Calories in Fruit Mentos

Mentos, often dubbed "The Freshmaker," is a brand of chewy mints.

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Mentos, often dubbed "The Freshmaker," is a popular brand of chewy mints sold across the world. Fruit Mentos, a multiple fruit-flavored version of the popular mint, is often consumed as candy rather than as a breath freshener. The calorie count for a roll is high and contains a hefty dose of carbs.

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Mentos Calories

Fruit Mentos, made with licorice to make the product chewy, contains 387 calories per 100 grams, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Each roll of Fruit Mentos contains 14 pieces. The ingredients in this sweet treat are sugar, glucose syrup, coconut oil, liquorice extract, starch, natural flavorings and glazing agents to give the candies their hard shell.

The Mentos candies nutrition information for the fruit variety is as follows:

No protein
1.8 grams of total lipid fats
93 grams of carbohydrates
69 grams of sugars

The Mentos brand also sells other types of flavored candy and gum, such as the following:

The mint variety of Mentos contains fewer calories per 100 grams at 333 compared to Fruit Mentos at 387. The mint type also has a smaller amount of sugar at 66.67 grams, compared to 69 grams, per the USDA.

You can switch to the sugar-free variety of Mentos, available in flavors such as peppermint, wintergreen and mixed berry, if you prefer to stay with the fruity flavor. These contain 161 calories per 100 grams and 96 grams of carbohydrates, according to the USDA.

Although they contain no sugar, you will find 97 grams of total sugar alcohols. You shouldn't let this ingredient fool you. The Yale New Haven Hospital says that although sugar alcohol shares the same name as "sugar" and "alcohol," they don't contain the same chemical structure. Sugar alcohol is simply used as a sweetener and bulking agent in candy. They come from plant products such as berries and fruits, and as a sugar substitute, they offer about one-half to one-third fewer calories than real sugar does.

You can save calories and fuel your sweet tooth by switching from Fruit Mentos candy to Mentos chewing gum. The USDA states that each piece of gum contains only 5 calories, 1.5 grams of carbs, 5 grams of sodium, no sugars and no fat. As an added bonus, a May 2015 study published in BioMed Research International found that chewing gum can enhance attention, promote well-being, work performance, productivity and raise your cortisol levels in the morning.

Healthier Candy Alternatives

If you must have candy, you can choose options that offer a little more health benefits and lower calories than what you find in Fruit Mentos. For example, eating candy with nuts or nut-based ingredients like peanut butter can add protein to your diet, and you still get to eat your dessert. You might want to try substituting Fruit Mentos with the following:

M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies. One package of this treat contains 242 calories, 4.5 grams of protein from the nuts, 163 milligrams of potassium and 47.9 milligrams of calcium, as well as trace amounts of fiber, iron, phosphorous, copper and selenium, according to the USDA.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. One individual cup has 87.6 calories, only 9 carbs, 1.74 grams of protein and 13.3 milligrams of calcium, along with trace amounts of phosphorous and potassium, per the USDA.

Snickers bar. If you opt for the fun size, you'll consume 83.5 calories, 1.28 grams of protein, 10 grams of carbs and 12.2 milligrams of magnesium, per the USDA.