Gummy bears are a popular snack choice for both children and adults. These sugary snacks don’t have much protein and aren’t very healthy. Side effects can even occur with sugar-free gummy Bears. Is it easy to make your own gummy bears and para que sirven los ositos de goma as healthy snacks?
Gummy Bear Nutrition Facts
Gummy bears are available in five flavors and colors.
- Lemon-flavored, yellow
- Orange flavored, orange
- Pineapple flavored, White
- Red Raspberry flavor,
- Strawberry flavored, green
These gummy bears are made primarily of:
- Glucose syrup, which is made from wheat or corn
- Sugar
- Gelatin
- Dextrose
Natural and artificial flavorings
Gummy bears have the same ingredients, regardless of their various colors and flavors. Gummy bears are 100 calories per piece (or 30g) and have 23 grams of carbs, 2 grams of protein, and 100 calories for each 13-piece portion. Gummy bears contain 14 grams of sugars per serving, which is more than 1 gram.
Sugar in Gummy Bears
Gummy bears are primarily made of sugar. Sugars have four calories per gram so most people should not consume more than 200 calories each day or 50 grams of sugars. Gummy bears contain 2g of protein per serve (which is from gelatin), but they are mostly empty calories.
If you don’t ingest any added sugars, you can eat multiple servings of gummy bears and still meet the FDA recommendation. A diet that includes more than 3.5 servings per day of gummy bears would be considered unhealthy.
Even if you eat in moderation, foods that contain corn syrup or wheat syrup can be harmful to your health. Corn syrup consumption is linked to an increase of risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.
Sugar-Free Gummy Bears
Manufacturers will usually make a sugar-free version of a product if the amount of sugar in it is too high. These sugar-free gummy bears are made with Lycasin, which is a hydrogenated syrup primarily made from maltitol. Sugar alcohols are found in many fruits and veggies, but they are also commercially available as sweeteners.
Sugar alcohols can be used in sugar-free products because they have fewer calories and react with blood glucose less. Your body can’t fully digest sugar alcohols such as maltitol like sugar. This is why they are processed differently. They don’t react to bacterial plaque in the mouth, which is another advantage.
Sugar alcohols can contain a variety of ingredients such as:
- Isomalt
- Erythritol
- Lactitol
- Maltitol
- Mannitol
- Sorbitol
- Xylitol
You may be thinking that sugar alcohols sound too good to be true.
Gummy Bear Recipes
Gummy bears are a familiar food for many people who grew up with them. If you are a healthy adult, however, you might not want to eat regular gummy bears. Gummy bears can be made tarter or tangier by adding a little bit of citric acid.
Gummy bear recipes are made in the same way as Jello. You mix gelatin with cold water. You’ll need to mix these ingredients and add your favorite flavors and sweeteners. Mix all ingredients together and heat until sweetener is dissolved. Pour the mixture into gelatin molds.
Just like Jello, you can place the mixture in a refrigerator or other cold environment until it solidifies. Making your own gummy bears is the best choice. You can make your own gummy bears and choose the best sweetener, or use vegan gelatin (agar).
