5 Of The Unhealthiest Valentine's Day Treats
With the biggest day for love just around the corner, we at Medical Daily wanted to inform you of some of Valentine’s Day's unhealthiest treats. These treats not only harm your waist, but they’re a bunch of empty calories, too, and you're better off enjoying healthier and more delicious treats. Take a look at our top five offenders:
1. Candy Hearts: These little conversation hearts might look inviting and tasty — and with phrases like “kiss me” and “be mine,” they’re hard to pass up. If you take a closer look at these candies, however, you’ll be shocked to see what some of the nutrition facts have to offer — containing approximately 14 grams of sugar and 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving (12 pieces) — you’re better off skipping the candy messages and writing a love note to your sweetheart instead.
2. Godiva Chocolates: As an acclaimed gourmet chocolate, they have become a household name. While they might look delicious on the outside, they contain the ever so popular red dye #40, which has been linked to “artificial colors and behavioral problems… especially for parents of children diagnosed with ADHD,” Forbes reported.
3. Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Almond: Each piece of the chocolate square can land you at 90 calories, five grams of fat, and six grams of sugar. That’s assuming that most people eat only one piece, which of course, many people do not. The calorie intake from these chocolates can lead people to scarf down 270-360 calories in one sitting.
4. Marshmallow Hearts: The company Peeps, which manufactures the famous duck marshmallows also manufactures a Valentine’s Day special, too. The red sprinkled hearts contain 110 calories per serving (two hearts), 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 milligrams of sodium.
5. White Chocolate: Not all chocolate is the same. In fact, the darker the chocolate, the more cacao it contains, the better it is for your overall health. White chocolate on the other hand doesn’t offer the flavonols and antioxidants that dark chocolate does — it’s basically a source of empty calories. According to a study at San Diego University, “found that those who ate either form of dark chocolate had lower blood sugar levels and better cholesterol ratios, more “good” cholesterol or HDL, and less “bad” cholesterol, or LDL, compared to the white chocolate group,” ABC News reported.
When choosing the right Valentine’s Day treat, remember to keep your partner’s health in mind — calories, sugar content, and health benefits are important.