Candy Corn And Other Hallloween Sweets

 One of tne most obvious treats of the day is candy corn, This Halloween sweet has a it's share of followers and haters. Why such a dichotomy? Why is there such a split over this classic Americna candy?

Essence and New York Post contributor Derrick Bryson Taylor tackled the question in today's New York Times Business section. The candy has long been a favorite aminsts American kids first being made in the 1880's by the Wonderle Candy Company. The Philadelphia based candy company marketed it as did the Goelitz Candy Company a Boston concern that labelled it chicken scratch. It was really an equallizer for working class kids who now could afford candy like their rich counterparts.  The candy was available year round. Candy corn  really took off in the 1940's when trick or treating became popular. It, like other candies could be made in smaller sizes , perfect for easy giving out. Eighty years later it's still going strong despite the haters out there. It is as iconic as those Mellocreme pumpkins  which are just as sugary. Kids dress up as the triangles for Halloween, There are jewelry , hair ornaments and clothing all centered around them. Fans like Etsy shop owner Melissa Cady loves these.

The problem with candy corn is that it is too sweet. My favorite kind is the chocolate bottomed ones that kind of have a Tootsie Roll flavor to them. Some people don;t like the cloying sweetness (comedian Lewis Black compares the taste to "poop* although I fail to see how it could taste like it) Others like Key Lee, a New York City content creaotr compares it to maple syrup and finds it too sweet. Keep in mind that's it's now manufactured in such diverse flavors as breakfast where the corn tastes like pancakes, french toast and waffles to Brach's bizarre salute to a fall festival. The candy corn has a trio of strange colors from aquamarine to cotton candy pink. The flavors are kettle corn, maybe good, strawberry lemonade, OK, if it;s tart , cotton candy - too sweet and strawberry funnel cake - interesting. There's also a lemonade shakeup which hopefully is not cloyingly sweet but citrussy tart.There is also Christmas and Easter corn.They taste the same as the fall version but are in the traditional red and green or pastel colors.

Where do you stand on this holiday classic? Will you be munching on it tonight and into tomorrow? Or will there be another Halloween treat to tempt you?

The Back Pain Relief Diet

Can what you eat solve that crippling lower back pain?Is giving up coffee and soda better than a heating pad? Could simply forgoing cake and other sweets alleviate aches more so than pain pills? The answer is yes, thanks to an eye opening new diet. Follow it and feel the difference.

Dr.  Todd Sinnett, a chiropractor and son of one wrote this  self help/ diet book.The Back Pain Relief Diet :The Undiscovered Key To Reducing Inflammation and Eliminating Pain (East End Press 2018) is a combination of medical advice and recipes, with patient testimonies sprinkled in between. Dr. Sinnett is the founder of Tru Whole Cure which is patient centric medical center where all sorts of ills from back pain to skin problems are treated through, diet, stress management and acupuncture. The doctor expertly dissects what causes back pain and it always returns to what we eat. He also believes gas and constipation contribute to it. (there's an interesting but vile chart of poop and what's considered healthy and unhealthy)There are chapters which are tests which should be take,There is also the diagnostic nutrition test -another must take to determine if eating habits should be changed.After the diagnostic , Dr. Sinnitt recommends one of four diets - The No More Back Pain Diet or The Paleo Plus Meal Plan, The FODMAPS Diet and The Digestive Rest diet. Following these and the recipes that go with them will help in bringing those with severe back pain a return to a normal, active life.

The chapters with the recipes are preceded with a chapter on super foods.These are crucial in the healing process and there  foods that everyone loves such as avocados, dark chocolate and sweet potatoes to name a few. Dr. Sinnett does enlist the help of nutritionists , Willow Jarosh and Stephanie Clarke for the Paleo Plus meal plan. Are the recipes easy? Yes. even novice chefs can follow them  and have good results. The FODMAP one  is probably  the most restrictive. The recipes are still delicious, with a brown rice French toast with blueberries. There's also a delicious sounding Chopped Spinach Salad with Avocado and Tuna that  also has carrot,cucumber and tomatoes in it. The Paleo Plus diet is full of  flavorful recipes such as balsamic and herb roasted chicken with quinoa and cauliflower. Since it is a Paleo diet it does have a bone broth, but it's also loaded with sweet potato. cremini mushrooms and broccoli florets with carrots. Those on the diets shouldn't feel deprived of fun treats. There's  chia pudding with all sorts of fruits and flavoring added as well as the dark chocolate-coconut vegan truffle. The last is just a dark chocolate  bar chopped up and combined with two tablespoons of full fat coconut milk  rolled into balls. They're then rolled in cocoa powder. They can be used as a treat or in hot cocoa.

The Back Pain Relief Diet is a definite must have for those who suffer chronic back pain. Reading it and changing diets will more of a help than relying on addictive opiates.Buy it today and start on the path to a no pain life.