If you’re anything like me, you love your candy as much as your bodybuilding. But let’s be honest, the two don’t really go too well together. Or do they? The truth is, so long as you have the rest of your diet dialed in and you time your consumption, the odd bit of candy here and there shouldn’t prevent you from the lean chiseled physique you’ve always wanted. Calories in, calories out of course. And if you’re on a bulk, then that equation is slightly different, as we all know.
Nevertheless, I decided to to research the market to find the best candies for bodybuilding; whether you’re on a cheat day or you’re looking for that additional insulin spike!
Best Candy For Bodybuilders
Haribo Gold Bears
Haribo Gold Bears are not only delicious, but they will do a great job at refilling that depleted muscle glycogen.
I’m a big fan of the individual packets, as they are easy to throw in a gym bag and transport.
Being in a small-enough serving size they’ll also save you from yourself!
Ideal time to eat: pre-workout, intra-workout, post-workout.
Gummy Worms
Gummy worms are another brilliant option.
These ones in particular are great they’re organic, and the ingredient list is minimal.
Plus, you get 12 packets from this particular listing meaning they are ready to be taken with you and already portioned-out.
- SO JUICY. SO GOOD: No need to get squirmy, Black Forest Organic Gummy Worms are made with real fruit juice! Dirt not included. Fat-free & gluten-free, each organic gummy worm is as delicious as the last.
- Product Note: Exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of product. Hence customers are expected to be available during the product delivery
- BLACK FOREST GUMMY WORMS: Our gummy worms will squirm their way to the top of your snack list faster then you can eat them! Made with real fruit juice, these juicy earth worms are even sweeter shared.
- GET YOUR ORGANIC CANDY ON: From coloring to flavoring, our organic gummies & organic fruit-flavored chews are USDA certified organic candy—we mean it! Plus, organic gummies are certified gluten-free!
- TASTE THE DIFFERENCE: What makes Black Forest gummies, fruit chews, & fruit snacks so good? Our classic & organic snacks have real fruit juice, so each gummy bear, chew, or fruit snack is soft, chewy, & fruity.
Ideal time to eat: pre-workout, intra-workout, post-workout.
Lifesavers
These hard candies are absolutely brilliant.
You can pop a packet in your gym shorts and suck these throughout your session.
They are great for intra-workout, topping you up with energy while you train intensly.
Better still they make your mouth and breath smell great too!
- Contains one (1) 50-ounce party size bag of LIFE SAVERS 5 Flavor Hard Candy
- LIFE SAVERS Hard Candy features: cherry, raspberry, watermelon, orange and pineapple
- Brighten up candy buffets and fill piñatas with Fruity LIFE SAVERS Hard Candies
- Stock the office pantry with the LIFE SAVERS Hard Candy
- Perfect for parties and movie night treats
Ideal time to eat: pre-workout, intra-workout, post-workout.
Tom & Luke Original Dark Chocolate Snackaballs
If you love your chocolate, than these dark chocolate snackballs could be what you are looking for.
They have some of the cleanest ingredients I have ever seen, being make only from dates, unsweetened chocolate, desiccated coconut, natural vanilla and salt.
They are a great source of minerals too; being particularly high in magnesium, potassium and calcium; all of which are crucial for recovery.
You get 6 individual packs with this particular order!
Plus they not only taste delicious, but are naturally vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and non-GMO, so you should be able to digest them well!
Ideal time to eat: post-workout (pre-bed).
Lemonhead Candy
These refreshing lemon-flavored individually wrapped candies are another brilliant option.
They are ideal just before or after a gym session, before you get a chance to take in a larger meal.
With a little bit of sour they also hit the spot meaning you shouldn’t be tempted in eating too many!
- Lemonhead candy: Round and lemony good, with a hard candy core inside a soft shell, Lemonheads are the original lemon candy, made with real lemon juice; Taste the power of sour
- Product Note: Exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of product. Hence customers are expected to be available during the product delivery
- Perfect for sharing: Lemonheads are perfect for parties or special events use them as decorations and party favors; These fantastic sweet & sour candies will be gone before you know it
- Individually wrapped: These Lemonheads are individually packaged, making them a perfect treat to share with friends, family and coworkers; They're great for parties, your candy dish and anytime snacking
- Great for all occasions: Whether you're filling Easter candy baskets, birthday swag bags, handing out candy to trick or treaters, or just craving a sweet treat, this classic candy is sure to please
Pelon Pelo Rico Jelly Candy
These individual bottles of jelly candy by Hershey’s are perfect for consuming on the go.
You can quickly knock these back, regardless of when you need that sugar-spike. You could quickly drink one in the car, train, bus or when walking to the gym.
These squeezy bottles are essentially the candy equivalent of energy gels often used in cycling and other sports!
You get 36 in this particular listing, so that’s over a month of hard training!
- Thirty-six 1.06 oz bottles of LORENA-PELON PELON PELO RICO Tamarind Jelly Candy
- Include this tamarind-flavored jelly in gift baskets and birthday party gift bags to add something delicious and unique
- Bulk tamarind candy packaged in squeezable bottles that make eating your candy more fun than ever before
- Use LORENA-PELON candy for filling birthday and retirement party dessert tables or bridal and baby shower candy dishes
- A fun, squeezable tamarind candy with a pleasantly spicy flavor, which is sure to be unlike any candy you've had before, perfect as Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and Halloween candy
Ideal time to eat: pre-workout, intra-workout, post-workout.
Jelly Belly Sugar Free
On a cut/diet and looking for a lower-sugar candy? Well these Jelly Belly’s could be what you are looking for.
They are sweetened with Stevia (a safe sweetener) and you get ten different flavors in this particular product that you can enjoy guilt-free, including:
- Buttered Popcorn,
- Cherry,
- Green Apple,
- Juicy Pear,
- Lemon,
- Licorice,
- Pineapple,
- Sizzling Cinnamon,
- Strawberry
- Tangerine.
- These delicious Jelly Beans are a reduced calorie snack and are sweetened with Splenda.
- 10 Assorted sugar-free flavors: Buttered Popcorn, Cherry, Green Apple, Juicy Pear, Lemon, Licorice, Pineapple, Sizzling Cinnamon, Strawberry and Tangerine.
- All sugar-free jelly beans by Jelly Belly are certified OU Kosher by the Orthodox Union.
Ideal time to eat: post-workout, pre-bed or throughout the day.
Twizzlers Sugar-Free Strawberry Twists
For those who love a Twizzler or two, why not opt for the sugar-free option?
Again these are a ‘healthier’ option which will not likely provide you the benefits of higher-sugar candies, but they are ideal if you are trying to control or stabilize your blood sugar, you’re in a cutting phase, or are counting calories in general.
No products found.
Ideal time to eat: pre-workout, post-workout.
What Candy Is Good For Bodybuilding?
Candy that is good for bodybuilding is ideally high sugar, low-fat, or higher-fat, low sugar. Ideally, you do not want to combine these two macronutrients together.
At the same time, the best candies for bodybuilding are usually individually wrapped, meaning that you can more easily control serving sizes and not overconsume candy at expense of other crucial protein/carbohydrates and fats you need to get in.
Can Bodybuilders Have Candy?
Bodybuilders can have candy and it does serve its uses, from increasing calorie intake, energy and providing a post-working insulin spike to help fuel recovery and muscle growth. However, candy should be eaten in limited quantities and included in a nutrient-dense diet with a focus on protein.
In reality, candy is not ideal for bodybuilders.
There are certainly better foods out there.
Whether it’s low-glycemic carbs that will provide great blood sugar control, proteins that provide the building blocks for growth, or fats for healthy hormone production.
That being said, candy can be eaten if done so mindfully.
The key is having a small amount at a time, not routinely and timing consumption accordingly.
Is Candy Good For Muscle Growth?
Candy can be good for muscle growth, so long as you choose the right candy and eat it alongside or in a diet that is sufficiently high in protein.
In other words, candy can help to drive protein and other important nutrients to muscles.
Candy is great for this, as the high amounts of glucose/fructose will raise insulin and cause what is known as an insulin spike.
Typically in bodybuilding, this is achieved via fruits, and sufficient carbohydrate intake (from oatmeal, potatoes, yams, rice etc.).
Now, while these also provide other vitamins and minerals, they are often higher in fiber and ultimately do not provide the same level of insulin spike that candy can.
Hence, candy certainly can have its place, and in some ways, can even be more beneficial during certain times.
When Is The Best Time To Eat Candy When Bodybuilding
The best time to eat candy when bodybuilding is either directly before a workout (or the 30 minutes leading up to it), or immediately post-workout in your recovery meal.
Pre-Workout
Prior to your workout, you are going to want to intake easily-digested foods to provide you with the energy to fuel your workout.
Fruits are great here, but candy can be even better due to the low fiber content and the quick digestion.
Intra-Workout
Intra-workout (or in the middle of the workout) when you start to fatigue, candy can be used to give you some extra energy to push through and force out a few more reps.
Again, you don’t want to consume any foods that are difficult to eat, require digestion or are generally just hassle.
Candy can be perfect to quickly consume – being small, lightweight and high in quickly-absorbing carbohydrates.
Post Workout
Immediately post-workout is a fantastic time to consume candy. Even better if you can do so along with some protein, such as whey or a protein shake.
It is at this time that your muscles are crying out for nutrients to begin repair.
Your muscles will also soak up the sugar, replenishing muscle glycogen and fueling recovery.
Diet Break
It’s tough to follow a bodybuilding-diet year-round. It can get boring, tedious and you can even see your progress tall.
Taking a diet-break for 1-2 weeks a year can be great from both a psychological and physical perspective.
Candy is a great treat, can help you to increase your calorie intake (which make be needed if you were on a cut or an extended fat-loss plan), and is generally enjoyable to consume.
Finally
Candy is not the best food for bodybuilding – at least if it is eaten in abundance or if in place of important other foods in the diet.
Besides, it is ultimately just sugar, and most candies do not contain much if any nutrition.
That being said, candy can have its place.
And it can be beneficial if consumed sparingly and better still, eaten at certain times.
Hopefully, the eight recommendations presented to you here today help to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours without derailing all your hard efforts!
Hello, I’m Matthew, a candy expert and enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the candy industry. My passion for candy started at a very young age. Since then, I have worked in numerous, large candy stores, and have been fortunate enough to try out hundreds of brands of candies, different types and flavors. In addition to my work, I enjoy sharing my extensive knowledge with others, and decided to create Sugar Stand in order to do so. My mission is to make the world a sweeter place, one candy at a time.
