Sweets & desserts

Sweets covers chocolate (dark, milk, white), candy, ice cream, cookies, cake, pie, donuts, marshmallow, pudding, and sweeteners (honey, maple syrup, molasses, agave, white sugar, brown sugar). The score range here is wide: dark chocolate above 70% cocoa can reach 60, while mainstream candy bars score below 20.

The USDA DGA recommends keeping added sugars below 10% of total daily calories — roughly 50g for a 2,000-calorie diet. That is about the amount in one candy bar, a can of soda, or a single bowl of sweetened cereal. Sweets are not meant to be a daily staple but can be integrated into a balanced pattern in small amounts.

Dark chocolate (70%+) and pure sweeteners like honey and maple syrup score meaningfully higher than processed candy because they are NOVA 1-2 and carry some micronutrients. Ice cream and milk chocolate score in the middle. Candy bars, cookies, frosted pastries, and Pop Tarts score near the bottom because of compounded added sugar, saturated fat, and NOVA 4 classification.

Score distribution

1. 01
   Brownie

   Good
   74
2. 02
   Donut Glazed

   Good
   71
3. 03
   Maple Syrup Pure

   Good
   64
4. 04
   Marshmallow

   Good
   60
5. 05
   Powdered Sugar

   Good
   60
6. 06
   Sugar White Granulated

   Good
   60
7. 07
   Frosted Flakes

   Decent
   54
8. 08
   Milky Way

   Poor
   36
9. 09
   Snickers

   Poor
   33
10. 10
    Subway Italian BMT 6 Inch

    Poor
    33
11. 11
    Chips Ahoy Original

    Poor
    30
12. 12
    Dark chocolate (70–85% cacao)

    Avoid
    22
13. 13
    Honey

    Avoid
    18
14. 14
    Oreo (original)

    Avoid
    11
15. 15
    Fruity Pebbles

    Avoid
    4

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