Daily Dirt: 3 Musketeers? Milky Way? Baby Ruth? Might want to think again

This is not a good day for those with a sweet tooth …  Welcome to today’s three thoughts and Vol. 219 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Who doesn’t love a good candy bar to help reinvigorate a Monday afternoon?

I’m as guilty as the next guy, but I might want to reconsider some of my choices after checking over the following information from eatthis.com. The website has ranked the worst choices you can make when looking in that vending machine or eyeballing the candy supply at the checkout line in your favorite supermarket. The rankings are based on calories, grams of sugar and other things that are bad for you:

1. 3 Musketeers: “A 3 Musketeers bar is no friend to your health … Although it is slightly lower in calories than a few other contenders on this list, a full-sized 3 Musketeers bar comes in on top as the unhealthiest candy bar thanks to the whopping 36 grams of sugar in one serving,” writes Paige Bennett. “The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of 36 grams of sugar in a day for adult males and 25 grams for adult women, so a single 3 Musketeers bar blows your sugar budget for the day. Now imagine giving this candy bar to a child.”

2. Milky Way: The 31 grams of sugar in this candy bar is three times the amount of sugar you’d find in one glazed donut, according to eatthis.com.

3. Baby Ruth: “Baby Ruth candy bars have been a fan favorite since 1921,” Bennett said. “For nearly 100 years, kids and adults alike have enjoyed many a Baby Ruth. But this popular candy bar has one of the highest calorie counts (260) of all candy bars, and it’s definitely not skimping on sugar, either.”

4. Chocolate Pay Day: In 2020, Hershey’s launched this item, which includes more calories and grams of sugar than the original.

5. Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar: Mr. Goodbar joined the Hershey’s lineup in 1925 and was even marketed as a nutritional lunch option during the Great Depression because it includes peanuts. But even the peanuts pose a health problem—they are coated in fat and fried, eatthis.com reports.

6. Snickers: Another entry high in calories and sugar.

7. Twix: This candy bar includes one-fourth of your suggested daily fat intake.

8. Butterfinger: Corn syrup, sugar and palm oil help add up to 250 calories per candy bar.

9. Nestle Crunch: The only entry in the top 10 with rice, although that rice is chocolate-coated.

10. Dove: Smaller than most, but still calorie-packed.

2. Clint Eastwood is always a favorite of the Daily Dirt.

Today we’re ranking the top three movies when he played Det. Harry Callahan:

Gold medal: “Dirty Harry (1971),” the film that started it all and ranked the No. 51 movie of all-time by the American Film Institute.

Silver medal: “Sudden impact (1983),” which gave us the famous line, “Go ahead, make my day”.

Bronze medal: “Magnum Force (1973),” which showed Harry was as dirty as ever.

3. Here are my five favorite original songs whose covers were also successful, and which ones I prefer:

1. “Baby I Love You”: Both the Ronettes (original) and Andy Kim had major hits with this title, but Ronnie Spector rules.

2. “Always On My Mind”: The first recording of this was actually by Brenda Lee, but Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and the Pet Shop Boys all had very successful covers. My favorite? Gotta go with Willie.

3. “Baby I Need Your Lovin'”: The Four Tops (original) and Johnny Rivers both gave us tremendous takes on this in the mid-to-late 1960s. I prefer the soulful sounds of the late great Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops.

4. “I Will Always Love You”: Dolly Parton’s original was outstanding, but Whitney Houston’s remake was the stuff of legends.

5. “Pretty Flamingo”: Manfred Mann’s original was catchy, but Rod Stewart’s spin made it a classic.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Steve has been known to sing “Pretty Flamingo” in the shower.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He has six flamingo’s in the front yard of his summer home in the Hampton’s.