Central Florida Green Guide

It’s hard to believe that Valentine’s Day will be here in just over a month.  I figured I’d take a moment to talk about some of the candy we purchase around the holidays for our children.  We buy organic candy because we strive to eat naturally, but mostly, we make these purchases because our son reacts to just about anything artificial. The reactions are so intense that we keep alternatives with us for birthday parties and send alternatives to school for special events.   He reacts to all artificial food dyes along with high fructose corn syrup and vanillin (artificial vanilla).  Either one or all of these ingredients are in traditional brands.

Our favorite lollipops are by Yummy Earth. I prefer the Pomegranite Pucker while my kids enjoy the watermelon. David’s teacher has a bag of these at school. This way, he won’t be excluded if a child brings in candy to share or if the class is rewarded for some reason.  The flavors are very intense.  My middle schoolers even enjoy them!  It’s great knowing that there are no artificial dyes or high fructose corn syrup in these since typical lollipops have both.

When we want to purchase chocolate for ourselves or for gifts, we always look for Newman’s Own or Endangered Species chocolate bars. I’ve found that both of these brands are readily available these days and both are absolutely delicious.

I should mention that the Endangered Species Bug Bites are especially good if you’re looking for alternatives to traditional bite-size chocolates.

This Christmas, I wanted some natural candy canes for my kids, and I knew I would only find them at the health food store.  Whole Foods had only one brand available, so I bought Pure Fun candy canes.  My kids loved them! I visited their website recently and found that they make other types of candy as well. 

I won’t get into the details about each company, specific ingredients, and what they contribute to conservation efforts.  Please explore the links for more info and remember that this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many wonderful brands of natural candies and several of them are even offered at local stores.  When shopping online, I usually order via Amazon or Mother Nature.  It’s also important to note that these are more natural alternatives, but they all contain some type of sugar.

Is there a natural candy that your family really enjoys? Please take a moment to tell us about your favorite sweet treat by leaving a comment.