Store bought gummy bears used to be a treat I considered to be healthful. Before our journey into a more natural lifestyle began, I thought anything that was low in calories meant “healthy.”
I’ve since completely stopped looking at calories in products, and started focusing on ingredients. Now when I pick up a package of popular brand gummy bears, I’m no longer duped into thinking it’s a health food snack. Ingredients in Haribo® gummy bears include the following:
Corn Syrup, Sugar, Gelatin, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Corn Starch, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Fractionated Coconut Oil, Carnauba Wax, Beeswax Coating, Artificial Colors Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue (source)
Corn syrup – most likely derived from GMO corn. Sugar – most likely derived from GMO sugar beets. Gelatin – likely from animals that were raised in a questionable environment and fed a very questionable diet. Artificial flavors and artificial colors – linked to all sorts of health and learning problems.
So, as we’ve discussed in so many of our past articles, products like this can almost always be made at home with ingredients that are far more pure, natural, and healthful. For my homemade gummy bears I like to use a natural sweetener like honey, gelatin that’s derived from cows raised on pasture, and colorings/flavors that come directly from fresh fruit juices!
Also, I’m getting my gelatin in the form of a delightful nostalgic snack when I make homemade gummy bears!
DIY Naturally Sweetened Gummy Bears
You can make gummy bears in almost any flavor, using different combinations of freshly squeezed juices or pureed fruits. Below are three of my favorite recipes. Feel free to adjust ingredients and sweetness to your liking.
Source: diynatural.com
