If there’s one thing that scares me about Halloween, it’s the candy. It’s not just the sugar and high fructose corn syrup, that makes our kids bounce off the walls, but most treats these days are also packed full of artificial colors, flavors and chemical additives. Halloween Candy makes my skin crawl more than seeing a mouse darting across my living room floor. As a kid, I loved candy, of course. As a mom, I wish it didn’t exist. But I believe that depriving my boys of the Halloween experience, candy included, would cause more harm than a couple of days of gluttony. Fortunately, I’ve discovered that there’s a whole new world of options out there that will satisfy both of us. It’s still a snack food, but it’s not made of junk. If you’re going to be handing out snacks to the trick-or-treaters this Halloween, consider stocking your big candy bowl with some of these better choices and healthier selections. All of these come in smaller individual packets that you can feel safe giving away.
1. Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks or Surf Sweets – these sweet treats are better than the average fruit snack. While they still contain sugar they are not made with any added colors. You can feel safe knowing there are no additional chemicals in these yummy gummies and also provide a serving of Vitamin C.
2. Archer Farms Fruit Leather – look and taste like all-too-familiar junk food, but are made from real organic fruit, with no artificial additives or added sugar. You can buy them in natural food stores and many supermarkets, or online.
3. Ghiardelli Chocolate Bites – Most chocolates contain fake vanilla as a flavoring agent (known as vanillin, which is actually made from petroleum) as well as other added chemicals in the processing of their chocolate. This is a great alternative which is made from dark chocolate and contains no artificial flavors or preservatives and is also good antioxidant.
4.Pearsons – Mint Patties – Pearson’s Mint Patties feature a creamy mint center covered in real dark chocolate with 66% cacao and are naturally low in fat. Pearson’s Mint Patties set a standard of excellence earning national recognition within the confectionery industry and retailer community.
5. ZBar – are low in fat, made with whole oats, high in fiber and fortified with 12 essential vitamins and minerals. They are free of hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial flavors or colors. They come in a variety of different flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Brownie, Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Honey Graham, Peanut Butter and, S’Mores. Trader Joe’s sells them for $.69 each, and they’re often available online for even less.
6.Pirates Booty –You can still have a crunchy low calorie treat with this gluten free corn based chip substitute made with all natural ingredients and found at local grocery stores. 7. Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops and Candy Drops come in flavors like Pomegranate Pucker and Wet Face Watermelon. Free of gluten, nuts and corn syrup, these candies are also certified organic and kosher. They’re available at Whole Foods and other natural foods stores, and online at www.YummyEarth.com. Lollipops are about $3.50 for 15, and drops are about $2.59 for 25.
8. Little Pretzel Packs – Many of the chip type snacks today are made with hydrogenated oils, trans fats and added chemicals. Another better alternative for a salty treat instead of Doritos, Cheetos, or flavored chips are pretzels.
9.Barbaras Snackimals – better than traditional animal crackers, which usually contain trans fats and little flavor. These cookies are made with organic ingredients and come in Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Vanilla and Oatmeal varieties. They’re about $.89 per bag, and available at most natural food groceries and online at www.WorldPantry.com.
10. Other – If you do not want to send the trick or treaters off with a sugar buzz, consider these alternatives:
- Tiny plastic animals, figurines, finger puppets, whistles
- Buttons, pins, spider rings, trinket jewelry, bracelets, friendship rings, hair barrettes, ponytail holder
- Halloween stickers, coloring books, puzzle books, pencils, erasers, note pads
- Crayons
- Trading cards
- Restaurant coupons
- Money (How about quarters)
When you hand out these treats at your door this Halloween, while they might be a little more expensive than conventional options, you can feel a little better knowing that you’re doing your part. If your kids are willing, you can even swap their junk for the good stuff. This year I am going to buy an assortment of healthier treats, set up a store where the boys can shop for them, and let them pay for their purchases with their trick-or-treating loot. They can even buy cash instead of the alternative snacks. It may be a bit of a trick, but in exchange they get a far better treat. Don’t be fooled, all of these items are still snacks and are not providing nutrition for our kids. We still need to watch the quantity of what our kids are consuming, as they are still filled with sugar, but are definitely healthier than the conventional choices.