Halloween is coming up and with it comes candy. Tons of
candy. Now I try to limit our sweets (ok at least for my kids, I’m still
correcting years of bad habits for myself) due to the ingredients, particularly
sugar.
I was recently contacted by Dr. Johns, a candy company based
with xylitol about reviewing some of their products (both candy and plain
xylitol) and I thought Halloween was an appropriate time to talk about it.
Odds are you
have probably have heard about xylitol. It’s been the talk in the dental world
for a while now and is making it’s way into most of our oral care products.
However, in case you have never heard of xylitol here’s what is and what it
does.
Xylitol is a natural sugar alternative that is found in
fruits, birch trees and cornhusks. Most xylitol seems to be made from corn
these days which can be a bit concerning due to corn being a GMO usually.
However, Dr John’s xylitol is 100% USA made from birch trees.
Benefits of Xylitol (from Dr John’s site):
Possible reduction of dental cavities by up to 80%
Easy removal of cavity causing bacteria
Increases salivary flow
Improvement of your oral health, which has been shown to
improve your overall health
Possible reduction of cavities in children whose mothers
consumed xylitol when expectant or after delivery
Possible reduction of ear infections up to 40%
Prevention of white lines and swollen gums when wearing
braces.
Not only are Dr John’s candies, sugar free but they give you
(and your kids) the benefit of actually helping fight cavities!
However, as they say the proof is in the eating! Oh what a
tough review this was to do! I was sent:
SimplyXylitol DecaDENTS Sampler, which contains four lovely
pieces of chocolate all of which were very yummy although I must say that the
chocolate covered peanut butter one, was my favorite!
SimplyXylitol Lollipops that gave me an assortment of
flavors and well, let’s just say my kids thought they were the greatest thing
ever.
SimplyXylitol Chocolate & Vanilla Caramels, which once
again were fabulous. I’m pretty sure that I ate the entire bag of them myself
(thankfully not in one sitting!)
SimplyXylitol Taffy, which tastes just like traditional
taffy and came in a range of flavors.
SimplyXylitol Peppermints that come in a handy box and are
great for freshening up your breath.
SimplyXylitol birch xylitol, which was something, I was
really excited about because it’s made from birch and the previous brand I used
was made from corn. I’d much rather use birch xylitol as I’m all about avoiding
GMO’s.
All in all I was greatly impressed with Dr John’s candies
and xylitol. Often times candies that are made without sugar taste awful but
not these! Even my husband, who can taste a sugar alternative from just a tiny
bite, admitted that these candies were pretty good!
Buy It: You can buy all the candies and xylitol that I
mentioned (along with many more) at Dr John’s site or through Amazon.
Win It: Dr John’s has offered to giveaway a sampler package
just like I received to one of you! In order to win, enter the Hoppin’ Halloween
Giveaway Hop which starts October 25th!
Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary sampler package for
the purpose of facilitating my review. All opinions expressed were not
influenced by the company and are 100% my own.
