When most of us think about fudge, the first thought that comes to mind is how delicious this sweet treat is. The second thought, however, is probably how bad fudge is for you.
It’s definitely true that fudge is far from the healthiest food out there. In fact, fudge features on lists of the unhealthiest desserts, so if you’re looking for a tasty treat that you can eat in large quantities without compromising your health, fudge is not it.
However, you might be surprised to learn that fudge does actually have some health benefits.
Although fudge isn’t always considered healthy, it does in fact some have health benefits. Thanks to the antioxidants found in milk fat, fudge can help boost your immune system and prevent you from developing certain diseases. Plus when you make your own fudge it can free from additives and sugar.
Sure, they might not necessarily outweigh the negative impacts of some of this dessert’s main ingredients, but it’s worth knowing the subtle ways in which fudge can benefit you as well as the reasons why you should probably not eat it every day.
To find out more about the health benefits of fudge, keep reading!
How Fudge Can Benefit Your Health
Does fudge have any health benefits at all? The answer is yes. To be clear, we’re not saying that fudge is an amazing dietary choice, especially not the kind you buy from the store.
However, it’s worth noting that even though fudge is extremely high in fat, for example, there are some hidden benefits to consuming the specific type of fat that most fudge is made with.
Additionally, if you make fudge yourself at home or purchase handmade fudge, you’ll be able to enjoy fudge in moderation without so many of the negative health effects.
Some Fudge Is Free From Additives
Most of the fudge you can buy from the store is filled with additives to help preserve the fudge and make it last longer as well as enhancing the taste.
Since these additives are mostly artificial chemicals, they are not things you want to put in your body on a regular basis.
The good news is that if you stick to buying handmade fudge or decide to make your own, you can avoid all of these undesirable additives.
Since a lot of store-bought desserts contain additives of some kind, choosing small quantities of additive-free fudge over other dessert options from the store might actually be the better choice.
You Can Find Sugar-Free Fudge
Just as you can get or make fudge that doesn’t contain any additives, you can also find ways to ensure that your fudge is sugar-free.
Some fudge makers will produce sugar-free options for those who want to be more health-conscious, but if you make fudge yourself at home, you can make sure that it’s free from sugar.
There are 73 grams of sugar on average in 100 grams of fudge, which is a staggering amount and contributes a lot of the calorie content in every serving.
If you remove the sugar and replace it with your sweetener of choice, you’ll be lowering the calorie and refined sugar content of the fudge you eat and making it a much healthier option.
Once you’ve removed the additives and sugar from fudge, it becomes a healthier choice and the actual benefits (which we’re about to go into now) become more meaningful.
Milk Fat Contains Antioxidants
We all know that fudge is very high in fat. In fact, most of the calories in fudge come from fat, and a lot of it is saturated fat, which means it’s not the healthy type of fat that provides your body with essential fatty acids such as Omega 3.
However, the good news is that since most fudge, with the exception of dairy-free fudge, is made with milk, it contains beneficial antioxidants.
Milk fat contains antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10, vitamin A, conjugated linoleic acid, b-carotene and vitamin E.
All of these antioxidant compounds help to protect the cells in your body against the damaging effects of free radicals, and in doing so, they can help to boost your immune system and lower your risk of developing certain diseases, including some cancers and heart disease.
Why You Should Still Limit Your Fudge Consumption
So, we’ve demonstrated that fudge does have some health benefits.
The sugar and additive content can be drastically reduced or removed altogether while the antioxidants in the milk fat can have benefits for your immune system and reduce inflammation in the body.
But does that mean you should be consuming enormous quantities of fudge on a daily basis in the hopes of benefiting from the antioxidants in milk fat? Definitely not.
While consuming sugar-free fudge that doesn’t contain any additives means that your body can benefit from the antioxidants in milk fat without so many negative health effects from sugar and chemicals, you still need to consume fudge in moderation. Here’s why:
Saturated Fat
Even when you remove the sugar and additives, there’s one major component of fudge that won’t do you any favors when it comes to your health: fat.
As we mentioned earlier, while there are some health benefits associated with certain kinds of fat, fudge contains a very high amount of saturated fat.
In fact, a single square of fudge provides 10% of your daily saturated fat allowance.
Saturated fat is known for raising LDL cholesterol levels, which puts you at an increased risk of having a stroke or developing heart disease.
Calorie Content
Additionally, it’s important to remember that fat is higher in calories than the other macronutrients.
While it’s true that taking the refined sugar out of fudge will lower its overall calorie content, most of the calories will still remain due to the amount of fat.
For reference, there are 411 calories in 100 grams of regular fudge. 100 grams of sugar-free fudge still contains over 375 calories.
Therefore, regardless of whether your fudge is sugar-free or not, it’s not a great choice of dessert if you’re trying to avoid being in a calorie surplus for health reasons.
We’ve written a whole post about the how many calories are actually in fudge, check it out if you’re really curious!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Serving Size of Fudge?
If you love fudge but don’t want to compromise your health by eating too much of it, stick to the recommended portion size. One serving of fudge is about 42 grams.
Is Fudge Worse For You Than Chocolate?
Even sugar-free fudge is typically less healthy for you than chocolate. While both tend to be high in fat, chocolate contains more essential nutrients including iron, vitamin B12, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, fiber and zinc.
While fudge does contain antioxidants thanks to the milk fat, chocolate is also higher in flavonoids which have antioxidant properties.
Is Fudge Vegan-Friendly?
Most fudge is not suitable for vegans since it’s made with milk, which is an animal product. However, you can find dairy-free versions of fudge or make your own dairy-free fudge at home.
Check out our fudge recipe suitable for vegans!
Final Thoughts
Fudge, even when it’s sugar-free and free from additives, can’t be considered a healthy food. However, because it’s made with milk fat, it does contain some beneficial antioxidants.
The good news is, you don’t have to give up fudge to be healthy. All foods can fit in a healthy diet when consumed in moderation.
If you want to experience more of the health benefits of fudge with fewer negative effects, stick to the recommended 42 gram serving size and try making your own sugar-free, zero-additive fudge at home for a fun and delicious cooking project!
Need a sugar boost? Why not give these fudge recipes a try:
