Candy bars are never a nutritious food, but an occasional dessert can have a place in a healthy diet if you choose candy that has the healthiest ingredients. Candy bars commonly contain a large number of calories and a lot of fat and sugar, but some also offer small amounts of nutrients that earn them a spot in a list of healthiest candy bars.
Dark Chocolate Candy Bars
While dark chocolate is not a health food, it is slightly more nutritious than milk or white chocolate. According to the Mayo Clinic, dark chocolate is your best bet when it comes to chocolate because it contains antioxidants and flavonoids that may boost your heart health and help lower your blood pressure. Dark chocolate is often lower in fat, sugar and calories, as well. Choose dark chocolate candy bars such as Hershey's Special Dark with 195 calories, 12.5 g of fat and 25.5 g of carbs. A Mars Milky Way Midnight is another way to get some of these benefits from your dessert with 230 calories, 8 g of fat and 36 g of carbs.
Nut Candy Bars
Nuts add fiber, protein and vitamin E to your candy bar. Adding nuts to your daily diet may also contribute to the health of your heart, as well as help control your cholesterol, boost the health of your arteries and help prevent dangerous blood clots. All nuts offer these benefits; a candy bar that includes nuts like almonds or peanuts adds some nutritional value from your dessert. Try Snickers with 273 calories, 14 g of fat and 34 g of carbs or Hershey's with Almonds, which has 210 calories, 14 g of fat and 21 g of carbs.
Nougat Candy Bars
Nougat is a whipped blend of sugar and sometimes honey or chopped nuts that is lower in fat and calories than candy bar fillings such as caramel or peanut butter. Choosing a candy bar with nougat can help you reduce the fat and calorie content of your dessert, but it is unlikely to decrease how much sugar your treat contains. If you enjoy the taste of nougat, opt for a Mars Bar with 250 calories, 10 g of fat and 38 g of carbs or a Three Musketeers candy bar, with just 6.5 g of fat per serving. A Three Musketeers also has 212 calories and 39 g of carbs.
Lower-Fat Candy Bars
Lower-fat candy bars can earn an occasional place in your healthy eating plan because they have a more reasonable amount of fat and calories. A York Peppermint Patty has a creamy peppermint-flavored center covered with a thick layer of chocolate and contains only 4 g of fat per serving, as well as 149 calories and 33.5 g of carbs. A 100 Grand Bar is crispy rice and caramel covered with chocolate, and only contains 8 g of fat per serving, as well as 200 calories and 30 g of carbs. To get the least amount of fat and calories, look for bars that are not solid chocolate, but that contain some type of filling like crispy rice or whipped ingredients.
References
- Mayo Clinic; Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork with These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011
- Mayo Clinic; Small, Sweet and Healthful: A Square of Dark Chocolate a Day Offers Benefits; August 2008
- CNN: Nutrition Comparison of Candy Bars
- Mayo Clinic; Go a Little Nuts: A Handful a Day Boosts Heart Health; November 2009
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