, candy canes and reindeer corn.
The bite-size Reese's Cups being at the top of the list is easy to understand — it's chocolate and peanut butter. Enough said.
The candy canes are a traditional choice, and Pennsylvania as a state skews older.
The reindeer corn, which is just Halloween season candy corn sneaking back into candy dishes disguised with Christmas season red, white and green colors, is a lot harder to understand.
Online bulk candy store candyStore.com compiled the favorite and two runners-up candies for all 50 states by tabulating the 32,000 responses from its customers, as well as checking in with major candy manufacturers and distributors to be sure its survey corresponded with their seasonal observations.
The popularity of reindeer corn might be a mystery, but it's not mysterious what overindulgence during the holiday can lead to, said Patti Kuniak, Butler Health Systems lifestyle coach.
Kuniak, who is teaching a three-week holiday weight management course at the BHS Crossroads campus, 127 Oneida Valley Road, said, “The bottom line is most people gain a pound or two in the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“But not as many are as successful in taking it off, turning this into a long-term issue. One or two pounds a year over 10 years turns into 20 pounds,” she said.
There's no secret in keeping the pounds off in the first place, Kuniak said.
“You've got to be selective” in your candy indulgences, she said. “Indulge with a purpose. Have a plan for the holidays.”
And the Pennsylvanians' favorite candies might make that task easier she said.
“With the Reese's cup minis, they are individually wrapped so it's easy to keep track of how much you've eaten,” Kuniak said.
“With the candy canes, if you don't crunch them, they take a long time to eat,” she said, which can slow down consumption of treats.
“You've got to remember to enjoy it 100 percent,” she said. “Savor every bite. Eating more doesn't make it taste better. It's better to eat a small amount slowly than a large amount quickly.”
As for reindeer corn, Kuniak has never heard of it and doubts any diet technique would entice her to try it.Chocolate-covered fruits — raspberries, strawberries and even grapes — are the popular seasonal candies at Peter's Chocolate Shoppe, 326 W. Jefferson St., according to Lori Steinheiser, niece of owners Sandy and Rod Steinheiser, who's taking over the business in 2020.“We have an assortment of a little bit of everything,” she said. “Molded lollipops, mixed assorted chocolates.“We do requests. We do chocolate-covered raspberries, grapes, bacon, whatever the customer requests,” Steinheiser said.“We do our own peanut butter cups and peanut butter meltaways. We do our own hand-rolled truffles and cremes,” she said.The peanut butter meltaways are Steinheiser's personal favorites. “I feel like I've been living on them lately.”If you are going to give in to temptation and eat candy, do it in one sitting and then, at the very least, rinse your mouth out with water, according to Rachel Murray, a dental hygienist with Murray Dental, 264 New Castle Road.“Any candy is not all the best for your teeth,” said Murray. “But if you are going to eat it, eat it all at one time; do not spread it out over the day.”And then, she said, after eating the candy, be it cane or chocolate, “it's good to rinse your mouth, drink water and, if you can, brush and floss afterward.”One kind of candy is not better than another when it comes to preventing tooth decay.“It doesn't matter what it is, it's just all kinds of sugar,” Murray said.The sugar is used by bacteria in the mouth to produce acids that dissolve and damage the teeth.Returning to CandyStore.com's survey, reindeer corn had another banner year in 2019, finishing in the top three in 19 different states — six more than last year. It had eight first-place finishes this year, compared to five last year.Candy canes are hugely popular (and sometimes, weirdly, reviled). It commands the most showings in the top three than any other candy — 28 versus its next closest rival reindeer corn's 19.While the first-place showings for candy canes actually dropped this year, it showed up in the top three, three more times than last year, making it the biggest mover overall and extending its dominance.Peppermint Bark picked up three new first-place states this year, making its new total eight. There seems to be a regional preference emerging for peppermint bark that extends from Wisconsin south to Mississippi, hitting several states in the Midwest and South, according to CandyStore.com.Starburst is the big loser this year. It had three fewer first-place finishes as well as three fewer overall showings in the top three of any state. To be fair, Starburst doesn't really have an inherent holiday vibe, so it's maybe more surprising it's in the running at all.
- 93 percent of people gift chocolate and candy for the winter holidays.- 1.76 billion candy canes are produced every year for the holiday season.- 72 percent of people eat a candy cane starting on the straight end, the rest start on the curved end.- Approximately 150 million chocolate Santas are produced annually.- The largest candy cane in the world was made in Switzerland. It was 51 feet long.- Dec. 26 is National Candy Cane Day.- 59 percent of holiday sales are expected to be online.SOURCE: Candystore.com
