Monday, June 1, 2009

Naturally Sweet Treats

We're definitely not a sugary, candy-eating kind of family - KB usually never gets the stuff! But in hopes to encourage her in her recently lax endeavors of using the potty... we have taken to offering one Jellybean, per success, as incentive. Up until now, we have been using some Starburst jellybeans, someone gave to us... but despite the mere one or two a day (on an extraordinarily good day)... I have been really been struggling with the fact of how bad corn syrup & artificial coloring are for our bodies, and yet still allowing my daughter to ingest it on a daily basis. - It seriously bothers me!



In an attempt to rectify the situation... I began a search for some kind, any kind of alternative, which would not have deleterious effects on my daughter's health... yet still be exciting enough to encourage progress.
The First place I turned to in my search, was Pure Fun - the awesome line of all natural, organic candy, I found & posted about, awhile back. But unfortunately, their selection is limited to cotton candy & some various kinds of hard candies - neither of which are suitable for a toddlers or potty training.
Then I came across "The Natural Candy Store" - a family owned/run online candy store, who's goal is to help folks with dietary restrictions (or nut-job parents like me - lol!) find delicious, all-natural candy they can eat. Just as it's name suggests, they offer a vast variety of natural candy brands, which can often be difficult, if not impossible, to find in local stores.
I have come to realize the definition of "natural" can vary greatly, from person to person... and things acceptable to some, may not be for others - so you do need to read the ingredients listings closely (which is in awesome detail, for every product). But I think no matter where you fall, there is enough of a selection, that you are sure to find plenty to suit your needs... and even your wants! ;)
Since Jellybeans are already the established treat for our endeavor... that is category I was most interested in. They have four brands of jellybeans, available... but only one, matching what I was looking for (no artificial colors or flavors - and NO corn syrup!). The company, Surf Sweets, specializes in all natural, organically-sweetened gummy candies and jelly beans... made with only fruit juice & natural sweeteners... and without trans fats, GMOs, corn syrup (!), gluten, artificial colors or artifical flavors ! (score!)
So really, the only complaint I have about the product, so far, is the packaging. - They come in individual 2.75 ounces pouches... not necessarily the most economical nor convenient, for someone who wants to serve just one bean at a time. But all in all... it's nice to have a product that is not going to put, even that little bit of extra crap into my daughters body! Even if it is, the occasional treat! :)
Then again.... maybe I'll just get her some chewable Vit. C.... or, considering how few she's getting these days, some of those gummy vitamins. - hmm....

jellybean jar photo couretsy of: craveonline.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi! I'm a student from Andrean High School, and I'm writing a story for the school newspaper. I was just wondering if I could get permission to use your jelly bean jar picture?
Thanks for your time,
Morgan Dinga

Tiph said...

Morgan, thank you taking the time to ask, before you copied/used the photo! Unfortunately, this photo is not one of my originals, but borrowed from a site called Craveonline.com. (though I believe the original origin pf the photo, was a stock photo site). Good luck with your story!