Healthy Candy Choices at the Candy Store

Yes you can have your cake and eat it too at least when eating candy.

There are many healthy aspects of eating certain kinds of candy. Candy stores and manufacturers are taking full advantage of this to satisfy customer demand. As consumers are looking for healthy choices and better ingredients the candy industry is responding.

Dark chocolate for example has antioxidant properties and this combined with fruits and nuts offers additional health benefits. The use of nuts that are low in saturated fats and cholesterol also contain fiber and various vitamins are clearly a healthy add. The American Peanut council reports that eating one serving of peanuts a day can reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Organic peanuts are starting to be used in candy products as well. Many of these nuts are found in the mot popular bulk candy products.

Another popular nut that is used in candy is the almond. The almond not only tastes great but also provides health benefits and helps increase candy shelf life. That is good for the US in particular California where most of the world's supply of almonds is grown. Between 1999 and 2007 almond consumption has doubled in the US. Almonds are high in vitamin E, protein, fiber and calcium and included 13 essential ingredients. They also have a reputation for lowering people's cholesterol. This is similar to peanuts which are also known to be high in protein, vitamin E, fiber and potassium.

Tree nuts such as the very popular Hazelnut are now becoming more poplar. Tree nuts are known to be packed with vitamin C. They are also loaded with antioxidants which are heart healthy.

In an effort to boost candies healthy profile, appeal to the hearts of consumers, manufactures are making healthier candy. So next time you have that sweet tooth look for healthy candy at your local candy store.

By Joel Bernstein - Sugarless Candy Treats