8 Best Supermarket Sweets

1. BEST DONUT
Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnut
190 calories
11 g fat (5 g saturated)
10 g sugars

Donuts: Everybody loves them. Unfortunately, there is nothing nutritionally redeeming about these circles of dough. That said, having a good go-to doughnut can be a lifesaver if it prevents you from eating something worse. So, when you need a fix of sweet, fried dough, look no further than the Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts, which are now sold in grocery stores. Pop one in the microwave for a few seconds and you’ll have a melt-in-your-mouth treat that’s as good as swinging by the actual store when the hot sign is on. (Krispy Kreme fanatics know what I’m talking about.)

Not That!
Entenmann’s Frosted Devil’s Food Doughnuts
310 calories
18 g fat (12 g saturated)
24 g sugars 

2. BEST COOKIE
Kashi TLC Oatmeal Dark Chocolate (1 cookie)
130 calories
5 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
8 g sugars

What I like about these Kashi cookies is that each one starts with whole grains. What I like even better? They still taste like a decadent treat. Plus, thanks to Kashi's reliance on whole grains, each one packs in 4 grams of belly-filling fiber. That's more than an orange, and it makes this dessert safe to eat as a midday snack. Drop one in your lunch before you head off to work.

Not That!
Chips Ahoy! Big & Soft Oatmeal Chunk Cookie (1 cookie)
180 calories
8 g fat (3 g saturated)
13 g sugars

3. BEST CANDY
Werther’s Original (3 pieces)
70 calories
1.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
10 g sugars

Hard candies are preferable to chewy candies because, simply, they last longer. Try eating 30 Werther’s Originals in a minute. Not happening. Thirty Skittles, though? No problem. What’s worse, 75 percent of the calories in a pack of Skittles come from sugar. That’s crazy. Next time you go to the movies, take along three of these rich, delicious caramel candies rather than your standard pack of Skittles for a tasty treat with a fraction of the calories.

Not That!
Skittles Original Fruit (1 pack)
250 calories
2.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
47 g sugars 

4. BEST CANDY BAR
Hershey’s Take 5 Bar 
200 calories 
11 g fat (5 g saturated) 
18 g sugars 

Here’s the scenario: You’re in the checkout line, annoyed from a long day of working, and you seek comfort in anything within arm's reach—and 90 percent of the time that ends up being a candy bar. Well, you’ve just played into a food marketer’s hands. They don’t want you to think about what you’re picking up; they just want you to grab one more tempting treat before you hit the register. So if you're going to give in, at least do so in the least damaging way possible. The Take 5 bar is your safest bet because it relies on pretzel instead of nougat, creating a bar with far fewer sugars than some of the other options in the impulse lane.

Not That!
Nestle Butter Finger
270 calories
11 g fat (6 g saturated)
29 g sugars

5. BEST CAKE MIX
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix (30 g mix, prepared)
170 calories
0.5 g fat
12 g sugars

A good cake mix is paramount, since you'll very likely eat more than one slice. Say you eat three slices before it's gone. That makes one good decision in the cake aisle the equivalent of three good decisions elsewhere in the supermarket. So why Bob's Gluten Free? Because it avoids artificial ingredients, and it rings up a couple grams of fiber for each slice by packing this powder with the flours of garbanzo and fava beans, as well as whole grain sorghum. Choose it over Krusteaz and you'll drop 60 calories and 2 grams of trans fat. And because of the fiber, you'll feel fuller longer.

Not That!
Krusteaz Cinnamon Crumb Cake Mix (33 g mix, prepared)
230 calories
7 g fat (2 g saturated, 2 g trans)
26 g sugars

6. BEST PUDDING
Jell-O Sugar Free Double Chocolate (1 container)
60 calories
1.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
0 g sugars

They're modest in size, but pudding cups can easily pack as much sugar as a small candy bar. Thankfully Jell-O makes a sugar free version that cuts the calorie impact in half without sacrificing the rich, chocolate flavor. If your normal nightly dessert is a 200-calorie scoop of ice cream, and you switch to one of these cups, you can expect to lose 12 pounds a year, even if nothing else about your diet changes!

Not That! 
Snack Pack, Chocolate
130 calories
3 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
16 g sugars

7. BEST FROZEN TREAT 
Fudgsicle No Sugar Added Fudge Bar (1 bar, 41 g) 
40 calories
1 g fat (0.5 g saturated) 
2.5 g sugars

Look at this and then look at the bar below. You could eat more than seven Fudgsicles before you hit the calorie load of one Haagen-Dazs bar. Fudgesicle's parent company, Popsicle, produces a wide variety of classic frozen treats that can appease any sweet tooth without packing on the pounds. Another bonus: 35 percent of the calories in each Fudgesicle come from protein and fiber, which together keep you fuller longer.

Not That!
Haagen-Dazs Vanilla & Milk Chocolate (1 bar, 83 g)
290 calories
21 g fat (14 g saturated)
21 g sugars

8. BEST ICE CREAM 
Edy’s Slow Churned Chocolate Fudge Chunk (1/2 cup) 
120 calories 
4.5 g fat (3 g saturated) 
13 g sugars

More so than in any other supermarket aisle, nutritional stats vary widely for products that look and taste nearly identical. Edy's—as well as its sister brand Dreyer's—are among the good guys. (Another favorite of mine: Breyers.) They take a light approach to cream and sugar, so you don't have to hit the treadmill every time you serve yourself a bowl. To get the most flavor in the fewest calories, look no further than Edy's Chocolate Fudge Chunk. It has literally one-third as many calories as Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup.

Not That!
Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup (1/2 cup)
360 calories
26 g fat (14 g saturated)
24 g sugars

Posted in: Health