This is how many calories are in your Sinterklaas snacks
Snacking with Sinterklaas is one of the best things there is. First of all, it’s very nostalgic, because you probably remember sitting on the floor at school or at one of your parents' work parties, while all the helpers walked in throwing handfuls of candy right into your lap. Oh, how I stuffed myself with all those marshmallows and ginger nuts. Those things are so delicious, so it’s very tempting to flop down on the couch during these cold months and nibble on a bowl of those treats. But did you know that some of that candy actually contains a lot of calories? Just check which snack fits best with your fit girl journey.
Oh, before we start, I have good news: many of these snacks are considered daily choices according to the Nutrition Center. So you can really snack on them every day, in moderation.
1. marshmallows
You know them: those light pink, yellow, and white marshmallows in all sorts of shapes. They are soft and almost melt in your mouth. If anything gives you the ultimate Sinterklaas feeling, it’s these. I remember always trying to fish the marshmallows and other candies out from all the ginger nuts. That’s what you did it for. Personally, I don’t eat a bag of them anymore, but I can imagine you really want these sugar lumps in your candy jar. Does it fit into your diet? In principle, yes. If you want to reduce sugar, no, because these things are literally made purely from sugar, glucose syrup, and dextrose – so that won’t work for you. But this is something to fit within your calorie count. In 1 marshmallow, there are 15 calories, so that’s not too bad.
2. ginger nuts
As a young adult, I think this is the tastiest of all Sinterklaas candy. I find the marshmallows too sweet and you’ve seen a chocolate letter after a few bites, but these? These are perfect. Crunchy, lightly sweet. They satisfy those cravings every time December 5th approaches. And let’s be honest: who isn’t a fan of these things? In elementary school, I already baked these with the toddlers, so this is ingrained in me. 1 handful of ginger nuts (10 pieces) is 75 calories, so that’s not a drama either. Feel free to grab two handfuls and call it a day. This way, you stay on track. When you start eating all those flavored ones with chocolate layers, there’s definitely more sugar and more calories in them. That’s an extra 2.7 kcal per chocolate ginger nut.
3. pepper nuts
Huh? Didn’t we already discuss those? Yes, you might think so, but pepper nuts and ginger nuts are actually two different things. I must admit that some time ago I also thought these were the same snacks, but ‘that was not the case’. Although we have collectively started calling the ginger nut pepper nut in common language, there is a difference: ginger nuts are those small crunchy nuts I just mentioned. Pepper nuts are soft, cube-like balls. They are larger than ginger nuts and resemble a chewy candy more than a ginger nut. But remember: these have a bit more calories than their relative. In 1 pepper nut, there are 10.6 calories, which is 5.75 kcal more per pepper nut than a ginger nut. So although both pepper and ginger nuts are daily choices, you’d better eat the ginger nut.
4. pastry stick
Are you a fan of almond paste? Then a pastry stick can always work for you. I’m not such a fan, but one piece can’t hurt. Especially when it’s warm. I’m already getting hungry just thinking about it. When you devour this with Sinterklaas, I must warn you… In one piece of 60 grams, there are already 235 calories. Yes. Seriously. In that mini snack, there are as many calories as in a medium-sized chocolate muffin. So it won’t surprise you that this is considered a weekly choice according to the Nutrition Center and not a daily snack.
5. chocolate letter
As a child, I probably looked forward to this the most: finding a chocolate letter in the shape of a large ‘L’ in my shoe. With chocolate, you can never go wrong with me, so I’m curious: how many calories are actually in such a letter? Well, my dear, innocent reader. I know you love chocolate, but there are really quite a few kcal in it. In one piece of 25 grams, there are already 137 calories. And let’s be honest: you’re going to eat more than just one piece of that bar, so yes: this doesn’t fit into your diet every day.
6. filled speculaas
This is going to be a tough one. Literally and figuratively, because such filled speculaas is already heavy by itself, so it’s not such a strange idea that there are many calories in it. With all that paste, this is a calorie bomb. That makes it delicious, of course, but not really good. In 1 small piece of 25 grams, there are already 110 calories.
7. chewy candy
Is there anything you can snack on every day then? Yes, certainly. Chewy candy. This is my mother’s absolute favorite and I understand why. The spicy flavor combined with that chewy texture is a recipe for success. I can easily eat a whole bag – which isn’t so good – but it’s better for you than a chocolate letter. Where you have one piece of that for 137 kcal, you can eat 2 chewy candies for the same intake, because one contains 71 calories. Look, that’s good news.
9. chocolate coins
If there’s something that often ends up in your Sinterklaas goodie bag, it’s chocolate coins. These are really the kind of things you don’t grab right away, but once you start, you can’t stop. I don’t know what they put in that chocolate, but this is one of the tastiest chocolates I’ve ever had. You just keep eating them. Still, there are 31.5 calories in 1 coin, so it’s not really good for your figure.
10. marzipan
Okay, okay, I know: marzipan comes in all shapes and sizes. Because of that, the amount of calories per snack can vary. In a piece of Sinterklaas marzipan from La Place there are already 430 calories in 150 grams. That’s really insane. Or take these marzipan fruit pieces from the HEMA: in 100 grams, there are already 432 calories and since there are 5 pieces in it, you quickly end up with more than 80 calories . So really save these for December 5th only.. 11. frogs and mice.
Do you remember these? For me, this is really a throwback. We had them on the table every year with Sinterklaas: those chocolate frogs and mice wrapped in printed silver paper. I thought that was the best part; that cute packaging. The mice wore skirts and the frogs wore bikinis. Those pink and green colors really caught my attention as a child. And no, this is not a mass-produced chocolate frog like the ones from
. These are filled with fondant. Harry Potter. Deze zijn gevuld met fondant. In one such little creature of 16 grams, there are 64 calories, so that's quite a lot for such a small thing.
So. Which snacks are best to eat on December 5th?
You might not be surprised, but the absolute best are the spiced nuts. There are only 7.5 calories per spiced nut. In second place are the ginger nuts with 10.6 calories, and third place goes to the meringues with 15 calories.
So you can just eat the well-known trio – don't worry. Save the others for the weekend.
