Healthy Candies part 1

Most people have a sweet tooth. Some satisfy it without reserve, others try to curb it to special occasions. Few are those who can conquer it completely.

There can be no doubt that the quantity of candy eaten is closely related to tooth decay. A British professor traveled all the way to Ghana to find a group of people who had a low sugar diet. This low income group who never ate sweets had only a 10% incidence of dental caries, whereas severe caries occur in 42% of those eating sweets.

The biggest enemy in the tempting little packets of taffy, fudge, chocolate and gum is, of course, white sugar. In those countries where the children chew on whole sugar cane for candy, the teeth are beautiful. Even when white sugar is replaced by the less refined raw sugar for sweetening, we have a much more wholesome product. The health way of eating includes natural sugars of all kinds--honey, pure maple sugar and syrup, mo- lasses, date sugar, dried fruits, juice concentrates, fresh fruits and juices, and sweet vegetables. These dispersed through the normal diet really supply all our bodily requirements for energy and warmth from sugar. However, if you still long for a little treat, you can satisfy your craving for sweetness by making candies from natural ingredients and enjoy such delights occasionally without harm. But, be it remembered, any concentrated sweet is usually acid-forming, which overtaxes the body.

Keeping the acid-alkaline balance just right at 20%/80% is the basis of health, and that means the acid-forming foods must be kept to a minimum.

Very wise are the parents who encourage their children to eat dates and figs rather than candies and ice cream as unnatural sugars, especially during the growing years, bring a toll of soft, malformed bones, decayed teeth, and general structural weaknesses. And, of course, it is much easier to form a good habit in the beginning than to break a well established craving later on.

There are ever so many delicious things you can offer too. Not even a child, free to indulge in stuffed dates and prunes, fruit bars, carob-made chocolate, orange flavored jubes, nut balls and natural marzipan should feel cheated by the inveterate candy nibbler with his gum drops, divinity; and all-day suckers.

Healthy Candy recipes

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