How fattening is the nougat? Does the soft or hard nougat have more calories? What about the ones with chocolate chunks? Christmas is approaching and no matter how hard we try, it will be impossible not to be tempted to eat a nougat. Well, who says one, says a few: dinners with family, friends, work colleagues… And in all these gatherings nougat, marzipan, and sweets will be the undisputed protagonists.
But don’t worry: if you think you’ve been taking care of yourself all year for nothing, you just have to learn to enjoy it on the key days, always prioritizing the consumption of fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and eggs. You can savor it without guilt considering the serving size. As you already know, there are many kinds of nougats, the quintessential Christmas dessert, which is why it doesn’t hurt to know more or less how many calories each type has. For this reason we are going to carry out a caloric review of the most traditional nougats. Of course, do not focus only on calories, the important thing will always be the nutritional composition of the product. An advice? Do not forget to read the label to know the nutritional value in more detail.
The calories of nougat, the most typical Christmas sweet
- What would Christmas be without those typical and delicious sweets? Marzipans, cookies, polvorones and, of course, the nougat. It is a sweet whose origin is Arab, since the first writings where the nougat appears are from approximately the 11th century.
- Made with almonds, honey, sugar and eggs, the Christmas nougat has an average of 90 and 150 calories per serving of the product. That is, one tenth of a nougat tablet. And if the average calories we need per day are around 2,000-2,500, you’ll understand that it’s easier to go too far.
- Although it is true that the main recommendation is to look at the label of each product to read the ingredients in more detail, since each one is different, we are going to see below the calories that the best-known nougats have. Take note!
How fattening each traditional nougat
- If we are looking for the nougat that has the most calories, that is probably the soft one. It is a type of nougat that has around 134 calories per serving. In turn, it is the one with the most fat: 8.2 grams per serving, an amount that would increase even more if it has almonds with caramel.
- Following closely behind the soft nougat is the hard nougat. This type of nougat has 125 calories and about 6.5 grams of fat content per serving.
- In this sense, it should be noted that the soft nougat (known as Jijona nougat) and hard nougat (Alicante nougat) have a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication). This means that they are subject to certain very important quality requirements, for example the Alicante nougat (the hard one) must have a minimum of 10% honey and 60% almonds.
- The classic toasted yolk nougat, the one that the whole family likes, has about 120 calories and 6.5 grams of fat in each portion of nougat.
- Coconut nougat has about 110 calories and about 2 grams of fat more or less.
- We must not forget either the chocolate rice nougat that delights the little ones in the house. Did you know that it is one of the least caloric? Only 91.80. And we say just, because for a nougat it’s not bad at all. It is also the one with the least fat content since it has about 3 grams for every 25.
- As for the chocolate nougats, they will depend to a large extent on the brand it is and on the different nutritional values that you can read on its label. Generally, a chocolate almond nougat will have 573 calories per 100 grams, while a crunchy chocolate one will have about 503 calories per 100 grams.
- It should be noted that, in general, artisan nougats or those made at home are usually much healthier than industrial ones. So, if this Christmas you are concerned about the nutritional quality of this delicacy, you can also choose to make it yourself, using, for example, chocolate from 70% and sweetening with cinnamon or vanilla.
Nougat without sugar: is it less fattening than nougat with sugar?
- There are many who prefer not to skip the diet and buy a nougat that promises to be sugar-free. Now, is it really a good idea to buy this type of nougat? Are they really without sugar and, therefore, less fattening? The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) is clear: they have the same fate as nougats with sugar.
- It is true that these nougats lower sugar a lot, so they are recommended for those people who cannot eat this food, such as diabetics, since they have up to 91% less. But in terms of calories, these nougats have 11% fewer calories, so it is not recommended to abuse them like any other sweet.
- A sugar-free nougat may also contain additional fats to enhance its flavor. Therefore, the calories do not interfere with the fact that it is sugar-free. In fact, according to this Organization, they have a minimal difference between them.
Does eating nougat have any benefits?
- Given all the calories in normal nougats such as sugar-free nougats, you may have lost the desire to eat nougat this Christmas. However, it never hurts to eat this delicious sweet without abusing it, since it has many properties with great benefits for the body.
- Thus, the nougat contains proteins, carbohydrates and a high content of vitamins (B1, B2, C, AD and E). In addition, given its high almond content, nougats are usually very beneficial due to their great contribution of fiber and minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium.
- Well, now you know the calories in nougat, the next step is to forget about the figures that we just told you and remember that a healthy and balanced diet should be part of your daily life. Christmas is a special day to enjoy your loved ones, not to count calories. It is about enjoying the food of this time in a flexible way, without forgetting to maintain the rest of healthy habits such as physical exercise and rest.