Eat Candy Canes!

I know. You’re probably thinking , “Wait, that’s candy, sugar is a no, no!” This holiday season you just can’t avoid a Candy Cane, so I want you to feel okay about eating one. Let me let you in on a little secret, peppermint is kind of magical, but that doesn’t mean eating ALL the Christmas treats that have peppermint as an ingredient are okay. Let’s start with the good.

Pure and simple Candy Canes-

*They only have 45 calories(POSITiVE #1).

*They only have 8 grams of sugar, that’s only 2 teaspoons of sugar(POSITIVE #2).

*They have NO FAT(POSITIVE #3)!

And last, but not least Peppermint Oil is a huge component in Candy Canes and not only is it a digestive aid, but it also helps combat bacteria(POSITVE #4 and #5).

There are a lot of positive to Candy Canes! Who knew?!

Now the bad: Peppermint Bark.

I love me some bark. Oreo bark, Reese’s Peanut Butter bark, and especially Peppermint bark. Since I was little, anything with mint and chocolate was my jam. Unfortunately, some of the things you like most, are bad for you.

Here are some of the highlights, or more like the lows of peppermint bark.

*Peppermint bark is HIGH in fat. With about 8 grams of fat and 5 grams of saturated fat. That’s a 1/4 of your allotted daily amount of saturated fat.

*1 ounce of peppermint bark contains 17 grams of sugar, that’s more than double the amount of sugar in a candy cane.

*There are 18 grams of carbs in a piece of peppermint bark, unlike the 11 grams of carbs in a candy cane.

So, basically…stick to the peppermint without the bark.

Now the ugly: Fruit Cake!!!!

I know you’re probably thinking, “Who the F#$* still eats Fruit Cake?” People do, trust!

Okay, confession: Fruit Cake isn’t that bad for you, but if you’re going to eat something with 25 grams of carbs, 3.5 grams of fat and 12 grams of sugar, why make it fruit cake? Am I right or am I right?

So go and eat something with peppermint, preferably a candy cane. Remember the New Year is almost here, you don’t want to make it harder to get back to the gym.

Your Peppermint Pal,
Bianca