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
   STRETCH ISLAND RASPBERRY ORIGINAL FRUIT LEATHERS, RASPBERRY

   Good
   71
4. 04
   STRETCH ISLAND RASPBERRY FRUIT LEATHERS, RASPBERRY

   Good
   69
5. 05
   SIMPLE MILLS PANCAKE & WAFFLE ALMOND FLOUR BAKING MIX, PANCAKE & WAFFLE

   Good
   68
6. 06
   STRETCH ISLAND STRAWBERRY FRUIT STRIPS, STRAWBERRY

   Good
   67
7. 07
   Maple Syrup Pure

   Good
   64
8. 08
   SUSTAINABLE INDULGENCE, OATMEAL RAISIN

   Good
   63
9. 09
   KELLOGG'S TO GO OATS & HONEY FLAVORED MORNING BISCUITS, OATS & HONEY

   Good
   62
10. 10
    BETTY CROCKER ORIGINAL COMPLETE PANCAKE MIX, ORIGINAL

    Good
    61
11. 11
    BELVITA PROTEIN BISCUITS Blueberry Almond 1X1.76 OZ

    Good
    60
12. 12
    Marshmallow

    Good
    60
13. 13
    Powdered Sugar

    Good
    60
14. 14
    Rold Gold 1.00OZ ROLD GOLD HEARTZEL

    Good
    60
15. 15
    Sugar White Granulated

    Good
    60
16. 16
    RARE FARE FOODS ALMOND QUINOA CLUSTERS, ALMOND QUINOA

    Decent
    59
17. 17
    Enlightened Mint Chocolate Chip Light Ice Cream

    Decent
    58
18. 18
    PURE ORGANIC WILDBERRY APPLE FLAVORED APPLE FRUIT & VEGGIE STRIP, WILDBERRY APPLE

    Decent
    58
19. 19
    SIMPLE MILLS BANANA MUFFIN & BREAD ALMOND FLOUR BAKING MIX, BANANA MUFFIN & BREAD

    Decent
    58
20. 20
    BELVITA PROTEIN BISCUIT BANANA 1X14.08 OZ

    Decent
    57

Explore other categories