Low calorie chocolate bar

March 23, 2006 1:46 PM

Low calorie chocolate bar?

Every afternoon without fail, I get a huge chocolate urge, and I'm looking for a low calorie way to satisfy it. Right now I mainly eat a Balance or EAS bar (like this one), but they are fairly high calorie as well (200-270 calorie). It has to be non-perishable, and I have to be able to buy it, not make anything. Does anything like this exist?

posted by patrickje to food & drink (19 comments total)

Is buying online all right?

Are you trying to avoid calories, pure and simple or do you want fewer fat or carb calories?

I found these searching for "diabetic chocolate". 180 calories each.

Or you could eat just a few Hershey's kisses. They have 26 calories each (230 calories for a serving of 9 pieces) according to the Hershey's product site.
posted by luneray at 1:55 PM on March 23, 2006

I eat a Luna bar for breakfast every morning -- it has 180 calories and is pretty satisfying. There are a bunch of flavors but my favorite is the chocolate one.

Also, maybe just get some dark chocolate? I have some Dove eggs right here and a six piece serving has 220 calories, but I can't eat more than one or two at a time. Plus dark chocolate is good for you!
posted by sugarfish at 1:57 PM on March 23, 2006

Neither of these are chocolate bars per se, but my two favorite low-calorie chocolate fixes are fat-free or sugar free chocolate pudding, and those 100-Calorie Oreo packs. They'll both keep at room temp (I think), although the pudding will of course taste better if it's refrigerated.

Alternately, do you really need to eat a whole bar or will a bite or two suffice? Try buying a bag of Hershey's Hugs or Nuggets or whatever they're called, and toss 2 or 3 of them in your bag before you leave for work each day. That way you can get a small fix but not be tempted to eat the whole bag.
posted by boomchicka at 2:10 PM on March 23, 2006

Hot chocolate mix keeps me away from the vending machine snickers at work. I like Swiss Miss No Sugar Added with Marshmallows. They use Splenda for sweetening and it's only 60 calories.
posted by elvissa at 2:16 PM on March 23, 2006

Zone Perfect bars.

First of all, they use real chocolate and cocoa, so the bar actually tastes like chocolate. Second, a whole bar include 16 grams or so of protein which helps to level out the buzz you get from the carbs. (In other words, you don't get cranky and hungry an hour later.)

Depending on your appetite, for a snack you can probably eat 1/2 of a bar (25 grams) and feel satisfied.

My current favorite is Chocolate Almond Raisin, but all the chocolate flavors are very tasty and without that chemically "sports bar" taste.
posted by La Cieca at 2:19 PM on March 23, 2006

Three Musketeers is lower fat than many other candy bars, and it only has 96 calories (but it will still make you feel sick an hour after eating it.)

Wonder if your craving is for caffeine (coffee or tea would help and be much lower cal) or for sugar (fruit might help). If the craving is for sugar, you might cut down on your refined sugar at lunch (soda?) and replace it with sugar that has a lower glycemic index, hence less sugar-crash potential.
posted by salvia at 2:20 PM on March 23, 2006

My wife swears by the Weight Watchers Milk Chocolate Crunch Bars. She says they're delicious. You can get them for $5 a box from any Weight Watchers office or by calling 1-800-651-6000.
posted by designbot at 2:26 PM on March 23, 2006

You might want to try CocoaVia. It is a new product that is made of dark chocolate, but is also supposed to be healthy. My wife bought some and she really likes them. I tried one and it tasted pretty good. One bar has only 80 calories. They are also supposed to be help fight high cholesterol naturally through the wonders of dark chocolate and plant sterols. I am not sure about the health claims, but they taste good, are low calorie, and you can buy them either online or in stores.
posted by bove at 2:42 PM on March 23, 2006

I second the Luna bars. My favorite is S'mores, which is deliciously chocolate-y (and packs only 180 calories and 10 g of protein).
posted by Flamingo at 2:45 PM on March 23, 2006

The problem with the Weight Watchers crunch bars is that they crunch about as well as shotgun pellets do. I don't find Weight Watchers bars to be very chocolatey, either, but it may be worth a try.

I do second the Oreo crisps boomchicka mentioned, but I think the same brand of Chips Ahoy crisps are even better -- they genuinely taste like Chips Ahoy, and they're still only 100 calories/bag. And yes, those are real tiny chocolate chips in them.

If you have access to a freezer, your store may carry my favorite brand of fudgsicles -- they come in a 24-pack, the box is white, blue, and purple, and they should be cheap. The name is obviously not coming to me, but they're super chocolatey and I think they have only about 100 calories each. Alternatively, for a chocolatey ice-cream sandwich, check out the Skinny Cow stuff (warning: will not be cheap).

For the straight-up kind of bar like you've been having, one of my friends swears by Pria bars. It sounds like the Double Chocolate Cookie would be your flavor. It has 110 calories and 5 grams of protein, but the bad news is that it has 12% of the RDA of saturated fat. You only specified low-calorie, so maybe this will still work for you; my friend definitely loves it.
posted by booksandlibretti at 2:46 PM on March 23, 2006

salvia - Take a look at the wrapper of your next 3 Musketeers bar - it actually has 260 calories. Even the miniature size has 170.

patrickje, another idea that might work for you is chocolate covered raisins or dried cherries. Less chocolate per bite, and you get at least a little fruit with it.

On preview: I second the fudgsicle suggestion, if you have access to a freezer during the day.
posted by boomchicka at 2:54 PM on March 23, 2006

(Oops, correction: It takes 7 miniature 3 Musketeers to make up 170 calories. The full size still has 260 though.)
posted by boomchicka at 2:56 PM on March 23, 2006

I like Hershey's miniatures for satisfying chocolate cravings without eating a whole bar (5 miniatures = 230 calories, but I just eat one or two at a time.) I freeze them when I have bags around Halloween/Easter/etc so that I won't overindulge. (All the diet/diabetic/low-fat chocolate gives me bad tummy aches, so I can't eat them. Plus they taste chalky to me.)

Pria bars are indeed yummy, but it's not like eating a chocolate bar--it's more like a rice crispy treat with chocolate drizzled over it. Also, the various kinds range from 110 calories to 180 calories, so check the label before eating.
posted by xyzzy at 4:46 PM on March 23, 2006

I get either the Cadbury Thins (not sure if they are available in the US), at 120 calories, or the Slimfast Peanut Butter snack bars (not sure of the actual name) at 130 calories.

The Cadbury Thins are very thin, but they are decent chocolate and taste very well. You can get them in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or toffee (like a Skor bar). The Slimfast ones taste kinda like Butterfinger.
posted by synecdoche at 6:34 PM on March 23, 2006

dark chocolate has (slightly) fewer calories than milk chocolate does. and it's good for you!
posted by sergeant sandwich at 7:10 PM on March 23, 2006

Do you like dark chocolate? Dagoba (I think that's the name) makes a lovely dark chocolate that is over 70% cocoa, and thus as a result does not have as much sugar as milk chocolates do. I find that the dark chocolate is so rich that I can't eat more than a couple of squares before tucking it away.

I'd steer clear of sugar-free chocolates and candies. They are often made with sugar alcohols and while they don't add any significant calories to your diet, the reason they don't is because they run through your body, causing gastrointestinal discomfort along the way. Yech.
posted by cajo at 9:00 PM on March 23, 2006

The Cadburys Thins are the exact same chocolate as regular Cadburys bars, but are smaller portions (due, as if the point needed belaboring, to the thinness ). If willpower is a problem, these are a good solution.

If not, though, you can save money by purchasing regular Cadburys, and only eating half of the bar.

I'll second the Dagoba ( Yes, it is Dagoba - Dagoba is a Buddhist shrine, rather than the swamp planet occasionally used for Jedi training, Dagobah ) suggestion, it's pretty nice, though Cadbury's Bournville or Lindt dark are equally pleasant, if not more so.

In my experience, low-calorie chocolate isn't a win - it's pretty unsatisfying, so you may well end up eating more in an attempt to sate your chocolate needs. Basically, buy the most expensive chocolate your wallet, and your tastebuds, can stomach, and slowly and sensually savour it like the treat it is. Eating it very rarely also heightens the enjoyment enormously.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 12:01 AM on March 24, 2006

Another vote for fat-free chocolate pudding. The little cups are only about 80-100 calories each and satisfy my chocolate cravings very effectively. Some kinds do need to be refrigerated, but some don't.

Similarly, the various fat- or sugar-free varieties of fudge popsicles have remarkably few calories and are very tasty (but have the downside of requiring a freezer).
posted by emmastory at 5:51 AM on March 24, 2006

Keep your eye out for Maya bars, made by Larabar. They're amazing, made with real cocoa and not a whole lot else, and probably the healthiest way to get your chocolate bar fix.
posted by nekton at 6:07 PM on March 24, 2006