Good Morning! I’m all packed and ready to go to Expo West, one of the largest organic & natural food shows. I leave in a few hours for the airport – I can’t wait to get on that plane so I can just zone out and R-E-L-A-X a bit before all the organic and natural food craziness I am about to experience begins.
There’s been a lot of recent news on the use of artificial coloring in processed foods and the determinital health consequences of consuming it. You know I am a “NO FAKE COLOR” kinda girl. I don’t let the food industry
fool me with their dirty tricks. Yes – I gave up Runts, Skittles, Starbursts, M&Ms, you name it, years ago. I haven’t touched something with coloring in it for quite sometime. (Yes, dear cousin – I didn’t eat your BRIGHT red velvet cake at your wedding last year either. I’m so sorry.) Just knowing about what this stuff does to you and where it comes from (petroleum, carcinogens) is enough for me to find alternatives.
If you haven’t read about it yet, Nestle is officially eliminating all it’s artificial coloring from their products in the U.K. (not here yet… sadly). And the same Caramel Coloring they put in soda, which goes in those Sugar Babies to color them “brown” is again studied & proven to be linked to cancer….Now do see why I won’t buy Laffy Taffy and Now and Laters at the checkout stand? (Those have every artificial color under the sun + caramel coloring – A DOUBLE WHAMMY!)
So…. what happens when I am out traveling and I see all those little shops and newsstands peddling snickers and sour patch kids? What if I’m feeling like I want some candy for old times sake? Well… all I have to do is reach into my stash of travel candy…. I don’t leave home without. My friends have a running joke about how I always carry candy with me. It’s kinda funny, because sometimes it just gets old in purse. I normally don’t “crave” candy – but not having the option to have some while traveling drives me bonkers! This is why I stash away a few little baggies of my favorite FREE from artificial coloring and preservative candy….
Check my stash for this trip:
- Panda Licorice – Twizzlers won’t stand a chance
- Golden Berries- Nature’s sour patch kids
- Sesame Candy – Like peanut brittle but better for you
- Green and Black’s Organic White Chocolate – Decadent, sinful with real flakes of vanilla and is not made up of trans fat like most white chocolates
- Seintenbacher Alligator Gummies – Because alligator is my favorite animal and they are nice and chewy (Have I told you I used to have one as a pet?)
- Yummy Earth Butterscotch Candies – Sometimes you need that “just pulled out of grandma’s purse” comforting candy from the past…
- Righteously Raw Bar – Hard core 90% cacao that will satisfy any chocolate craving (Oh and you can win one too! You have until 3/12 to enter here!)
READER QUESTION: So how do you get your candy fix?
For a comprehensive guide on what food coloring can do to you and your body – click here.
Read up and stay color freeeeeee!
See you on the flip side!
XOXO,
Food Babe
Those Pandas are my favorite! Although that Green and Black white chocolate looks like they may give the Pandas a run for their money. I need to find me some of that. Safe travels!
Thanks Amber! That’s why I gotta bring both!
I LOVE golden berries! I never crave candy, and am not a candy or even chocolate person, but I do love Swedish Fish every once and a while (even though I know they’re bad
Do you know of any candy that resembles Swedish Fish in a healthy way? Thanks so much for this post! This helps me out a lot as my son (4-yr-old) likes candy a lot, which is one of the reasons I never buy it.
Hi Jessica – Those little alligator gummies are pretty close to swedish fish – give them a try and let me know!
Thanks! I’ll look for them and try them.
Can you get all of those items at Earthfare? I have seen panda at trader joes.
The alligator gummies and sesame candy are available at HHM… the rest is available at EF. Enjoy!
I typically don’t like white chocolate because I’m pretty hardcore about the extra extra dark stuff. However, you finally talked me into trying the green & black white chocolate for the first time yesterday and it was so FREAKIN’ good!!! Put it in the fridge to take it to extreme levels of awesomeness!
Mmmm gotta try that. Thanks for the tip.
I live in Texas and always keep my Green & Black in the fridge!
….mmmmm wish I had some in the fridge right now. Jealous!
I’m looking forward to my trip in April to Coachella. I will definitely bring those golden berries and other dried fruits that can last in the 90 – 100 degree heat. Any other suggestions? Chocolate is definitely out!
Yes – I’ll be posting more ideas, especially after discovering all the new products at Expo West. Have a great trip!
My #1 candy fix is Green and Black 85% chocolate. I also like cacoa nibs. I guess you can tell I’m a chocoholic!!
Yes – I love cacao nibs too! Especially in cookies.
I ate those sesame candies while watching Sesame Street. I felt it was so appropriate when I was 3, LOL. I still think they are delicious.
I don’t think I’ll ever give up my passion for loving candy no matter how old I get!
Do you know what the “Natural Flavorings” are in the Seintenbacher Alligator Gummies? I’ve been wanting gummies so bad and I can have everything else in those!
Good question – I know it’s not GMO, which is good enough for me, since is this a rare occasional treat. Also, the product does not contain gelatin or artificial sugars – which I like. Regardless, I hate that food companies can put “natural flavor” in so many products and you really have no way to know what it means. I’ve even tried calling companies to get to the bottom of that, and it’s near impossible for them to disclose the exact details!
I know, I hate that! Well you are right though, it does help that they have no gelatin or artificial sugars. I’m going to have to look for those next time I get to a big city:)
What is HHM and EF? Are those candies available at Whole Foods?
Yes – they should be available at whole foods, however, I haven’t been to a WF lately. I included links to them in the post on Amazon if you can’t find them. HHM – Healthy Home Market, and EF – Earth Fare.
Thanks for the suggestions! I love Green & Black – I buy their dark chocolate with cherries…I wonder how that rates?
Oh, and I used to have an alligator as a pet too!
So cool! What happened? Did you give it away? Mine died, and I’m still upset about it years later. I’ll never keep a pet like that in captivity ever again – I learned my lesson. I loved that little guy.
I looked up the alligator gummies on amazon to buy and it said they have canola oil in them – isn’t that a GMO?
Try Nuts.com they have alot of organic candy, like hard candy, jelly beans, lolli pops and gummy bears. According to the ingredients they use things like tumeric for coloring if needed. I’ve ordered snacks like banana chips and mango slices. Whole family loves it.