Sugar-free mint candy can have anywhere from zero calories for a piece of hard candy to 10 calories for a stick of gum. While sugar-free candy contains no sugar, it does have some kind of sugar substitute.
Types
A 0.2g serving of sugar-free peppermint mints has 0.5 calories. One stick of gum, 2.7g, has 10 calories. One piece of fruit-flavored mint gum, 1.9g, has fewer than five calories. Two pieces of chocolate mints have 8 calories.
Artificial Sweeteners
Sweeteners used in sugar-free candy include sorbitol and xylitol, both of which are Food and Drug Administration-approved sugar alcohols. MayoClinic.com says that novel sweeteners occur naturally in certain fruits and vegetables. They typically have fewer calories than sugar but are not sweeter than sugar. Even though they are known as sugar alcohols, sorbitol and xylitol do not contain ethanol, the alcohol used in beer, wine and other beverages.
Food Labels
Food labels are regulated by the FDA. Foods labeled “sugar-free” must contain fewer than 0.5g of sugar per serving. This is different than a food that’s labeled “no sugar added,” which refers to a product that may contain some natural sugars, such as dairy products, but cannot have any sugars added during processing.
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