Halloween is a rare and precious holiday for a child. It’s a chance to eat lots of sugar with little repercussion from adults! And while a little bit of sugar can be a wonderful treat from time to time, perhaps you are feeling that this year you would like to rein in the sweet stuff just a little bit, or limit the high fructose corn syrup at the very least.
Halloween is a rare and precious holiday for a child. It’s a chance to eat lots of sugar with little repercussion from adults! And while a little bit of sugar can be a wonderful treat from time to time, perhaps you are feeling that this year you would like to rein in the sweet stuff just a little bit, or limit the high fructose corn syrup at the very least. As if the sugar isn’t bad enough, if the kids in your neighborhood have gluten sensitivity those trick-or-treat bags can become a real landmine. So this week we will review some safer options to hand out to your little ghouls and goblins. All items listed below are gluten-free!
Justin’s Nut Butter packets or Sunbutter packets
Single serve nut butters provide great protein and fat to temper a sugar buzz. Justin’s offers individual packets of peanut butter and almond butter that are easy to throw in a child’s bag. Peanut or nut allergies? Sunbutter has you covered with single-serve, allergen-free sunflower seed butter.
Sharkies Organic Fruit Chews
Sharkies fruit snacks are a fun treat that is free of wheat, gluten, and nuts. They are 100% organic, sweetened with fruit juice concentrate and organic cane sugar. As an added bonus, they contain 100% DV of vitamin C! Each box contains 5 individually wrapped packets at .8 oz each.
YumEarth Organics snacks
YumEarth Organics makes a number of different options for gluten-free sweet treats, including lollipops, gummy bears and gummy worms, fruit snacks and sour beans. The great thing about these is that the lollipops make an organic option that is also economical for Halloween.
Heavenly Organics Chocolate Patties
Heavenly Organics chocolate patties come in a variety of flavors and each flavor only contains 3 ingredients! They are sweetened with 100% honey and contain no refined sugar at all. Don’t be surprised if you find you end up fighting your kids for these!
Newman’s Own Popcorn
This popcorn makes a great trick-or-treat item because it’s something that kids can share with the rest of the family. Newman’s Own popcorn is USDA certified organic, so it never contains GMOs.
Non-food Items
Don’t be afraid to pass out some non-traditional items to your frogs and princesses this year. Small gifts such as pencils, erasers, stickers, rub-on tattoos (make sure the adhesive is gluten-free!) etc. can be a real treat for kids and give them something to hang on to after the food-binge is over!
If you would like more ideas for gluten-free, fair-trade, or organic options this Halloween, check out http://www.naturalcandystore.com/. They have a wonderful selection of treats and you can select options based on gluten-free, kosher, Feingold diet, and more.
Tiffany Godwin, MNT