It’s a Yummy Earth.

My sister Jessamine’s kids have severe food allergies. The last time I had a peek at the list of no-no foods it included soy, corn, dairy, gluten, wheat, chemical preservatives and chemical dyes, among other things. Those of you who spend as much time as I do staring at and clucking over product labels will recognize that the preceding list pretty much eliminates all the ‘fun’ food that we remember as kids. Last year, though, Jess found candies that actually were acceptable for her kids to eat. She was rapturous over the phone telling me that she had found stuff her kids could have at Halloween. I, being the optimist that I am, was a shade more skeptical. **

**Healthy versions of junk food often taste, er- how to say?- much like cardboard. The flavors are off and/or dull, the colors are BORING, and the texture sometimes borders on gag-inducing. So this is the opinion that tempered my enthusiasm for my sister’s discovery.

Sometime after Jess ordered her five pounds of healthy lollipops she came to visit. She plunked a container up on the counter and invited my kids to eat a few. I was shocked. The first thing thing that hit me was their vibrant coloring. These things rivalled Lifesavers with their brilliant hues. I waited for the kids’ reactions to the candy. Shock number two. They finished the first ones quickly and begged for seconds. At that point I needed to try one.

Holy cow! They were so good. They were tangy, sweet and sour all at the same time. They actually tasted like fruit. Not the bland, flavorless fruit in most healthy candies, but BANG- fresh, flavorful, intense fruit!

Now came the really hard sell; my husband. He is a candy connosieur. Actually, he’s a candy consumer. He finds one he likes and eats vast quantities of it. If he doesn’t like it the candy can sit on the counter for a year and he’ll push it around like dust bunnies. He ate one and was instantly in love. He liked it so much that he asked me to order some. So began our love affair with Yummy Earth Lollipops.

I’m passing this information along to those of you who feed folks with allergies and those of you who are seeking to improve your diet. You must try Yummy Earth lollipops. From a flavor standpoint alone, I’d choose these over all the other candy readily available on the shelves. From a health vantage point, these simply cannot be beat!

Look at the ingredient list:

• Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Non-GMO Citric Acid, Organic and Natural flavors (Watermelon, Lemon Oils, Pomegranate, Mango), Organic and Natural Color, Red Cabbage, Purple Cabbage.

Don’t let the cabbage scare you. There are no cabbage flavored lollis.

…And look at the list that appears on the side of the label:

• Certified Organic
• 100% Natural Colors No Chemical Dyes
• 100% Natural Flavors
• Real Fruit Extracts
• 100% Vegan
• GMO-free
• Allergen Free
• Egg-free
• Soy-free
• Nut-free
• Gluten-free
• Wheat-free
• Casein-free
• Dairy-free

All this and FLAVOR-FULL!

One slight problem is that I have never found a place to purchase these locally. Happily, like many other good things, I can buy them online or through my health-food co-op. They are usually least expensive through Amazon. You save the most money by purchasing a 5 pound bag. ‘Five pounds of lollipops?’, I hear someone yelling… Get them now. They are good for about a year after purchase provided you don’t store them in the sink or some place really damp. You’ll be able to give out HEALTHY candy to your neighborhood kids at Halloween. You can put GOOD treats in the stockings at Christmas (or any other candy giving religious holidays.)  …And this all presupposes you haven’t eaten them by then.