candy and healthy

For health-conscious parents, Halloween can be tricky. Do you set limits? Do you let kids decide how much to eat? There isn't just one right answer. Instead, use your best judgment given what you know about your child's personality and eating habits.

Before kids go trick-or-treating, try to serve a healthy meal so they're not hungry when the candy starts coming in.

Kids who generally eat just a couple of pieces and save the rest might be trusted to decide how much to eat. But if your child tends to overdo it, consider setting limits.

Here are some more tips for handling the Halloween treats:

Know how much candy your child has collected and store it somewhere other than the child's room. Having it so handy can be an irresistible temptation for many kids.

Consider being somewhat lenient about candy eating on Halloween, within reason, and talk about how the rest of the candy will be handled. Candy and snacks shouldn't get in the way of kids eating healthy meals.

If a child is overweight — or you'd just like to reduce the Halloween stash — consider buying back some or all of the remaining Halloween candy. This acknowledges the candy belongs to the child and provides a treat in the form of a little spending money.

Be a role model by eating Halloween candy in moderation yourself. To help avoid temptation, buy your candy at the last minute and get rid of any leftovers.

Encourage your child to be mindful of the amount of candy and snacks eaten — and to stop before feeling full or sick.

You also can offer some alternatives to candy to the trick-or-treaters who come to your door. Here are some treats to think about giving out:

Non-food treats, like stickers, toys, temporary tattoos, false teeth, little bottles of bubbles and small games, like tiny decks of cards (party-supply stores can be great sources for these)

Snacks such as small bags of pretzels, sugar-free gum, trail mix, small boxes of raisins, and popcorn

Sugar-free candy

Small boxes of cereal

Steer clear of any snacks or toys — like small plastic objects — that could pose choking hazards to very young children.

And remember that Halloween, like other holidays, is a single day on the calendar. If your family eats sensibly during the rest of the year, it will have a more lasting impact than a few days of overindulgence. by. Mary L. Gavin, MD; http://www.kidshealth.org/

Business and Promotional Candy Wrappers

Click on a candy wrapper design to view both front and back. These candy wrappers fit over standard full size 1.55 ounce Hershey's® candy bars.* They are commercially and professionally printed for the highest quality. They make wonderful promotional items for business or events. They can be personalized with whatever text you choose. Anyone would be thrilled to receive a personalized candy bar with your business information printed on it. They will remember a candy bar much longer than a business card! There are also many other designs of personalized candy wrappers that may also fit your business needs. by. thecandybarwrapper.com

Caramel Apples the Perfect Gift for Any Occasions

Are you wondering what to give that someone that has every thing? Caramel apples are the perfect gift, especially given the low cost and the delicious taste that leave you licking your lips. Caramel apples can be made in your kitchen or if you don’t have time to take on the task, then they can be purchased on the internet or at your local caramel apple shop. Caramel apples are most often made with granny smith apples; however many people are now using Delicious, Cameo, Fuji and many other varieties to create their favorite treat.

If you decide to make your apples, make sure you use premium ingredients, do not buy imitation chocolate, or flowing caramel because you will be asking for a DISASTER. If you absolutely must make the apples, then purchase caramel in the confectionary store and ask the store clerk for suggestions for which chocolate to use.

If you want to purchase caramel apples, look for apples that are firm and are packaged for gift giving. Caramel apples often come with a variety of nuts, chocolate and other toppings to suit the customers taste. Ask the store clerk if they can provide a ribbon and gift card for the apple. The last thing you want to do is create an impression that you just threw something together, just to say you gave a gift. Apples are great gifts for wedding guest, Christmas, and any occasion where you want to great a great impression. by Frushippable

process making candy

Our process begins with weighing the exact amounts of different sugars, dairy products and liquids, then cooking the mixture to precisely the proper temperatureWe use copper pots for ultimate heat distributionAfter cooking to just the right temperature, the mixture is poured from the kettle into our water-jacketed beater and allowed to cool before we begin to work the batchOnce the batch is "creamed out" it is ready to be formed into centersThe batch is pulled from the beater and run through a depositor that forms the centers into individual pieces for hand-dippingThe centers are cooled once again prior to being hand-dippedFrom here the chocolates are returned to a cooler to allow the chocolate coating to cool and develop its sheen. Then on to the packing room where they are carefully packed into stock boxes, ready to be placed into our candy cases or packed into gift boxes for shipment to our customers all over the world.

Health Food or Candy?

Originally created for athletes who need to run, bike or even swim while they're refueling, energy bars have quickly become a mainstream food choice. Sales of energy bars have seen double-digit growth for each of the last four years according to research in Dietitian's Edge. With $700 million in sales, the energy bar folks have quite a bit riding on their product.

It seems there is now an energy bar designed for every need: protein, low carb, soy and low glycemic. With claims such as "tastes like a candy bar," "helps build muscle" and "boosts your energy levels," who wouldn't choose these quick-to-eat bars? But are they really a smart choice?Diet barsDiet bars are marketed to people looking to lose weight. Instead of eating a meal or snack, you eat a bar. Some people may find the portion control and limited choice useful in a weight loss program.

Instead of snacking on chips or making ice cream your dinner, you can choose a more nutritious diet bar. Others may find the bars, typically around 200 calories, unsatisfying. When we finish a meal hungry, snack attacks are bound to occur.Energy barsEnergy bars contain approximately the same amount of calories as most candy bars, 180 to 300 calories each. Sure, some have added protein, vitamins and minerals or even antioxidants, but we can get all of those healthy nutrients from foods for considerably less money. Since consumers are driven by taste and cost, the current trend is for bars that taste great, but pack less nutritional value. While some bars are low in total fat and saturated fat, others can have as much fat and saturated fat as a Snickers bar. by Lynn Grieger

valentine day

Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[1] The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th-century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.[2]

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.by.wikipedia.com

Candy and vegetarianism

Some candy, including marshmallows and gummy bears, may contain gelatin derived from animal keratin, a protein found in skin, hair, nails, hooves, horns, and teeth, and is thus avoided by vegetarians and vegans. "Kosher gelatin" is also unsuitable for vegetarians and vegans, as it is derived from fish bones.[3] Other substances, such as agar agar, pectin, starch and gum arabic may be used as gelatin replacers, although the texture of final product may differ from the original.

Other ingredients commonly found in candy that are not vegetarian or vegan friendly include carmine, which is a dye made from the cochineal, and confectioner's glaze, which may contain wings or other insect parts. by. wikipedia.com

candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added. Candies come in numerous colors and varieties and have a long history in popular culture.

The word "candy" comes from Arabic qandi, derived from Persian qand, meaning "sugar." [1] In North America, candy is a broad category that includes candy bars, chocolates, licorice, sour candies, salty candies, tart candies, hard candies, taffies, gumdrops, marshmallows, and more. Vegetables, fruit or nuts glazed and coated with sugar are called candied.

Outside North America, the generic name for candy is sweets or confectionery (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other Commonwealth countries). In Australia and New Zealand, sweets are, in normal usage, further categorised as either chocolate or lollies (for all other non-chocolate candies).
In North America, the UK, and Australia, the word lollipop refers specifically to sugar candy on a stick. While not used in the generic sense of North America, the term candy is used in the UK for specific types of foods such as candy floss (cotton candy in North America and fairy floss in Australia), and certain other sugar based products.

Boiled sugar flavoured candy sticks are commonly referred to as 'Sticks of Rock' or simply 'Rock' and come in many varieties all with a common trend to have bright colours and distinctive flavours that make them a common sight along the seaside resorts of the UK. The popularity of Rock sticks has led to many inventive applications and the skill has even been adapted to create lettering which appears throughout the entire stick as it is eaten - this aspect of Rock makes it an attractive tourist gift as it displays the name of the area visited throughout the cross section of the stick.

Other applications of 'Sticks of Rock' include Barley Sugar Sticks, Aniseed & Sarsaparilla Twists and Coltsfoot rock[2] which provide an easy to hold/consume product with medicinal benefits for ailements such as sore throats or low energy levels. by.wikipedia.com