Indulge your sweet tooth
a little at a time

Let’s say you cannot live in a world without sweets. You have an insistent sweet tooth and must have some candy. And you don’t want the sugar-free kind. So, the question is, do you have the discipline to eat only small portions? Here are some “small” candies that might satisfy your sweet tooth without overdosing you on sugar or fat. Each portion has about 50 calories.
12 Jelly Belly jelly beans - Each bean has roughly 4 calories, so 12 Jelly Bellies will give you about 50 calories. They will have about 10 grams of sugar and no fat.


12 Reese’s Pieces - 12 tiny pieces will give you about 50 calories, with 2.9 grams of fat and 5.3 grams of sugar.


1/8 of a box of Dark Chocolate Raisinets - The dried fruit is good, though very sweet. The dark chocolate is a source of antioxidants. This candy is supposed to have 30 percent less fat than leading chocolate brands. One-eighth of a theatre-size box will have 45 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, and 14 grams of sugar. Good luck stopping after one-eighth of them!


5 Lifesavers - These hard candies are about 11 calories each. They contain no fat and 1.8 grams of sugar. If you savor them, they last a long time, giving you a slow infusion of sugar. Five lifesavers will have 55 calories and 9 grams of sugar.


2½ Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Kisses - Each one is about 21 calories and has 1.3 grams of fat and 2.4 grams of sugar. Be careful not to eat too many. 2½ Kisses will have about 50 calories, 3.3 grams of fat, and six grams of sugar. Eating half of that third Hershey’s Kiss is probably more challenge than you’re looking for.


1 Tootsie Pop - This classic candy will give a long period of contented sugar infusion — 60 calories, no fat, 11 grams of sugar.


6 Haribo Gummy Bears - These can be filling without piling up the calories. Each gummy bear is 8.2 calories, no fat, and 1 gram of sugar. Six gummy bears will have about 49 calories and 6 grams of sugar.


2 rolls of Smarties - One roll of these tiny round candies has only 25 calories and can give you a tiny sweet-tooth fix. No fat and 6 grams of sugar. Two rolls will have about 50 calories and 12 grams of sugar.


3 York Peppermint Patties Minis - The mini patty is covered with dark chocolate and has only 15 calories. Three will have about 45 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 8.5 grams of sugar.


1 Snicker’s Mini - Only 44 calories, but beware. You cannot buy them individually. So with a whole bag in your possession, you run the risk of eating too many. Each mini contains 2.2 grams of fat and 4.5 grams of sugar.


2 (two) 3 Musketeers Minis - Only 25 calories in one. Two will have 50 calories, 1.4 grams fat, and 8 grams sugar. Just don’t eat more than two. Can you hold yourself back?


1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Mini - Only 44 calories, but who can stop at just one? There are two grams of fat and 4.6 grams of sugar.


1 Mini Hershey Bar - Has only 42 calories. May be one of the best options. It has 2.6 grams of fat and 4.4 grams of sugar.


1 Dove Promises piece, Dark Chocolate - 44 calories, 2.6 grams of fat, and 4.4 grams of sugar.


2 Werther’s Original candies - Each candy has 24 calories. Two pieces will have 48 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 7.5 grams of sugar.


1 Ferraro Rocher Fine Hazelnut - One piece has 73 calories, 5.3 grams fat, and 5 grams sugar.


9 Necco Wafers - One roll of 40 wafers of this chalky candy has 220 calories, no fat, and 55 grams of sugar. So, you will defeat the purpose of eating small amounts of sugar if you eat the whole roll. But each piece is only 5.5 calories and has 1.375 grams of sugar. You do the math. How many of the thin round disks you can eat? Nine wafers will have about 50 calories and 12.4 grams of sugar.
If you want to sort of trick your sweet tooth, and enjoy the health benefits of dark chocolate, try one of these from the Good Housekeeping list of top dark chocolate bars:
The Valrhona Guanaja

This 70 percent Dark Chocolate Bar is “intensely flavored with a barely-there touch of sweetness.” One-eighth of a bar (8.75 grams) has 65 calories, 4.2 grams of fat, and no sugar.

The Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight Bar

This has a “strong, roasty, bitter flavor with notes of coffee.” One-tenth (9.5 grams) of a 3.5 oz bar will give you 50 calories, 1.7 grams of fat, and only 1 gram of sugar.