Americans spent nearly $25 billion on candy in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Approximately 65 percent of the candy sold was some form of chocolate, including the ever-popular candy bar. The amount of cholesterol in candy bars is typically low and varies among the numerous brands and bar sizes. However, the total fat content of candy bars is quite high.
Source of Cholesterol
The cholesterol in candy bars typically comes from the addition of milk to the chocolate, filling or both. All mass-produced, milk chocolate candy bars and many dark chocolate candy bars marketed in the United States contain a small amount of cholesterol from milk fats. High-end, plain dark chocolate candy bars that do not have added milk do not contain cholesterol.
Cocoa Butter
All chocolate, whether in candy bars or another form, contains cocoa butter, also known as cacao butter. You may assume that cocoa butter contains cholesterol; it does not. The word "butter" is misleading because this plant-derived fat is not a dairy product and contains no cholesterol. Cocoa butter is the naturally occurring fat extracted from cacao beans after roasting. It consists of saturated and unsaturated fats.
Cholesterol per Serving
A plain, regular-size milk chocolate bar that you find in your local grocery store contains approximately 10 mg to 11 mg of cholesterol. That candy bar, however, contains more than 8,100 mg of saturated fat and nearly 3,800 mg of unsaturated fat. A king size, plain milk chocolate bar contains approximately 17 mg of cholesterol, 13,500 mg of saturated fat and 6,250 mg of unsaturated fat. This fat breakdown reflects the fact that most of the fat in candy bars comes from cocoa butter and other vegetable fats added to the chocolate or filling. Candy bars with a non-chocolate center, such as coconut, cookies, nougat or caramel, typically contain less cholesterol than solid chocolate candy bars because of the lower proportion of chocolate.
Considerations
Although the cholesterol content of candy bars is low, there are other nutritional concerns to consider when deciding whether you want to eat these sweet treats. Candy bars are calorie dense, which means they contain a large number of calories in a small amount of food. Examples of calorie counts for regular-size, milk chocolate candy bars include a plain bar, 235; with almonds, 215; nougat center, 260; nougat and caramel filling, 260; cookies and caramel center, 260; and peanuts, nougat and caramel center, 280.
It is challenging to include all the nutritious foods your body requires each day and stay within your target calorie count; there are usually few "leftover" calories. Choosing to eat a candy bar may put you over your daily calorie limit, which can lead to significant weight gain over time. If you're a candy lover, consider "fun-size" or bite-size servings for an occasional treat, rather than a full-size candy bar.
References
- National Confectioners Association: Summary of 2008 Sales and Consumption Data (Based on the Dept. of Commerce 311D); July 2009
- The Story of Chocolate: Ingredients
- Lindt USA: Excellence 70% Cocoa Impulse Bar, Nutrition Facts and Ingredients
- National Confectioners Association: The Sweet Truth About Cocoa Butter
- World Cocoa Foundation: How Chocolate is Made
- USDA Agricultural Research Service: What's in the Foods You Eat Search Tool
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