Forget haunted houses, the walking dead, or vampire bats. If there's one thing that scares me about Halloween, it's the candy. Packed full of artificial colors and flavors, chemical additives, and high fructose corn syrup, Halloween candy makes my skin crawl more than being blindfolded and sticking my hand into a bowl full of cold spaghetti! As a kid, I loved candy, of course. As a mom, I wish it didn't exist. But I believe that depriving my daughter of the Halloween experience, candy included, would cause more harm than a couple of days of gluttony.
Fortunately, I've recently discovered that there's a whole new world of treats out there that will satisfy both of us. It's still candy, but it's not made of junk. If you're going to be treating trick-or-treaters with candy this Halloween, consider stocking your plastic pumpkin pail with some of these healthier selections. Far from handing out apples or toothbrushes, these crowd pleasers are the real thing!
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Barbara's Snackimals Animal Cookies are far beyond traditional animal crackers, which usually contain trans fats and very little flavor. These crunchy cookies are even 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.
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CLIF Kid Organic ZBars are low in fat, made with whole oats, and fortified with 12 essential vitamins and minerals. They are free of hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial flavors or colors. And they come in 7 delicious flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Brownie, Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Honey Graham, Peanut Butter and, just in time for Halloween, Spooky S'Mores. Trader Joe's sells them for $.69 each, and they're often available online for even less.
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Endangered Species Dark Chocolate Halloween Treats are individually wrapped, single-serving chocolate squares-perfect if you want to pass out something delicious and environmentally responsible. They're available at natural foods stores and online ($6.72 for 24 pieces).
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FruitaBu Organic Smoooshed Fruit Sploooshers are plastic tubes filled with one serving of blended organic fruit, and are designed to either be frozen and eaten as popsicles, or just slurped right from the tube. They come in a variety of fruit flavors and are available at natural food stores, supermarkets, or online at http://www.FruitaBu.com.
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About The Author
Liza Barnes
Liza received her bachelor's degree in health promotion and education from the University of Cincinnati and is pursuing a master's degree in nurse midwifery. She is the proud mother of one daughter. |
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