by Debbie Stone
Ah Halloween! The only holiday where a no holds barred smorgasbord of sugar is allowed. However…beware! Ghastly ghouls and staggering zombies aren’t the only scary
things to pop up while you make your rounds this year. Don’t worry, I am not suggesting that apples and oranges replace the candy – (for fear of a horde of costumed pint size kids ambushing me) but, here are some tummy friendly suggestions.
Some of the ingredients in candy can affect autistic kids in a negative way. My son Dylan, for instance can’t have anything with red food coloring as it makes him super “stimmy”. I am not a fan of fake food coloring, products that are primarily made of corn syrup or have super long chemical names that I cannot pronounce. However, I am a fan of Trader Joe’s line of candies and treats. They use coloring derived from fruits and vegetables and you would 
never know that gummy bear or chocolate treat you are munching on is all natural! Whole Foods also carries a similar line.
Yummy Earth (their gummy worms are a real crowd pleaser) and Surf Sweets also carry great lines of sweet treats that ar
e great for kids (and adults) of all ages. Green & Black is a company that makes awesome organic chocolate bars and treats. If you don’t have any of these stores near you, lots of regular markets are now carrying organic candies as well.
Of course not everyone will be handing out “natural candies” and as long as you aware of your limitations (don’t wind up with a bellyache like Dylan’s younger brother, Brandon the pirate last year) you should enjoy! Boo to you!
Debbie Stone lives in New York and is the mother of two boys, Dylan, age 9 and Brandon, age 4. Dylan has autism and Brandon enjoys being his little brother. Debbie is the founder of Pop. Earth (short for Population Earth), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping children and young adults with special needs. Currently, Pop. Earth is working on developing The Om Holistic Center for Autism & Developmental Disorders. This affordable center will focus on yoga, nutritional support, reiki, NAET and their own Free To Be Me! artistic expression program. Visit them at facebook.com/om.pop.earth
That happens to my brother too! When he eats anything with chocolate in it he will start bouncing off the wall kind of like me and caffeine!!! I love this Magazine lease make more! Also can u by them in stores???
Caitlin so glad you like the magazine! It is only available online! maybe one day we will get bigger and have a hard copy form. The candy in this article can be found in the store though. If you have a Trader Joes or WHolefoods you can look there! Thanks for reading and posting. Hope to hear from you soon. If you want to submit a photo, picture, essay, book review or even a home made video to be consider for the next episode we would love it! Send your stuff to shoutoutonlinemagazine@yahoo.com.