Healthy Swaps for Halloween and why you should care about the ingredients in our candy
There’s nothing not to love about Halloween. We all love a fun costume and shaking things up from our regular day-to-day. Spooky home decor and everything pumpkin is something that marks the arrival of autumn and for many, this is a very special ritual where memories with their loved ones are made. Oh, and candy! Halloween is that time of the year when candy is “allowed” not as a guilty pleasure, but as part of that ritual as well.
I am a nutritionist and I love candy too! However, not all candy is created equal, and most of it is created to “hook” us so we keep on eating and eating. This has nothing to do about willpower or the lack thereof, it’s a neurological issue, we are wired to like and want candy, and food manufacturers know about this and manipulate it to their advantage ($$$).
You probably have heard by now that saying that compares sugar to cocaine: “sugar is as addictive as cocaine”, and though there is some truth to this, it lacks some context.
Sugar as “addicting as cocaine”:
Not all sugar is created equal. For instance, 20 grams of sugar from an apple is not the same as 20 grams of sugar from candy, because said apple also contains vitamins, minerals, water, fiber, and antioxidants that the candy simply does not. All that good stuff acts differently in our bodies. So, no, not all sugar is as “addicting as cocaine”.
In addition to the sugar content, artificial colorings and flavors, as well as inflammatory oils are almost always present in the candy we love and adore: sour patches, skittles, chips ahoy, gummy bears, etc. These are not just simply “unhealthy”, they can affect you and your children neurologically, and create inflammation, and gastrointestinal issues.
The Dangers of Food Dyes / Artificial Colorings
We always thought that it was the sugar in candy that made children “hyperactive”, but in fact, it’s not really the sugar, but the artificial colorings that cause changes in the brain that lead to hyperactivity and other behavioral disorders. Artificial colorings are derived from petroleum and they are everywhere: mac&chesse, chips, cereal, and every single conventional candy you know: skittles, gummies, lollypops, etc.
It is now known that artificial colorings are associated with a higher risk of ADHD in children.
Here are some adverse health effects that certain food dyes have been linked to:
Blue 2: linked to brain tumors in mice
Green 3: linked to bladder cancer back in 1981
Yellow 3: known to cause some mild allergic reactions – especially in people who are sensitive to aspirin
Yellow 6: associated with cancer of the adrenal glands and kidneys as well as possible allergic reactions
Red 3: was considered for banning in 1983 because of a possible link to thyroid tumors.
(Source: The Food Network)
To further illustrate this example, here’s the ingredient list for some common candy products:
Twizzlers: corn syrup, wheat flour, sugar, cornstarch, palm oil, salt, artificial flavor, glycerin, citric acid, potassium sorbate, Red 40, and soy lecithin
Nerds: DEXTROSE, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, 2% OR LESS OF MALIC ACID, GELATIN, GLYCERIN, NATURAL FLAVORS, CONFECTIONER'S GLAZE (LACRESIN), CITRIC ACID, CARNAUBA WAX, CARMINE COLOR, COLOR ADDED, BLUE 1, BLUE 1 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE, RED 40, RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE, YELLOW 6
Skittles: SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL, LESS THAN 2% OF: CITRIC ACID, TAPIOCA DEXTRIN, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, COLORS (TITANIUM DIOXIDE, RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 5 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE, BLUE 1, BLUE 1 LAKE, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, RED 40), SODIUM CITRATE, CARNAUBA WAX.
M&M’s: MILK CHOCOLATE (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, SKIM MILK, COCOA BUTTER, LACTOSE, MILKFAT, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR), SUGAR, CORNSTARCH; LESS THAN 2% OF: CORN SYRUP, DEXTRIN, COLORS (INCLUDES BLUE 2 LAKE, BLUE 1 LAKE, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, YELLOW 6 LAKE, RED 40, RED 40 LAKE, BLUE 1, YELLOW 5 LAKE, BLUE 2),
Other worrisome ingredients:
Canola, Palm, and Soybean Oil:
These oils are known to create inflammation in the body. All disease begins with inflammation. Food manufacturers use these oils because they are extremely cheap to produce but then we pay the cost with our health. Opt for brands that make their baked goods and candy with butter and coconut oil. I share my favorite brands below.
Corn syrup and any other sugar that isn’t honey, maple syrup, or cane sugar
The problem with sugar is that there are many different kinds and many different names. I recently read that “inverted sugar” which is widely used in food manufacturing, is just another name for simple syrup. When it comes to sugar, what I believe to be the real issue is how much of it is present in our foods and not only the fact that it is present. For instance, if a product has sugar as the main ingredient, or has multiple names for sugar all throughout the ingredient list, then I try to stay away. On the other hand, if a product contains sugar only once and it’s not part of the first 3 ingredients, I’m generally ok with it.
Healthy Candy and Sweets Swaps, Halloween Edition
Brands that use ingredients that free of artificial dyes and great amounts of sugar:
Tate’s Bakeshop (they use butter on their cookies, huge plus!)
Annie’s
Black Forest
Unreal
I created a list on Amazon where you can find all these products in one place (affiliate link).
Lastly…
Ultimately, these types of blog posts are for us to be proactive about our health. They are NOT meant to fill us with fear, but with purpose and action. If looking at ingredients is too overwhelming for you right now, do something else that gets you closer to your wellness, and one day you will feel ready to make other changes.
My online course 10 Days of Wellness is FREE until October 31st, 2022 and it teaches you all the wellness principles (including how to read labels). I highly suggest you take advantage of this temporarily free resource. Check it out!
Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this blog post! <3