Candy bars come in a variety of shapes, styles and flavors from different companies. For example, Snickers candy bars are formed in a traditional shape while Kit Kat contains four skinny individual bars and Twix is made from two bars. Using a blend of ingredients to form a specific flavor, each candy bar contains an individual list of nutrition information. However, most candy bars start with the same basic ingredients.
Types
Several types of chocolate are commonly used to make candy bars. Hershey's, for example, uses six forms of chocolate in their products. Milk chocolate is a combination of cocoa butter, sugar, milk or cream. Dark chocolate, white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate are other common chocolates used to make candy bars. Additional ingredients will vary based on the intended flavor but can include items such as peanuts, caramel and wafers.
Size
Calories found in candy bars will depend largely on the fat and carbohydrate content. Most candy bars will contain about 200 to 300 calories per bar. One regular Snickers bar, for example, contains 280 calories, 14g of total fat and 35g of total carbohydrates with only 4g of protein. Baby Ruth and 5th Avenue also contain a significant amount of calories with 279 and 288 calories per serving, respectively. Mounds candy bar and Special Dark contain some of the lowest amounts of calories, with 195 per serving.
Benefits
Candy bars contain various vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Snickers, for example, contain peanuts as a primary ingredient that naturally contains iron. One Snickers provides 2 percent of the daily recommended intake of iron and 4 percent of calcium from the milk. Most candy bars provide a significant amount of calcium with 40mg to 70mg in each serving.
Warning
Artificial ingredients and preservatives are often added to candy bars. These ingredients commonly include partially hydrogenated soybean oil, artificial flavorings and excessive amounts of salt. For example, Snickers contains 5g of saturated fat from the partially hydrogenated soybean oil that provides nearly 25 percent of the daily recommended intake for saturated fat. Other warnings include the total amount of calories in every candy bar that can provide a significant portion of the recommended calories per day.
Considerations
When choosing a candy bar, there are several considerations to keep in mind. According to Hershey's, fermentable carbohydrates--commonly referred to as sugar--mixed with saliva and oral bacteria can promote the development of tooth decay and cavities. Other considerations exist for individuals with insulin resistance such as diabetes due to the excessive amounts of carbohydrates found in candy bars.
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