Halloween is just around the corner and that means one thing…. CANDY!

Most savvy mom’s are curious about what’s the best of the worst out there, especially the ones who have kids with allergies and food intolerances to many of the additives and food dyes. My best friend from college has a son who is so intolerant to FD&C Red #40 that he landed in the ER with a colitis diagnosis after Halloween binges on Twizzlers years ago. True story. In fact I’ve worked with a handful of mom’s who have children with severe reactions to food dye’s so it can be a concern this time of year.

With that in mind, I’ve compiled my Fun List of 10 Healthier Candy choices as natural as I could find, with no artificial colorings (just in case you have kids or family members with sensitive belly’s like my BFF from UGA).  

Did you catch my spooky Halloween episode last year on 11alive? I had a tabletop of YumEarth, Justin’s, Unreal and many of these brands that the television staff devoured, we handed out in the office, and for our local trick or treaters (without feeling guilt!).

Listed below are my top pics for pre-wrapped healthier candy options. Many are organic or Project Non-GMO, no artificial colors or dyes, vegan, fair trade certified, no high fructose corn syrup, responsibly-sourced ingredients snack-sized treats colored with vegetable dyes. Remember that the American Heart Association recommends that you limit your daily ADDED sugar intake to 25 grams for children and women, 36 grams for men.  Enjoy responsibly and keep your intake moderate. Naturally occurring sugar in fruit, vegetables, plain dairy does not count towards your intake of added sugars (found in candy, bakery goods, protein bars, protein powders, soft drinks, tomato sauce, salad dressings, flavored yogurts and yogurt drinks, etc.).

Here are some of my fave’s if you want to add candy into your dietary choices during the Halloween holiday:

1. YumEarth Candy Corn (10 snack packs) or (24 Halloween snack packs) Shiba Russell from 11alive loves candy corn and she wanted to sample on the air. While they don’t taste like the original candy corn, likely due to the super sweet high fructose corn syrup, these are a good alternative and portion sized for a guilt-free Halloween. I love YumEarth products because they are organic, vegan, gluten free, Non-GMO Project verified, Kosher Pareve, and most are free from top allergens: no egg, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree-nuts and gluten (contains annatto) ** TOP TIP: always check the ingredient labels since ingredient formulas can change

2. YumEarth Organic Hard Candies our patients and staff at AMC gave these the thumbs up. Organic, Vegan, Gluten Free, Non-GMO Project verified, Kosher Pareve, free from top allergens: no egg, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree-nuts and gluten (contains annatto). Flavors may include: Pomegranate Pucker, Mango Tango, Wet-face Watermelon, Perfectly Peach, Strawberry Smash, Very Very Cherry.

3. Black Forest Organic Sour Heads (24 count) Sweet and sour gummy candy in spooky shapes including werewolf heads, ghosts, skulls and vampire heads in an assortment of lemon, fruit punch, lime, orange and raspberry flavors.

4. Unreal Milk Chocolates Gems (20 count) like M&M’s but made with Fair Trade Certified, responsibly-sourced ingredients, Non-GMO Project Verified & nothing artificial. The Unreal Gems are 6 grams of added sugar per serving so pretty guilt-free; less then an 8 oz serving of my favorite watermelon kombucha!

5. Unreal Dark Chocolate Crisp Cups (20 count) like the gems, these Made with Fair Trade Certified, responsibly-sourced ingredients, Non-GMO Project Verified & nothing artificial. The Unreal Gems are 6 grams of added sugar per serving so pretty guilt-free; less then an 8 oz serving of my favorite watermelon kombucha!

6. Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (pack of 12) OR Justin’s Organic Mini Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Justin’s has my heart on sooo many levels and the staff at 11alive were fighting over the bags of the mini peanut butter cups (ugh I was hoping to take them home myself!). Justin’s is respectful of the environment (swoon), their community, and pledge to make a difference. Certified organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa, gluten-free, Non-GMO, Orangutan Friendly Responsibly Sourced Palm Oil (RSPO) Certified Mass Balance Palm Oil + Cheyenne Mountain Zoo approved orangutan friendly palm oil THANK YOU JUSTIN’S!!! If you are milk chocolate peanut butter cup fan you can purchase at Whole Foods or Amazon but they typically sell out around Halloween. Go for the dark chocolate, it has more antioxidants and is heart healthy!

7. YumEarth Gummy Bears (50 snack pack) or (10 snack pack ) These gummy bears are flavored with real fruit juice and colored with carrot, blueberry, and purple carrot concentrate as well as saffron which is NOT cheap. If your children are sensitive these are safe because they are not made with artificial colors or flavors. Most YumEarth candies are vegan; the gummy bears/worms are not vegan since they are made with gelatin. Flavors may include: Pomegranate Pucker, Mango Tango, Perfectly Peach, Strawberry Smash.

8. YumEarth Assorted Organic Lollipops (50 pack) USDA Organic, Vegan, Gluten Free, Non-GMO Project verified, Kosher Pareve, free from top allergens: no egg, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree-nuts and gluten (contains annatto). Flavors Include: Pomegranate Pucker, Wet-Face Watermelon, Strawberry Smash, Googly Grape, Very Very Cherry, Perfectly Peach, Razzmatazz Berry, Mango Tango. If you love lolli’s this is for you!

9. Lovely Organic Lollipops (40 count) Consciously crafted with fun flavors like Mango, Grape, Strawberry and Pomegranate they are organic, vegan, gluten-free, Non-GMO, Kosher, cruelty0free and don’t have HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) for artificial ingredients. They offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee to sweeten the deal!

10. Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks (24 variety pack) is certified organic, gluten-free, vegan, 100% daily value of vitamin C, no artificial flavors, synthetic colors, preservatives, or high-fructose corn syrup. Organic fruit bites value pack that comes in 4 assorted flavors (Berry Patch, Summer Strawberry, Sunny Citrus, Tropical Treat). I have some adult clients who love to have these as a snack option as well. After all we’re just adult kids at heart!

Many of my mom client’s confess to really struggling during Halloween and mindless eating with all the candy around the house to cope with stress. If this is you, I’d love you to join my Making Peace With Food retreat on November 10, 2018 to learn the valuable skills, tips and tricks to be able to have trigger foods in the house without it calling your name 24/7. I promise, double pinky swear, it’s possible….

Happy Halloween!

Jennifer

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