Nutella is the posterchild of nutrition loopholes.

People happily spread the good stuff on morning toast, or virtually anything that makes somewhat sense. It’s marketed as relatively healthy, so why not get your chocolate fix without risking the extra poundage?

Unfortunately, the hazelnut spread that everyone’s nutty about isn’t what it seems – Nutella just isn’t that healthy for you. In fact, you may be better off eating a regular candy bar for breakfast (don’t do that though – try these healthy breakfast ideas instead).

A jar of Nutella is comprised of just five ingredients – cocoa, palm oil, hazelnuts, sugar, and skimmed milk powder. And while the splendid spread has no artificial colours or preservatives – which advertisers made sure you’re aware of – what they don’t detail is the fact that more than half the jar is pure sugar.

Related: The Great American Controversy – Is Nutella a dessert, or a jam?

The nutrition label translates to each jar containing 21 grams of sugar per 37 grams of spread. If that isn’t bad enough, the second most prevalent ingredient is palm oil – which is just solid fat. So, in actuality, you aren’t getting much of those healthy hazelnuts.

This somewhat falls in line with Ferrero’s marketing message for Nutella:

‘One of Ferrero’s core nutritional beliefs is that small portion sizes help people to enjoy their favourite foods in moderation. The labelling on all our products enables consumers to make informed choices and helps ensure that Nutella can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.’

So, if you still can’t stop spreading Nutella on your breakfast, at least be mindful of your portion sizes.

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