At Trash Panda, we’re all about celebrating holidays with special treats! Hunting for eggs and enjoying your favorite candies for Easter can bring so much joy - and sharing those moments shouldn’t be missed!
Although we aren’t looking for nutritional perfection in our jelly beans, many typical Easter candies include potentially harmful ingredients. For example, artificial colors have been linked to increased behavioral problems in children because they may cause chemical changes in the brain.
If you’re looking to fill your baskets with sweet treats that offer better quality ingredients, we’ve got you covered with some great options!
Jelly Beans
Classic Brach’s, Jelly Belly, or Starburst jelly beans all include corn syrup, artificial flavors, and colors like Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 & 6 Lake, Red 40, Blue 1 & 2 Lake, and Yellow 5 & 6.
Some better alternatives we love are Yum Earth Sour Beans, or Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans that are both made without artificial colors. Try the Surf Sweet Beans on their website here, and the Yum Earth Beans here.
Chocolate Bunnies
The go-to chocolate Easter bunnies by Godiva or Dove are made with natural and artificial flavors, respectively. To avoid those, an equally cute and delicious option is Lake Champlain’s Dark Chocolate Easter Bunny - made with just fair trade chocolate and vanilla powder. They also offer dark chocolate carrots!
Another great option for chocolate are these Alter Eco Truffles - they’re made with coconut oil and other organic ingredients! You can buy these truffles on the Alter Eco website.
Peanut Butter Eggs
Classic Reese’s Eggs are delicious, but include potentially harmful ingredients like TBHQ, PGPR, and vegetable oils. Luckily, one of our favorite candy brands, Ocho, is now making organic peanut butter eggs. Find them on their website here.
Peanut butter eggs are also surprisingly easy to make at home, and can be a fun activity to do with your little ones on Easter. We love these two recipes from Ambitious Kitchen and Detoxinista.
Peeps
As fun as they look, Peeps are probably one of the worst Easter candy options out there. Don’t be fooled by their “fat free, gluten free and low calorie” claims on the front of the package - Peeps come packed with corn syrup, natural flavors and artificial colors like Yellow 40 and Blue 1. A better, yet still Easter-themed treat is Tony's Chocoloney great big chocolate eggs. They are perfect for any Easter basket! Find them on their website here.
Have other healthy-ish Easter candy ideas? Share them with us on Instagram @trashpanda_app!
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