Elaine Magee

The Recipe Doctor

From low-fat recipes to recipes designed for persons with diabetes, Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, shares recipes and advice to create healthy meals that are guaranteed to please. [Editor's note: Elaine no longer contributes to Silver Planet, but we have made her archived blog entries available as a service to our readers.]


Posted 05/12/2008

Gotta Have Chocolate?

By Elaine Magee, RD, MPH

Try Dark Chocolate M&M Peanuts!

It's all about the nuts. When you snack on a handful of Peanut M&Ms or Almond M&Ms, you’re getting a little bit of chocolate and a lot of peanuts or almonds. The nuts add some protein, fiber, and phytochemicals to the equation, translating into a more-lasting snack that isn't going to raise your blood sugar as much as another chocolate bar that mainly has chocolate and caramel and sweetened nougat.

If you're traveling and want to bring some chocolate along with you, Peanut M&Ms work like a charm. They travel well in your purse, briefcase, or carry-on baggage.

Okay, so let’s talk numbers.

They still do have some sugar—around 10 grams of sugar for a .75-ounce serving (half of a 1.5-ounce bag). Here’s the rest of what you’ll get if you eat half of a 1.5-ounce bag of Dark Chocolate M&M Peanuts:

  • 110 calories
  • 6 grams total fat
  • 2.2 grams saturated fat
  • 0 grams trans fat
  • 0 mg cholesterol
  • 1 gram fiber
  • 2 grams protein

I think one of the biggest benefits to getting your chocolate fix with Peanut M&Ms is that it seems to take a bit more time to eat a .75-ounce serving of them compared to, for example, the time it takes to eat a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, which has about the same amount of calories.

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
The Recipe Doctor Blog

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