How Many Calories Are Hiding in Your Valentine’s Day Treats?

Whether you’re single or taken this Valentine’s Day, you are bound to be bombarded with chocolate and candy at some point this week.  From the office candy jar or a gift from a loved one, you will most likely be tempted by something sweet.  Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day is just another holiday centered around food, so we have to be prepared for the temptation ahead. Fortunately, this isn’t your first Valentine’s day and you are aware of the treats that will tempt you!

 

Chances are that many of you are reading this with a box of chocolates or gummy treats already in your pantry. After all, candy is the second most commonly received Valentine’s Day gift every year.  A serving of Valentine’s Day chocolate is only 2 little pieces, but caving in and eating most of the box will set you back close to 1400 calories. That’s enough calories to fill almost an entire day! When it comes to chocolate, darker is better. That is because dark chocolate has less sugar and fat than lighter shades. Some even say consumption of dark chocolate might have a positive effect on your metabolism.

 

Valentine’s Day can be a very difficult time to stick to a weight loss plan if you are not prepared. But by just planning a little, you can enjoy February 14th without sabotaging all your hard work! The key is to not overdo it!  Life happens and you need to enjoy it!  Just remember that “everything in moderation” is a popular saying for a reason!

 

The best way to prevent weight gain is to know the nutritional information of your favorite Valentine’s Day treats before you are tempted to consume them. Check out the table below and you may be able to get past this holiday without adding on any unwanted pounds! If you don’t see your favorite treats below, you can always look them up on Sparkpeople.com!

 

Valentine’s Treat Calories Fat Sugar
Panera Heart Cookie (1 cookie)

 420

21 g

27 g

Target Mini Cupcakes (3 cupcakes)

 350

17 g

40 g

Krispy Kreme Heart Donut  (1 donut)

 300

16 g

19 g

Entenmann’s Golden Cupcake (1 cupcake)

 290

14 g

33 g

Little Debbie Be My Valentine Snack Cake (1 cake)

 290

13 g

27 g

Hershey’s Marshmallow Heart (1 king-sized heart)

 240

7 g

35 g

Frosted Pillsbury Fun-Fetti Cupcake (1 cupcake)

 200

5 g

22.5 g

Harry & David Chocolate-Covered Cherries (4 cherries)

 190

10 g

13 g

Harry & David Raspberry Shortbread Cookies (2 cookies)

 170

 9 g

 9 g

Nestle Valentine Brownie Bites (3 mini brownies)

 170

 9 g

 18 g

Reese’s Peanut Butter Heart (1 heart)

 170

 10 g

 16 g

Butterfinger Heart (1 heart)

 160

 8 g

 18 g

Jelly Belly Valentine Mix (1.5 oz)

 160

 3 g

 29 g

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry (average) (1 berry)

 140

 8 g

 15 g

M&Ms Valentine’s Fun-Size Pack (1 pouch)

 140

 5 g

 18 g

Snickers Valentine Minis (4 pieces)

 130

 6 g

 15g

Trolli Valentine’s Gummy Candies (13 pieces)

 130

 0 g

 24 g

Pillsbury Valentine Sugar Cookies (2 cookies)

 120

 6 g

 8 g

Target Valentine Fruit Snacks (1 pouch)

 80

 0 g

 14 g

Brach’s Conversation Heart Candies (11 pieces)

 60

 0 g

 14 g

When my sweet tooth strikes, I can easily satisfy it with Lily’s Stevia sweetened chocolateBirthday Cake Protein Bars (best bar EVER!), Eating Evolved Chocolate,  Quest Peanut Butter Cups, Fat Snax Cookies, or ANYTHING from Know Foods! It truly is all about keeping the right foods in your house, so you can be prepared and Eat Yourself Skinny!

 

And check out THIS LINK from FitSugar to see “WHAT 100 CALORIES REALLY LOOKS LIKE ON V-DAY!”

 

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