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October 31st is Halloween, and November 4th is National Candy Day. What’s a calorie-counting candy lover to do?
Here are some of your best candy choices.
Note that this is not permission to gorge on anything on the list. You should limit yourself to 150-calorie portions daily—and limit gorging to lettuce and celery.
> The history of candy.
> The history of 950+ other foods and beverages.
> See all of the candy holidays (below).
BEST CHOCOLATE CHOICES
Cacao Nibs: These are sold plain in health food stores, but SweetRiot chocolate-coated cacao nibs are more of a candy treat. The brand sells its nibs coated in 65% or 70% chocolate. Cacao beans, especially when eaten raw, are one of the highest antioxidant foods (however, roast them and coat them, and you lose a lot of “benefit.” You can find Sweet Riot at retailers nationwide.
Chocolate Bars: Choose bars that are 70% cacao and higher. The higher the percentage of cacao, the lower the amount of sugar. With milk chocolate the situation is reversed. You can have 70% cacao bars enhanced with nuts (but not “praline,” which adds sugar) or an “Aztec” chocolate bar, which adds chile and cinnamon spices.
Chocolate-Covered Fruits: From dried apricots to fresh strawberries, there are good choice here. Fresh fruit—apples, strawberries, orange peel and segments—are a better bet. Strawberries are particularly low in calories: They’re almost a freebie with the chocolate—and you can dip your own at home.
Chocolate-Covered Expresso Beans: The crunch of the roasted beans and the added caffeine make this confection popular among coffee lovers.
Chocolate-Covered Nuts & Seeds: Whatever nut you choose, you’re getting a hit of protein, fiber and healthy fats. Ditto with sunflower seeds. Look for artisan brands or head to your local chocolatier or natural foods retailer for a 70% cacao coating. Mass-market brands (Hershey’s, Nestlé, Mars, etc.) use high-sugar chocolate coatings. Still, in a choice between Goobers and a Milky Way, pick the Goobers.
York Peppermint Patties: We always have a Costco-size box of these on hand, and grab two or three when we need a chocolate fix. You can also melt them into a no-sugar-added hot chocolate or a glass of microwaved hot milk. The chocolate is both darker and higher quality than that of Junior Mints. While the York brand is now owned by Hershey’s, it has maintained the chocolate coating that its fans love.
BEST HARD CANDIES
Nutritionist Joy Bauer recommends hard candies, “because they automatically pace you. They take a while to finish (as long as you suck or lick, not chomp!), so you get to savor the sweetness for a bit and stretch your sugar calories.
“As long as you limit yourself to a few pieces, you can’t do that much damage,” she concludes.
Joy’s comments on her favorites in the category:
Atomic Fireballs: Unlike some addictive sugary candies that you can swallow by the handful, Atomic Fireballs are a great “one and done” candy option. They’re hard as a rock, so you can’t bite through them; and after you finish one flaming sucker, you’ll be ready to give your mouth a rest. One large, individually-wrapped Fireball has only 35 calories.
Lifesavers and Jolly Ranchers: Fruity Lifesavers have 15 calories, Jolly Rancher has 23 calories. Both are available in a wide variety of flavors.
See’s Gourmet Lollypops: In butterscotch, café latte, chocolate and vanilla, they’re 80 to 90 calories apiece.
Smarties: These have just 25 calories for an entire roll, a calorie bargain! (Note: It’s a skinny roll.)
BEST CHEWY CHOICES
Australian or European Licorice: Unlike American brands, there is no HFCS or artificial flavors in Australian and most European licorice (they spell it liquorice). We don’t like the artificial-tasting domestic product, but we can’t get enough of brands like Kookaburra.
Florida’s Natural Au’some Treats: Joy Bauer likes Florida’s Natural Au’some Nuggets and Sour Strings because they’re made with more than 60% real fruit and fruit juices. A bonus: They come in pre-portioned, 50-calorie pouches. “These fruit chews are a terrific step up from sugary gummy bears and traditional fruit snacks,” she says.
Yummy Earth Sour Worms: These sugarcoated worms are made with organic fruit juice instead of high-fructose corn syrup. While “sour” means less sugar, note that sour candies have more acid (the “sour”), which can erode tooth enamel. So don’t eat to many; and if you can, brush afterward.
WHAT ABOUT SUGAR-FREE CANDY?
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[1] For licorice lovers, Australian liquorice and European brands are better bets than American licorice (photo courtesy Kookaburra Licorice).
[2] Chocolate lovers: Chocolate-covered nuts are a better choice than chocolate bars (photo of chocolate- and cocoa-covered almonds courtesy Charles Chocolates).
[3] The best choice may be chocolate-covered strawberries: low-calorie fruit and a thin coating of chocolate (photo courtesy Balducci’s).
[4] The chocolate coating on York Peppermint Patties is very good, and two or three minis do the track (photo courtesy Hershey’s).
[5] Coffee lover? These coffee-coated espresso beans (photo courtesy Superior Nut Store). |
Most of us have the impression that sugar-free candy is “better for you” than regular versions. The truth is that all candy, sugar-free or regular, can be high in calories, fat, and carbohydrate.
Most healthcare professionals advise that it be limited to diabetics and those with other special needs, like too much tooth decay. Here’s more detail.
MORE CANDY HOLIDAYS
January 3: National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
January 8: National English Toffee Day
January 12: National Marzipan Day
January 20: National Buttercrunch Day (the difference between toffee and buttercrunch)
January 26: National Peanut Brittle Day
February 1: Decorating with Candy Day (we go for chocolate chip cookies topped with M&Ms)
February 2: National Heavenly Hash Day
February 11: National Peppermint Patty Day
February 15: National Gumdrop Day
February 15: National I Want Butterscotch Day
February 14: Valentine’s Day
February 19: National Chocolate Mint Day
February 23: National Tootsie Roll Day
March 8: National Peanut Cluster Day
March 14: White Day†
March 19: National Chocolate Caramel Day
March 24: National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day
March 26: National Nougat Day
March 28: National Something On A Stick Day*
April 5: National Caramel Day
April 18: National Piñata Day
April 12: National Licorice Day
April 22: National Jelly Bean Day
May 4: National Candied Orange Peel Day
May 13: National Cough Drop Day (for those who eat them like candy)
May 18: I Love Reese’s Day
May 23: National Taffy Day
June: National Candy Month
June 2: National Rocky Road Day
June 16: National Fudge Day
June 20: National Almond Buttercrunch
June 24: National Pralines Day
July 15: National Gummi Worm Day
July 18: National Sour Candy Day
July 20: National Lollipop Day
July 22: National Penuche Fudge Day
July 28: National Milk Chocolate Day
July 31: National Jump For Jelly Beans Day
September 14: National Gobstopper Day (popularly known as jawbreakers)
September 16: National Choose Your Chocolate Day
September 21: National Sponge Candy Day
September 22: National White Chocolate Day
October: National Caramel Month
October 2: National Smarties Day
October, Third Saturday: National Sweetest Day
October 13, National M&M Day
October 20: Office Chocolate Day
October 25: National Sourest Day (if you didn’t get enough sour candy on July 18)
October 28: National Chocolate Day
October 30: National Candy Corn Day
October 31: Sneak Some of the Candy Yourself Before the Kids Start Knocking Day
November 4: National Candy Day
November 7: National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
December 1: National Peppermint Bark Day
December 7: National Cotton Candy Day
December 16: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
December 19: National Hard Candy Day
November 20: National Peanut Butter Fudge Day
December 21: National Ribbon Candy Day
December 26: National Candy Cane Day
December 28: National Chocolate Candy Day
Sixty candy holidays! Wow, that’s a lot of candy!
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*There are other types of candy that come on a stick besides lollipops: candy kabobs, marshmallow pops, and Sugar Daddy, for example.
Other sweets on a stick that aren’t candy, per se, include cake pops, candy and caramel apples, cheesecake on a stick, chocolate-dipped bananas and other fruits, cookie pops, fruit kabobs, and popcorn balls.
†White Day is observed on March 14, a month after Valentine’s Day. People give gifts of chocolate to those they love, respect, and/or admire. The holiday began in Asia, but has since traveled across the globe.
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