Guide to Different Kinds of Candy from Chocolate to Chews

Understanding Different Candy Types

Candy brings joy to many people's lives. With hundreds of sweet options to choose from, it helps to learn a bit about popular candy categories to make better selections tailored to your preferences and dietary needs.

Chocolate Candy

Chocolate dominates the candy landscape for good reason - its melt-in-your-mouth texture and flavor create an irresistible experience. Main types include:

• Milk chocolate - Sweet with creamy texture from milk solids and extra cocoa butter.
• Dark chocolate - Ranges from semi-sweet to bittersweet with higher cocoa content andintensity.
• White chocolate - Super sweet without cocoa solids, just cocoa butter for smooth flavor.

Forms range from candy bars to assorted bite-size pieces, often mixed with added ingredients like caramel, nuts, or crispy wafers.

Fruit Chews and Gummies

Gelatin-based chewy candies provide sweet fruity flavor in fun shapes, especially for kids. Types include:

• Gummy bears - Bear-shaped gelatin or pectin-based chews in fruit flavors.
• Fruit snacks - Soft, fruit-flavored gel snacks molded into rods or other shapes.
• Jelly beans - Small chewy beans coated in fine sugar with fruity flavors.
• Candy sticks - Flat sheets of sweet gel rolled around sticks for portion control.

Hard Candies

From mints to lollipops, these sugar candies with flavors and colors applied to a hard base move slowly in your mouth for long-lasting taste.

• Lollipops - Hard candy on sticks flavored with fruit essences or chocolate.
• Mints - Small hard candies infused with mint or fruit flavorings.
• Lozenges - Medicinal flavored tablets made from sugar that slowly dissolve.
• Salt water taffy - Soft taffy candies with distinctive chewy texture pulled into aerated ribbons.

Caramels

These melt-in-your-mouth candies appeal especially to adults who better appreciate their rich sweetness contrasted by flavors like vanilla or sea salt.

• Chewy caramels - Moist, sticky caramel candies wrapped in wax paper or chocolate.
• Caramel filled chocolates - Velvety caramel liquid surrounded by milk or dark chocolate.
• Caramel apples - Tart apples dipped into a thick, creamy sweet caramel coating.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Candy

Understanding the pros and cons of enjoying various candies allows making well-informed choices.

Potential Benefits

In moderation, quality candy offers surprising benefits like:

• Boosting serotonin production from sugars that lifts mood
• Relieving stress through sweet rewarding indulgence
• Supplying some antioxidants from quality dark chocolate
• Increasing saliva production from chewing sugar-free gum improving oral health

Potential Drawbacks

However, regularly eating too much candy may contribute to:

• Weight gain from extra calories without nutrition
• Blood sugar spikes and inflammation from high glycemic carbs
• Dental cavities due to sugars feeding bacteria
• Gastrointestinal issues like bloating or diarrhea

Choosing Quality Candy

You can satisfy your sweet tooth with better impact by selecting candies with these smart criteria in mind:

Check the Ingredients List

Choose candies with fewer artificial additives and more natural ingredients when possible for better nutrition.

Note Added Sugars

Compare nutrition labels and pick options with lower sugar content to reduce impact on blood glucose and dental health.

Enjoy Portion Control

Practice moderation by portioning snacks into small servings to keep calories and carbs balanced.

Savor Higher Cacao Content

When eating chocolate, maximize cacao percentage for more bitterness that requires eating slower plus antioxidants.

Pair with Protein or Fiber

Dip fruits in chocolate or enjoy candy bars containing nuts to balance absorption for less energy spikes.

Healthiest and Unhealthiest Candy Choices

Knowing specific examples of best and worst candy options allows tailoring treats to your unique preferences and diet goals.

Healthy Candy Picks

Some smarter picks include:

• Dark chocolate bars with 70% or higher cacao
• Chocolate-dipped strawberries providing fruit nutrition
• Dark chocolate-coated nuts blending protein, healthy fats and antioxidants
• Frozen yogurt bites covered in dark chocolate
• Small portioned chocolate truffles eaten slowly

Unhealthy Candy Picks

Examples of conventional candy providing less nutritional value:

• Hard fruit candies - Pure refined sugar with colors/flavors
• Gummy candies - Mainly corn syrup, starch, sugar and gelatin
• Nougat chocolate bars with high sugar filler
• Cotton candy - Pure spun refined sugar that dissolves instantly
• Fondant candies - Sweet simple syrup thickened with gelatin

Creating a Healthy Relationship with Candy

Rather than strictly avoiding all sweets, having a healthy relationship with candy focused on mindful moderation and selective quality allows enjoying this age-old indulgence more sustainably as part of balanced nutritional approach.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.