Russell Stover sugar free candies are candies sweetened with stevia extract, polydextrose maltitol, and maltitol syrup. The Russell Stover Chocolates is an American company that produces supplies of candy, chocolate, and confections. The company was founded in 1923 by Russell and his wife, Clara Stover, but it didn’t start out as a candy company.
It was first created as a company that created chocolate-covered ice cream under the name Mrs. Stover’s Bungalow Candies. As the company continued to experience rapid growth, they opened an ice cream parlor, a drive-in store, and an ice cream factory. The company’s name was officially changed to Russell Stover Candies in 1943, and in 1960 the company was open to public trade.
For years, Russell Stover has been known for making some of the best regular and sugar-free chocolate in the world, and for the last 10–12 years, they have made their sugar-free chocolate with a combination of maltitol and sucralose (Splenda), and it has become the industry standard until now. The company makes 3 oz. to 3.5 oz. bags of individually wrapped pieces of wonderful sugar-free Russell Stover candies sweetened with Stevia and maltitol.
You won’t even be able to tell that these are sugar-free and you’ll love the perfect mix of sugar-free chocolate and other ingredients. If you love assorted milk chocolate candies and dark chocolate candies and have enjoyed Dove, Mars, Ferrero Rocher, Nestle, and Toblerone, then you’ll love Russell Stover sugar free candies.
IS RUSSELL STOVER SUGAR FREE CANDIES KETO FRIENDLY?
Russell Stover sugar free candies aren’t the best option if you are on a keto diet as the primary ingredient in these candies is maltitol. Maltitol is a sugar alcohol, but it’s not a keto-friendly one like stevia or even erythritol. Maltitol’s glycemic index is 36, so it causes an increase in blood sugar levels and can interfere with ketosis.
Read Also: Mini Cucumber Calories: 8 Health Benefits, Nutritional Fact & More
While Russell Stover sugar free candies are technically sugar-free, in this case, doesn’t mean that they are carb-free or that they are keto-friendly. The products are sucrose-free, but they still contain sugar alcohol, and not the kind that doesn’t affect blood sugar, but the one with the highest glycemic index, maltitol. As a primary ingredient, maltitol is a sugar alcohol, but it’s not a keto-friendly one like stevia or even erythritol, and it has a glycemic index of 36.
These candies are not keto-friendly as they will spike blood sugar levels. However, If you are on a low-carb diet and do not mind processed foods, and you want to satisfy your sweet tooth with candies that have less carbs than regular candies, then you can eat them, but keep in mind that 2-3 servings contain 16-24 grams of net carbs. Moreover, they may be useful in diet only on the advice of a physician.
HOW MANY TYPES OF CHOCOLATE DOES RUSSELL STOVER SUGAR FREE CANDIES LINE HAVE
Russell Stover Chocolates has been making dark chocolate candies and milk chocolate candies, a variety of hard candies, and chewy stevia-sweetened candies for almost a century. Russell Stover Sugar-free Chocolates has 10 different types of products and those are Assorted Chocolates, Chocolate Candy, Dark Chocolate, Caramel and Toffee, Nuts and Peanut Butter, Coconut, Mints, Creams, Truffles, Hard Candies and Jelly Beans.
RUSSELL STOVER SUGAR FREE CANDIES: COCONUT FLAVOR
Russell Stover sugar free candies, coconut-flavored Covered In Chocolate Candy (3 pieces) contains 28g total carbs, 0g net carbs, 10g fat, 2g protein, and 170 calories. These delightful coconut candies covered in chocolate have the crisp and the airy sweetness of regular coconut, yet are entirely sugar-free because they‘re made with Stevia.
RUSSELL STOVER SUGAR FREE CANDY: COCONUT FLAVOR INGREDIENTS
Maltitol Syrup, Chocolate Candy {Maltitol, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla, Salt, Rubina (Stevia Extract)}, Coconut with Sodium Met bisulfite (Preserves Whiteness), Chocolate, Sodium Caseinate (Milk), Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Sorbitol, Salt, and Natural Flavors.
1. Maltitol: Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that is commonly used as a sweetener. It has 70–90% of the sweetness of table sugar. But, even though it is a sugar alcohol, maltitol has the highest glycemic index of all sugar alcohols, which is 36 for maltitol powder and 52 for maltitol syrup. The glycemic index is a number from 0–100, with 100 being pure glucose. This number is assigned to food, and it represents the relative rise in glucose in the blood (blood sugar level) after two hours of consuming the food.
2. Polydextrose: Polydextrose is a synthetic polymer of glucose and it is classified as a soluble fiber by the FDA. It is used in the food industry for its texture and as a sweetener, but it is only partially fermented and minimally absorbed in the gut. As such, it doesn’t have much nutritional value.
3. Stevia leaf extract: This is a plant-based sweetener that is used as a common substitute for table sugar, and it is 30–150 times sweeter than table sugar. Its sweetness comes from the active ingredients it contains called steviol glycosides. Stevia is particularly common in sugar-free and carbohydrate-free products because the active ingredient it has can not be metabolized by the body, so stevia has no calories and no carbs.
RUSSELL STOVER SUGAR FREE CANDIES: NUTRITION FACT
Russell Stover sugar-free candies have a nutrition label that’s very enticing to a wide variety of customers. Each serving contains 20g of total carbs, but 17g comes from sugar alcohols and 1g comes from fiber. Serving Size: 2.00 pieces(28g). The amount per serving is 110 calories. Calories from Fat 0.
Percentage Daily Value
- Total Fat: 6g__8%
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g ___23%
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg___0%
- Total Carbohydrate: 20g___7%
- Sodium: 30mg ___1%
- Potassium: 54mg___2%
- Dietary Fiber: 1g___4%
- Total Sugars: 0g
- Sugar Alcohol: 17g
- Added Sugars: 0g___0%
- Protein: 1g
- Iron: 0.5mg 2%
- Vitamin D: 0 mcg 0%
- Calcium: 2mg___0%
- Sugar Free: 0
P.S: Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
PREPARATION INSTRUCTION
Follow the instructions below for the best way to get your Russell Stover sugar free candies ready for consumption.
- See nutrition facts for saturated fat content.
- Not a low calorie food.
- Excessive consumption may cause a laxative effect.
This product may be useful in the diet of diabetics on the advice of a physician.
HOW MANY CARBS ARE IN A CAN OF RUSSELL STOVER SUGAR FREE CANDY
Russell Stover sugar free candies (2 pieces) contain 17g total carbs, 16g net carbs, 8g fat, 2g protein, and 140 calories.
RUSSELL STOVER SUGAR FREE CANDIES WHERE TO BUY.
You can buy Russell Stover Sugar Free products in common retail or grocery stores. Aside from this, you can also find them online on their official site or sites like Amazon.com.
CONCLUSION
Russell Stover is popularly recognized as the #1 manufacturer of sugar free assorted chocolates in America. Russell Stover has been crafting delicious treats, candies, made in small batches with the finest ingredients, for nearly a century. To sum it all up, consuming Russell Stover Sugar Free products is definitely not recommended when you are following a keto diet as their products contain ingredients that may likely affect blood sugar levels even though they are technically sugar free.