Someone would SeRiOuSlY search out a "healthy" version of candy? Isn't ALL CANDY UnHeAlThY for you? IMHO, Candy doesn't HAVE to be "unhealthy"...it could just be "not healthy"! YES, there is a difference. Let me explain....
When you look at the ingredients on a 'typical' package of candy you might see as an ingredient any of the following: hydrogenated oil, artificial dyes/coloring, artificial flavoring, artificial sweetener, preservatives.
All of these ingredients can be considered 'unhealthy' or ANTI-NUTRIENTS (substances that, when consumed increase the body's need for more nutrients) These substances take so much extra energy for the digestive tract to process and eliminate, that the body is left with more nutrients burned up than are taken in. They also increase the appetite because the body is not getting the nutrients it needs. My advice is to steer clear of most anti nutrients if you want to maintain optimum health. Some commonly considered ANTI-NUTRIENTS : hydrogenated oils, white flour products, low-fat milk products (skim and 2%), processed meats (hot dogs, lunch meat), pastries, or anything that contains added sugar, fast food anything, chemical anything in foods.
- HYDROGENATED OILS "are naturally healthy oils such as palm, kernel, soybean, corn oil or coconut oil and they heat it anywhere from 500-1,000 degrees under several atmospheres of pressure. They then inject a catalyst into the oil for several hours (nickel, platinum or even aluminum). The molecules in this new product are now closer to...plastic than to oil. In fact, hydrogenated oil is only one molecule away from being plastic. When you eat anything containing this material, just as the oil is now thicker...so too does your blood become thicker...right along with it. If un-hydrogenated oils are put into foods they would go bad very fast. This would increase the cost to the manufacturer. In fact the faster a food goes bad, the healthier they usually are. That's because the enzymatic activity which causes the foods to rot at room temperature also means that the enzymatic activity within your own body will be greater as well. Food is basically meant to digest itself so eating foods high in natural enzymes such as fresh vegetables, fruits and other raw foods means less stress on your own digestive system." Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/024694_food_hydrogenated_oils_health.html
- ARTIFICIAL DYES are used in candy because they are CHEAP, plain and simple. Cheap isn't necessarily bad....until you examine closely the side effects of artificial dyes in children. Colorings in candy and foods used to be made out from natural resources: cherries-RED, blueberries-BLUE, tumeric-YELLOW and so on. "By the time the early 1900's hit, there were more than 80 types of dyes, none of them having been tested for short/long term affects. The dyes created were, and still are, derived from PETROLEUM ANILINE, and were first named coal-tar colors because the starting product was taken from bituminous coal. Laws were eventually made to attempt to control the extent and identify the colors, but nevertheless, very little research done on the safety of putting them in the human body." (http://www.fennogold.org/)
Check out my BLOG posting on chemical colorings and side effects.
- ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: SPLENDA is a chlorinated sugar that is about 600 times as sweet as sugar. http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/ (taken from my BLOG posting) "When the temperature of ASPARTAME exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME coverts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants). The methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis. ASPARTAME changes the brain's chemistry (by) changing the dopamine level in the brain. Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon, said, 'The ingredients stimulates the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees.'" http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/aspartame.html
Candy containing naturally-based sugar and natural food coloring are not healthy by any means, but at least they are not as "unhealthy" as candy containing the "anti-nutrients" listed above! If there are occasionally times when you will want to celebrate something, and you don't want your child to take a hit on their immune system, I have found a couple of sites that we will occasionally be visiting for rare holiday treats. They use natural, food-derived colorings & flavors. The sugar sources in these treats/candies are not as processed as most candy (the more naturally-derived the ingredient; the easier it is on the immune system & digestive system!), contain no chemical dyes or preservatives and are made with natural flavorings. My daughters have chemical and processed food allergies, so I was absolutely ecstatic to find less "unhealthy" candy/treats!
This Christmas season we'll enjoy a healthy (quick mix) chocolate pudding made from REAL cocoa and natural sweeteners, this summer my daughters will enjoy roasting fruit juice based marshmallows over a fire, and we'll be bringing organic jello made from cherry juice and organic gelatin to potlucks through the year instead of just fresh fruit. (Organic Gelatin consists of up to 84% high-quality protein and is great for lubricating joints from the inside!) The natural candy store link actually has a candy breakdown list for children on special diets (no-soy, non-dairy, gluten-free, vegan, organic, or Feingold) more on Feingold for children with special needs: http://www.fennogold.org/
NATURAL CANDY/TREAT WEBSITES:
http://www.gobiofood.com/store.php?osCsid=7947f6e03189c839f17656dd40b7a417
http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/organic-candy
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