Let’s talk junk food and candy! One thing I know about kids is that if you deprive them of all treats they will just crave them even more. I don’t hand out sweets left and right, but most times when my kids want a little goodie I’m fine with it as long as it’s dye-free! All that artificial coloring freaks me out. The candies in this picture get all their color from things you know: beets, berries, spinach, turmeric and more.
So here’s the lowdown on everything you see here! I do most of my shopping at my local farmer’s market, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. You can also order many of these brands online. Look for the words Organic, Natural, or Non-GMO on labels and there’s a good bet they’ll be made with fruit and vegetable dyes. Always turn the package over to read the ingredients label if you aren’t sure.
Trader Joe’s – Pinks and Whites Cookies, Yogurt Covered Pretzels, Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops, Gummy X’s and O’s (these are usually only available during the Valentine’s Day season.)
Whole Foods has dye-free candies in their bulk section as well as packaged throughout the store, like Chocolate Nonpareils.
UnReal – Milk Chocolate Gems
Jelly Belly – Organic Jelly Bellies
Yum Earth – Gummy Bears
Smashmallow – Marshmallows
Little Secrets – Dark Chocolate Pieces
Surf Sweets – Sour Worms
What’s your favorite kind of candy or junk food?
We’ve been watching dyes, red specifically, for at least a few years now. My daughter isn’t into gummies, but they’re we weakness and I was so excited to find Smart Sweets. They also only have 3g of sugar and roughly 30g of fiber per package. They just came out with a couple vegan flavors too.