Curb your sweet tooth cravings

Who doesn’t love yummy candy? If you have a sweet tooth, it’s definitely hard to resist. While there are a lot of attractive varieties of candies in the market, it’s important to choose the healthy ones with nutritional value. This way, you can be sure that you’re not cheating your diet. Purchasing “healthier” candy options may curb your candy cravings or you can buy it for kids to initiate a healthy lifestyle. While purchasing candy, it is important to ensure you buy the natural and organic ones that do not contain artificial flavours. Here are five tasty and healthy candy substitutes:

Matcha green tea candy
Matcha is trending and is a favourite among many people. There is matcha flavoured tea, smoothies, ice cream and even candies. They come in different forms. There’s hard candies, matcha chocolates and milk-infused matcha candies. Matcha is known for boosting the immune system and has a unique taste that people seem to love. Matcha contains the polyphenol EGCG which is believed to improve metabolism. These candies are available online and among Asian grocery stores.

Tamarind candy
Tamarind candy is a low-calorie chewy candy made out of tamarind and sugar. Tamarind is a powerful antioxidant because of the presence of tartaric acid and helps the body remove harmful free radicals. Tamarind is rich in iron and calcium. It is recommended to eat a few tamarind candies after a meal because they aid in digestion and they prevent flatulence. The tangy flavoured candy also helps in curing acidity and is known to boost the immune system. They are available at many Indian grocery stores or on Amazon.

Gooseberry candy
Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, gooseberry candy is perfect for curing the common cold. While many people don’t like to eat raw gooseberries, the candy version is sweet and consists of many nutrients. Gooseberry produces great results when it comes to treating skin and hair problems. The candy is an instant remedy for cough. Gooseberry is also an anti-inflammatory and it provides a natural glow to the skin. They are available on Amazon and at many Indian grocery stores (aka Amla candy).

Ume plum candy
The Japanese delicacy is a healthy plum candy containing a natural umeboshi plum extract. The candy, which tends to have a sweet and sour flavour has just the right amount of sweetness and aids in flushing out diarrhea symptoms, nausea and bacterial infections. Ume plums have an alkalizing effect on the body and they help in improving digestion and increasing energy. These are available on Amazon and at Japanese food speciality stores.

Pomegranate candy
Pomegranate, the fruit, is known to be high in antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin B5 and potassium. They help in improving cardiovascular health and also target cancer cells. In addition, pomegranate is also known to slow signs of aging. They have been used for years in Ayurvedic medicine. It is also rich in iron. Whether you decide to make your own pomegranate candy from natural pomegranate juice or you choose to buy it, they have multiple nutritional effects on your body. Organic pomegranate candy is available online and in most grocery stores.