Want Healthier Halloween Treats? Try Organic Halloween Candy

This Halloween, instead of the usual treats, try organic Halloween candy. Sure, there is still sugar involved. But at least it's organic sugar, made without pesticides or herbicides. Rather than artificial colorings, natural substances, like black carrot juice, turmeric, and annatto (from the lipstick plant) are used.

Maybe your child has a sensitivity to gluten or corn. Perhaps you are concerned about artificial colorings or flavors. Or maybe you just want something different from everything else that's out there.

Organic Fruit

Natural foods and products are making their way into the mainstream markets. These days, organic fruits and vegetables are increasingly easier to find, even in normal grocery stores. Even warehouse stores carry organic options. I get organic sugar from my local warehouse club.

So I should not have been surprised to find out there are several brands of organic candy out there. Hard candies come in several flavors, including pomegranate, apple, honey, and cherry.

What's available?

The company Yummy Earth was started by two fathers who wanted healthier candies for their kids. They began with a line of lollipops and organic gummy bears and now also carry hard candy drops in eight fruit flavors, including watermelon and mango.

Annie's, a long-time company known for healthier comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, has a line of bunny-shaped organic fruit snacks. These use tapioca and fruit juices in addition to organic sugar. They have a berry flavor assortment and a tropical flavor mix.

They even have other non-candy treats, like cheddar bunnies and chocolate grahams! Sure, they aren't organic Halloween candies, but they are organic, and delicious, too. Kids love the fun bunny shapes and addictive flavors.

And if you want to feel like a kid again, how about organic cotton candy? They are packed into bags or tubs and come in fun flavors like licorice, maple, cinnamon, root beer and grape.

What's the big deal about buying organic?

In order to be certified organic, products must be grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and cannot be genetically modified. The link between health and these chemicals is difficult to trace. But most of these substances are tested for safety alone, not in combination with the thousands of other products that make their way into our bodies via food, water, air, and compounds we put onto our skin, or that come into contact with it.

Many people are hesitant to continue to assault their bodies with this chemical barrage. Choosing organically produced foods is one way to reduce exposure.

Another reason is that using fewer chemicals and poisons is healthier for farm workers and others who come in contact with food products as they make their way from farm, to factory, to warehouse, to store, to you. The less they are exposed to these toxins, the less danger they face.

A third reason is that by using fewer chemicals, the environment benefits. Organic farming practices build up the health of the soil, which leads to more fertility and better nutrition in the foods grown in organic systems.

Fewer toxins filter down into the soil, fewer poisons end up in our water supply. When pesticides are sprayed on traditional farms, a lot of it gets carried by wind to neighboring farms and homes. Eliminating them means cleaner air for everyone.

What about food coloring?

According to CSPI (the Center for Science in the Public Interest,) 23 studies have been done to date, looking at the role that food additives play on children's health and behavior. One of the greatest concerns is the rising number of kids with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.)

Several studies found that children's behavior significantly improved when their diets were free of chemical colorings and other food additives. Similarly, their behavior worsened when they ate food dyes or other offending foods.

Think about a typical child's diet, which is full of colored drinks, processed meat products, enriched and highly processed bread products, lots of candies, sweets, treats, and snack foods, with a long list of chemical ingredients. Their tiny bodies are showered with chemicals. How likely is it that they are doing them some harm?

So if you are looking for healthier versions of your old favorites, rest assured there is something out there for you. Indulge in organic Halloween candy this year, and trick yourself into better treats.

Want Healthier Halloween Treats? Try Organic Halloween Candy

See more organic Halloween candy and fun Halloween products at http://funhalloweenproducts.blogspot.com/2010/09/organic-halloween-candy.html

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