A creamy chocolate bar may be delicious, but most candy has too much sugar to be considered good for you. Although a plain chocolate bar has plenty of sugar, many types of candy bars have additional sugar in the form of marshmallows, caramel and nougat. Knowing more about how much sugar popular candy bars contain can help you make the best choice when it comes to an occasional treat.
Dangers of Added Sugar
Many people consume far too much sugar, which can lead to a host of medical problems. Added sugar -- including corn syrup -- is found in many packaged and convenience foods, but most notably in treats and desserts like candy bars. The American Heart Association recommends keeping your consumption of foods with added sugars minimal. It advises limiting those added sugars to 6 teaspoons if you're a woman and 9 teaspoons if you're a man. More can lead to weight gain, tooth decay and a rise in your triglyceride levels. Regularly eating candy bars can cause you to have too much sugar.
Sugar Content of Popular Candy Bars
Some of the most popular candy bars have staggering amounts of sugar per serving, sometimes more than 50 g. Most candy bars rely on some corn syrup to achieve the sweet taste, in addition to granulated forms of sugar. Knowing the sugar content of the most popular candy bars can help you cut your intake to healthier levels. A 3.5-oz. Milky Way has 58.65 g of sugar. The same-size Twix has 53 g. A Krackel bar has 52.53 g. A milk-chocolate has 53.96 g of sugar, while a Mr. Goodbar has 47.22g.
Lowest-Sugar Options
Dark-chocolate candy bars and those that have fillers like nuts or cereal are often lower in sugar than milk-chocolate bars and those with white chocolate, caramel or marshmallows. Opt for plain dark chocolate to keep the sugar as low as possible. A candy bar should still be an occasional splurge, because they all have more sugar than what's considered healthy. A Milky Way Dark has 4 g less sugar than a regular Milky Way, with 54.08. A Hershey's Special Dark has 47.56 g, while a Hershey's with almonds has 44.59 g.
More Nutritious Treat Ideas
While an occasional candy bar will not harm your healthy eating plan, making good dessert choices will help you control your sugar consumption on a daily basis. The Hershey's brand offers some sugar-free choices, such as a York Peppermint Patty. Hershey's also offers sugar-free chocolate syrup that can be stirred into plain yogurt to help you satisfy a craving for something sweet. A 4-oz. carton of chocolate pudding also has less sugar than a candy bar -- 18.54 g.
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