These candies without sugar usually contain too many calories

Not all sugar-free candies have fewer calories

With a scratchy or dry throat, sucking a candy can often provide relief quickly. Many resort to sugar-free products, after all, the teeth should not be burdened. Some also think that they save calories. That's not necessarily true.

Sucking stimulates the salivation

Especially in the cold period, many people like to grab a candy. By sucking the salivation is stimulated and so the mouth and throat moistened better. This can not only help against dry mouth, but also for cough and bad breath. It is usually recommended to use sugar-free products, among other things, so as not to harm the teeth. However, those who believe that it also saves calories, is not always right.

The sucking of candies helps against cough and dry mouth. Although it is recommended that you bet better on sugar-free products, calories are not so much saved. (Image: Björn Wylezich / fotolia.com)

Sugar-free candies do not necessarily have fewer calories

"Anyone who buys sugar-free candies in the hope of saving calories should take a close look at the nutritional information," writes the Bavarian Consumer Agency on its website.

According to the experts, their energy content is often comparable to that of sugary sweets.

As Heidrun Schubert, a nutrition expert at the Bavarian consumer center explains, "without sugar" or "sugar-free" means that the advertised product may contain a maximum of 0.5 grams of sugar per 100 grams or 100 milliliters.

"There is no specification for the calorie content," says Schubert.

Sugar substitutes or sweeteners

According to the Consumer Center, sugar is often replaced by other sweeteners in foods that are labeled as "sugar free".

Often you use for sugar substitutes or sweeteners.

While sweeteners are virtually calorie-free, sugar substitutes deliver two to four kilocalories (kcal) per gram.

For comparison, the energy content of table sugar is about four kilocalories per gram. (Ad)