Who else wants to eat candy bars and still feel good about themselves?

Today’s joggle was a 10-miler down by Lake Michigan. It was a good run (not great) but I finished it in 84 minutes. The best part were the people. I got lots of smiles and kind comments as a joggled by. The worst part was a big black pick-up truck that came 2 inches from hitting me. Blasted big cars and their cell-phone talking drivers. The incident was responsible for the only drop of the joggle. A bit of advice: when you are joggling watch out for vehicles!

The weather was warm and muggy so I got pretty drenched. There’s something about these Brooks Adrenalines that absorb water more than any other running shoe I’ve ever owned. That means they also stink more than any shoe I’ve ever owned. That will definitely be going in the review.

A trip to the local Walgreens to pickup a Gatorade and a candy bar was next. The choice of candy bars is so vast that it made me wonder, what is the best one to choose?

Here is my ranking of the best candy bars to choose after a long run. I’ll stick with mainstream candy bars that you can get at any local American drugstore. Apologies to my international audience.

Candy bars were ranked and scored on the following categories, Calories (50%), Taste (25%), Fat content (5%), Salt (10%), Cholesterol (5%), Fiber (5%)

Average candy bar stats = (cal 235, taste 3, fat 11g, salt 80mg, chol 3.5mg, fib 1.1g)

10. Peanut M & M’s – stats (cal 250, taste 4, fat 13g, salt 25mg, chol 5mg, fib 2g)

Of the two main types of M&M’s these are the best. Nutritionally, they are put over the top because they taste better. With the high level of calories these babies just squeak into the top 10.

9. Mounds – stats (cal 240, taste 3, fat 13g, salt 70mg, chol 0mg, fib 2g)

While high in calories and lower in taste than the sister Almond Joy candy bar, the Mounds edges onto the list because of its lack of cholesterol and relatively high fiber. The average candy bar has 3mg of cholesterol.

8. Nestle Crunch – stats (cal 230, taste 3, fat 12g, salt 65mg, chol 4mg, fib 1g)

Lower fat and calories help make the Crunch bar the number eight bar on our list. For an after-run snack you’d like to have a little more salt but this bar will work.

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7. Hershey’s with almonds – stats (cal 230, taste 4, fat 14g, salt 35mg, chol 5mg, fib 1g)

This is a great candy bar and with its slightly lower than average calorie content and higher taste it is a good choice candy bar.

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6. Rolo – stats (cal 210, taste 3, fat 9g, salt 80mg, chol 6mg, fib 0g)

Rolos rank high because of their relatively low calorie content and low fat. The 6 mg of cholesterol is a bit high but for a joggler who runs 40 to 50 miles a week, you can handle it. One of the pluses of these is that they are single pieces instead of an entire candy bar. You could eat a couple and stop when you are full. Then you could save them for later.

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5. Almond Joy – stats (cal 240, taste 4, fat 13g, salt 65mg, chol 0mg, fib 2g)

With no cholesterol, higher fiber the Almond Joy weighs in at number 5. It beats out Mounds on taste. It also has the advantage of being sold as 2 pieces so you can eat one and save the other for later. I wouldn’t do this (love coconut) but you can if you want.

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4. Reese’s PB Cup – stats (cal 240, taste 4, fat 14g, salt 150mg, chol 3mg, fib 1g)

After a long run you want to replenish your salt levels? Well, the Reese’s PB Cup is for you. This candy packs a whopping 150 mg of salt, twice that of the average candy bar. And with its peanut buttery taste, this one is great. An excellent choice after a long run.

3. Junior Mints – stats (cal 180, taste 2, fat 3g, salt 10mg, chol 0mg, fib 1g)

These little minty, chocolate beauties have the lowest calorie content, the lowest fat, cholesterol and salt of everything on this list. Too bad they lose points with taste. These things are boring and not too satisfying. But for the nutritional content, they are tough to beat.

2. 100 Grand Bar – stats (cal 190, taste 3, fat 8g, salt 75mg, chol 5mg, fib 0g)

This is my most common choice for a post-run candy bar. With a mere 190 calories (and I’ve seen them at 180), this tastey morsel rises just short of number one. The taste is pretty good and the salt level is good for replenishment. Sure the cholesterol is a bit high but you’re a runner, you can handle a little cholesterol in your diet.

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1. York Peppermint Patty – stats (cal 160, taste 2, fat 3g, salt 10mg, chol 0mg, fib 0.75g)

Here’s the best choice for anyone who wants to eat a healthy, mainstream candy bar. You can’t beat these patties for the number of calories, the low fat, low cholesterol and even low salt. If these things tasted better there wouldn’t even be a question of eating these everytime. But the taste is a little boring after awhile so I choose the 100 Grand bar more often. Still, for healthy eating, the York Peppermint Patty is king.

Where did some of your favorites that didn’t make the list rank?

12. Snickers – Too many calories despite the highest taste ranking.

13. Payday – Done in by the calories.

16. Butterfinger – High calories and an average taste.

18. Twix – High calories & fat. Although, if you only ate half it would score better.

20. Milky Way – With all these calories it sure as hell should taste better.

Check out this for a complete listing of candy bar nutritional information.