I love candy like everyone else, there is nothing better than a sweet piece of chocolate. Do I buy candy, NO! Why? Because it is horrible for you and filled with preservatives, artificial ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and GMO's. I'd rather make something sweet than buy something with a zillion ingredients in it that I can't pronounce.
There are a few times each year where I struggle with the candy thing when it comes to my kids – Easter and Halloween. Every Easter I fill my sons Easter Basket with non candy items and they couldn't be happier. We do have a Easter Egg Hunt and let me tell you – I've spent hours looking for healthier candy – with no luck.
Halloween: 3 pieces and out
Halloween is another holiday that is geared around candy. We are extremely lucky. Our boys go trick or treating and when they get home I tell them they can choose 3 chocolate pieces. They fill their mouths completely full of those 3 pieces and then they are done. The next day the candy is gone and they don't ask for it again. What happens to the candy? Well I have to say I do eat a few, so does my husband but then it gets thrown away…what a waste!
I am happy to say that now I have a fantastic alternative when I gather candy for Easter and Halloween. My friends at Healthy Child Healthy World have partnered with UNREAL, a new all-natural candy company. I was given a box of earlier in the summer to sample and do a review.
Since my children don't get candy that much, they were thrilled with anything that looked, smelled and tasted like M&M's or a chocolate bar. I had one of the peanut butter cups and noticed that it did taste different. It wasn't as sweet, which is a good thing. It also was richer and tasted like real chocolate and peanut butter. I then tucked the box away until after our month long trip and thought I'd finish up the review. When I got home I opened the box and to my surprise there were only 2 left – what!!! Guess who ate those? My husband….so needless to say he liked them too! LOL!
Better ingredients
Some of the main things that I liked about UNREAL: Everything bad about traditional chocolate is left out of UNREAL products. Corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, GMO's, Artificial colors, flavorings and preservatives – all out! UNREAL also reduced the sugar by over 40% per serving – wow! UNREAL also has all key ingredients responsibly sourced, supporting farming communities and preventing destruction of the rain forests. The daily they use comes from pasture raised cows with no antibiotics or added hormones.
Now you might think great, it sounds amazing but how much do they cost and do I have to trek to Whole Foods or other specialty stores to purchase these? Nope! You can find UNREAL at local stores such as CVS, Kroger, Rite Aid, Walgreens and load of other convenient stores and best of all, 
they cost exactly the same as the leading brand with all that disgusting ingredients.
So the next time you have a sweet tooth or your child is begging for a candy bar, skip the traditional candies and go for an UNREAL. You will be happy with your decision and your body will thank you!
Trina O'Boyle is a Drexel Hill, PA mom of two boys. This post is adapted from her blog, O'Boy Organic. Find her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
