Food Facts / February 10, 2020

How Do Your Favorite Valentines Day Candies Rank?

By: Tayler Glenn
With Valentine’s Day approaching, the rows of candies and displays full of teddy bears and heart-shaped everything have taken over everything. But, despite the variety of gifts and DIY projects, 50% of American’s stick to giving sweets to their sweetheart, totaling  53 million pounds of chocolate per year! As it turns out, not all candies are created equal. How do your favorite Valentine’s Day Candies rank?

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Valentine’s Day Candies Ranking

Candy, like all foods, has its place in a balanced diet as long as it is enjoyed in moderation. But, with bright colors and fancy decorations, many Valentine’s Day candies we see are largely made up of food coloring & high fructose corn syrup. Not great! So, after looking through a few ingredient lists & checking our facts, this is our Valentine’s Day candies ranking:
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5. Giant Chocolate Kisses

Hershey’s isn’t known for making the highest-quality chocolates, but they’re definitely better than the dollar-store brand “chocolate-flavored” products. That being said, portion size matters and these portions are way oversized!

One package contains 1018 calories, 60g fat, and 107g sugars which is well over what anyone’s stomach can handle in a day, let alone a single sitting!

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4. Conversation Hearts

Who doesn’t want to give a “be mine” heart to their special someone? Even though they only have 60 calories per 12-heart serving, that same serving size has 14 grams of sugar. And, for what? If you’re indulging in moderation, it’s worth it to indulge in something that tastes good. Keep these for the cute messages & invest in some heart-healthy dark chocolate or chocolate-covered nuts.

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3. Russel Stover Truffles

One of the worst Valentine’s Day candies, according to “Eat This, Not That” are the Russell Stover truffles: milk, white and even dark chocolate.  In just 2 pieces, there are 10g fat, 16g sugar, and 170 calories!  Here, the quality takes the biggest hit. The highly-processed chocolate is made with an alkalizing agent intended to balance the cacao’s natural acidity, but the agent also reduces many of the benefits that come with chocolate such as the flavonoid and polyphenol content.  And the servings add up fast. A box of 12-15, those calories can add up quickly. Stick to healthier, more portion-controlled items.
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2. Fun Size Snickers

They’re still candy but, despite the sugars, these fun-sized bars also contain more protein than your typical candy! With 3 grams for two bars, the peanuts come in handy for placing this one a little higher on the list. The best part? It’s instant portion control for those of us who have trouble with sticking to those limits ourselves!

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1. Chocolate Covered Fruits

It’s easy to get hopped up on sugar on Valentine’s Day, and before you know it, you’re crashing, bloated, and utterly exhausted. A great way to combat those awful feelings is to indulge in something that’s already good for you. A perfect pairing is chocolate and fruit!

Fresh fruit is the way to go, especially if you’re prepping it yourself at home. With approximately 50 calories per cup and no added sugar, strawberries are a classic choice. Dip them in some delicious melted dark chocolate and let them chill, and you’ll be in for a delicious and nutritious treat!

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