Halloween candy!

If you’re new to the Replenish PDX mailing list I’ve recently revealed the two questions I most often hear in both my work and social life about food and diet. Those two questions are: 1) How do you stick with dietary change ? (which I address in my free e-book Stick With It!) and 2) Is sugar bad for everyone? (a question I explore in detail in the Sweet Tooth, Bitter Truthhomestudy class).

But this time of year there’s another question I hear, nearly all day long. Can you guess what it is?. . .
What do YOU do for Halloween?

If you don’t already know, I have a ten-year-old son, Gilbert. Gilbert doesn’t eat refined sugar or processed food. So you can see why I get this question a lot. Inquiring minds want to know!

Last year I answered this very query in a conversation with Andrea Livingston of Phytofoods in our joint venture teleseminar series Your Vibrant Child. Today I wanted to share Part 1 of an excerpt from that series where I start to talk all things Halloween. Click the link below to listen to this five minute snippet now!
Halloween Ideas Nakayama-Style

(It’s the video on the top right. And be prepared for some gory Gilbert Halloween costumes too.)
But let’s get to the goodies!

Halloween should not only be about goop, gore and goblins, but also about goodies. Don’t defeat. Have a treat! Here are my three tips for a thriller Halloween heap of candy without hardship.
(note: Everything I’ve listed is gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free, unless otherwise noted. Please always be sure to read labels and ingredients in case you have special dietary parameters that I have not mentioned.)
First:

Check out my Trick or Treat newsletter from last year where I share some of the loot that I stock in Gilbert’s goody-bag. If you’re aiming to order healthier sweet confections you still have time.
Second:

Here’s a list of some of my new favorites for Gilbert (because they’re his favorites too). . .
Heavenly Organics Chocolate Almond Candy
These are perfect little bite-size treats that contain only raw honey, unsweetened organic chocolate, and natural almond extract.

Caracao Confections Caramel Bar
The Caramel Bar is a new favorite of Gilbert’s that we found on our summer travels to San Francisco. It’s unfortunately not pictured on the website, but it’s the closest thing I’ve seen in a raw bar to a Milky Way! This is a big indulgent bar and it’ll be a real treat for him to find one of these in his candy bag.
Pixie Retreat Raw Laboratorie & Makery
This inspired local Portland duo makes the most amazing raw confections I’ve ever seen. (Personally, I love their savory delights and don’t ever get on a plane without a stack of their kale salad topped with mac nut cheese to stash in the hotel fridge.) Gilbert’s favorite sweet is their chocolate salted karmals wrapped in fancy gold foil. Yet it’s often hard to decide because every-single-one of their treats looks so darn good. Think nutty butty cups that scare the pants off of Reese’s. (These are locally available at People’s Food Co-Op.)
Lulu’s Chocolate Bars
Yes, it’s true: we like our chocolate! Lulu’s has some delectable flavors and superfood delights. The Maca Love Bar is to-die for and it even falls into range for my occasional indulgences (think “bike lane” for those of you who have read Stick With It!)
Third:

Don’t forget to tend to your own sweet cravings. Make sure you have something satisfying on hand to nosh on so you don’t start rooting in the candy bowl, submitting to the seduction that will leave you feeling wired, tired and betrayed.

Like I said, some of the Lulu’s Bars are a special pleasure for me. The Elixia chocolates (stevia sweetened) that I mentioned in last year’s Trick or Treat newsletter are also great. And here are a few of my other faves:
(Know that my sweetener intake is limited to the low glycemic sweeteners such as stevia, with the occasional yacon syrup, coconut sugar and birch xylitol.)
Rox Chox
Um. . . YUM! They have these both packaged and in bulk! at People’s Food Co-Op here in Portland. I love getting a little abnormal chunk, just enough to satisfy a craving. My favorite way to eat it is with a little smear of Wilderness Poet’s Hazelnut Hemp Spread.

And finally, I’ll be posting “healthier” homemade Halloween recipes on the Replenish PDX Facebook page for the next nine days. So shuffle on over and give us a ‘like’ so we can help you whip up a spooky storm of your own.

By: Andrea Nakayama, FxNA Founder & Functional Medicine Nutritionist

Functional Nutrition Alliance provides the comprehensive online Functional Nutrition training in the Science & Art of the Functional Nutrition practice. Learn to address the roots of your clients’ suffering with client education, diet & lifestyle modifications.