Of course I’d never classify candy as health food (ahem!), but I also know the power of a sweet tooth. If you’re following my online weight loss plan, the good news is, you don’t have to live without candy! Once you hit Step 3, you can enjoy a small portion your favorite sweet as your Everyday Extra. If you’re new to the plan, your Everyday Extra is the 150 calories per day that you get to spend on any food you like — including chocolate, jellybeans, peppermint patties, and other popular treats. NOTHING is off limits!
Below, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite diet-friendly candies. I’ve also listed the exact portion you can enjoy as your Everyday Extra. As you’ll see, some of the treats below also qualify as a Healthy Extra since they’re made with pure 70% dark chocolate or have other nutritional benefits to offer. You can enjoy treats with the “Healthy Extra” tag as early as Step 2, which means starting on day 8!
Bring on the CHOCOLATE…
Chocolate, our favorite guilty pleasure, is no longer as guilty! Research shows that even small amounts of dark chocolate rich in cocoa flavonoids can help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and even lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. The trick is to choose varieties made with at least 70 percent cocoa or cacao and, in keeping with my Healthy Extra guidelines, moderate your portions to about 150 calories or one ounce per day. Unfortunately, milk chocolate doesn’t offer the same health benefits, so I highly encourage you to make the switch to dark if you haven’t already.
Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Bar:
Though Lindt also offers their “70% Cocoa” bar in a 3.5-ounce size, I prefer the small 1.2-ounce package. That way, you can guiltlessly enjoy the whole 170-calorie bar in one sitting…and don’t need to rely on your willpower to break off only a few squares of the larger bar.
Healthy Extra or Everyday Extra Portion: One 1.2-ounce bar (170 calories) or 3 squares of a 3.5-ounce bar (165 calories)
Everyday Extras should be 150 calories or less, but I was flexible here and allowed a few extra calories.
Scharffen Berger 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Bars:
Like Lindt, Scharffen Berger offers a personal-sized (1 ounce) bar so you can get your chocolate fix without overindulging.
Healthy Extra or Everyday Extra Portion: One 1-ounce bar (140 calories)
Newman’s Own Organics Super Dark 70% Cocoa Chocolate Bar:
Another delicious pure dark chocolate bar! Look for the smallest size (2.25 ounces).
Healthy Extra or Everyday Extra Portion: 3 squares (165 calories)
Trader Joe’s “70% Belgian Cacao” Dark Chocolate Wedges: This 3.5-ounce wheel of chocolate is cut into 16 small wedges, perfectly portioned at just 35 calories per piece. The chocolates are packaged in a cute round metal tin, so you can pop out a wedge and conveniently store the rest for later. (And you can reuse the tin to store tissues, aspirin, or even jewelry in your purse.)
Healthy Extra or Everyday Extra Portion: 4 wedges (140 calories)
If you’re not in the mood for plain dark chocolate, here are some fun twists on the standard bar.
Q.bel Crunchy Crispy Dark Chocolate Wafer Rolls: This treat is a delicious cross between a cookie and a candy bar. For just 120 calories, you get two crispy wafer cookies completely enrobed in 52% dark chocolate. This candy doesn’t quite meet my “70% cocoa” standard, but it’s a delightful splurge every once and awhile.
Everyday Extra Portion: 1 package (120 calories)
Sweetriot: Sweetriot chocolate-covered cacao nibs have quickly become a favorite of celebs…along with the rest of us! Their nibs—or “peaces”, as Sweetriot calls them—deliver dark, rich cocoa flavor and a double dose of antioxidants: one from the cacao nib (a tiny piece of roasted cacao bean at the center of each “peace”) and another from the dark chocolate that coats the outside. Sweetriot’s nibs come in three flavors—50%, 65%, and 70% chocolate—but I obviously encourage you to go for the full 70% to maximize the health benefits.
Healthy Extra or Everyday Extra Portion: 1 tin (140 calories)
Endangered Species Chocolates: Endangered Species makes a wide variety of 100% ethically traded, exotic-flavored chocolate bars, but I particularly love their bite-sized selections because they do the portion controlling for you. Their “Dark Chocolate with Cranberries & Almonds” individually-wrapped chocolate squares have 50 calories and are made with delicious 72% dark chocolate.
Healthy Extra or Everyday Extra Portion: 3 squares (150 calories)
Dark Chocolate Covered Nuts: Though the standard dark chocolate nuts you’ll find at stores probably aren’t coated with 70% dark chocolate, they still have their own nutritional perks to offer. Whether you choose almonds, cashews, peanuts, or pecans, you’re getting a blast of protein, fiber, and healthy fats from the nuts, along with that delicious hit of chocolately goodness. Because this treat is super calorie-dense, you’ll definitely need to limit yourself to a small handful to stay below my 150-calorie cut-off. Savor them slowly!
Healthy Extra or Everyday Extra Portion: 8 to 10 nuts (around 150 calories); check package labels since brands will vary
Nestle Dark Chocolate Raisinets and Cherry Raisinets: Though the package doesn’t state the percent cocoa and I’m guessing they don’t meet my 70% cutoff, these two new Raisinet varieties are a darker, healthier spin on the milk chocolate originals. Plus, their fruity raisin and cherry centers give you a little dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which certainly can’t hurt.
Healthy Extra or Everyday Extra Portion: 3 level tablespoons Dark Chocolate Raisinets (135 calories) or Cherry Raisinets (150 calories)
York Peppermint Patties: Who doesn’t love the classic combo of chocolate and mint? Even though the coating probably isn’t 70% dark chocolate, York Peppermint Patties are still a safe way to satisfy a sweet tooth without going whole hog.
Everyday Extra Portion: 1 regular-size (1.4-ounce) pattie (140 calories) or 3 miniatures (150 calories)
Dylan’s Candy Bar Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds: These rainbow-colored candies are coated with milk chocolate, not dark, but they still have an edge on most candies because you get a shot of nutrition from the sunflower kernels buried underneath. Sunflower seeds add some protein, fiber, and minerals like magnesium to this treat—not bad, considering it’s candy!
Everyday Extra Portion: 2 level tablespoons (130 calories)
HARD CANDIES
Hard candies are a smart choice because they automatically pace you. They take a while to finish (as long as you suck or lick, not chomp!), so you get to savor the sweetness for a bit and stretch your sugar calories. As long as you limit yourself to a few pieces, you can’t do that much damage. Here are a few of my favorites in the hard candy category:
See’s Gourmet Lollypops: From the legendary California-based candy company See’s Candies, these pops come in four sophisticated, desserty flavors: vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch, and café latte. I love them all—but I’m biased to vanilla!
Everyday Extra Portion: 1 lollypop (80 to 90 calories) – plus extra calories leftover to spend!
Atomic FireBalls: Unlike some addictive sugary candies that you can swallow by the handful, Atomic Fireballs are a great “one and done” candy option. They’re hard as a rock, so you can’t bite through them (don’t try, you’ll break a tooth!)…and after you finish one flaming sucker, you’ll be ready to give your mouth a rest.
Everyday Extra Portion: 4 individually-wrapped fireballs (140 calories) – if you can handle four of these guys!
Lifesavers and Jolly Ranchers: If you gravitate towards fruity flavors, suck on a Lifesaver (15 calories) or a hard Jolly Rancher (23 calories). My advice is to stash just a few in your purse or desk drawer rather than a full bag, so you don’t get carried away. Both candies are readily available in a wide variety of fun flavors.
Everyday Extra Portion: 10 Lifesavers (150 calories) or 6 Jolly Ranchers (140 calories)
CHEWY CANDIES
Most chewy candies are pure sugar, so there isn’t really a nutritional advantage to choosing one variety over the next. But if you’re looking for a diet-friendly treat that won’t throw you off track, I suggest choosing portion-controlled candy packs or candies that come in bite-sized pieces, so you can have a fair number of nibbles without flooding your system with sugar and calories.
Jelly Belly Jellybeans: Jelly Belly jellybeans come in dozens of fun flavors and they’re tiny, so each little bean has just 4 calories. I love their new “Cocktail Classics” collection, which features three brand new flavors—mojito, pomegranate cosmo, and peach bellini—along with three old favorites—margarita, pina colada, and strawberry daiquiri. How else can you enjoy a pomegranate cosmo for less than 5 calories?!
Everyday Extra Portion: 35 jellybeans (140 calories)
Smarties: These retro candies have just 25 calories for an entire roll—now that’s a calorie bargain!
Everyday Extra Portion: 6 rolls (150 calories)
Panda Licorice Bars: Panda licorice has a simple, clean ingredients list, a soft, chewy texture, and, unlike a lot of licorice-flavored products, actually contains real licorice extract. Panda makes pre-portioned 100-calorie bars in three flavors: original black licorice, raspberry, and cherry. Some studies show that natural licorice can help relieve pain from stomach ulcers and relieve indigestion, but it can also raise blood pressure, so you’ll want to avoid eating large amounts of this candy if you have hypertension.
Everyday Extra Portion: 1 bar (100 calories) – plus extra calories leftover to spend!
Crystallized Ginger: Crystallized or candied ginger is made by cooking slices of fresh ginger root in sugar syrup and then drying the slices to create a chewy texture. These candies have a pungent bite, which may encourage you to nibble slowly and keep you from going overboard. Added bonus: ginger is a potent anti-inflammatory and a natural remedy for nausea.
Everyday Extra Portion: 1.5 ounces (around 150 calories)
Florida’s Natural Au’some Treats: Though I still consider them a sweet treat, Florida’s Natural Au’some Nuggets and Sour Strings are made with over 60% real fruit and fruit juices. Plus, they come in pre-portioned, 50-calorie pouches to help you keep a lid on snacking. These fruit chews are a terrific step up from sugary gummy bears and traditional fruit snacks.
Everyday Extra Portion: 3 pouches (150 calories)
