“C’mon girls, we’re going to WalMart to buy lollipops!”
I should have had my camera ready to capture the looks on my daughters’ faces. Especially my 8-year-old sugar lover. “What??” She said, “You never let us have lollipops!”
Well, not never, but it’s certainly a rarity for me to allow candy. That same 8-year-old, who has literally been caught with her hands in the candy bowl, pretty much in any place there is a candy bowl, is particularly sensitive to refined sugar and artificial dyes. And of course I worry about the negative impact of sugar on both my kids’ teeth. That's why, much to my daughters' disappointment, I've always been the mean mom who limits candy and says, “No thanks” when the kids are offered lollipops after they get their hair cut, and at the bank, and the grocery store.
So a trip to WalMart specifically for CANDY? This was big news…but this was also no ordinary candy. Before we left, I showed my daughters a video of Alina Morse, the kidpreneur who came up with the idea for Zollipops® when she was just 7 years old. Alina wanted to create a candy that was actually good for kids' teeth, so she and her dad created a sugar-free treat that contains ingredients that decrease acidity in the mouth and increase oral health. They are also non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, kosher, and use all natural flavors and no artificial colors!
“Zollipops® were invented by a KID. A kid would never create something that doesn't taste good.” -Emmi, Age 8
But how do Zollipops® taste? After I shared the story of Zollipops® with my daughters, they were impressed and excited, but my older daughter wondered aloud how they could possibly taste good since they are so healthy. My sweet-toothed younger daughter was confident, however, “They were invented by a KID. A kid would never create something that doesn't taste good. I bet they are delicious!”
We headed off to WalMart, speculating about where we might find these mysterious, wonderful treats. Although we considered the candy aisle, we’d had a tip that they might be located with other oral health products. That is where we found the colorful bags of Zollipops® and ZaffiTM Taffy, underneath the children’s toothpastes and toothbrushes in the oral health aisle. My daughters sat right down to read the backs of the packages, and again, my 8-year-old was brimming with excitement, “No dye, Mama! And listen to this…'Enjoy one after every meal or sugary snack, up to 3 pops per day'…THREE times a day!”
 |  |  |
It took all of my kids' effort not to sample the Zollipops® and ZaffiTM Taffy right there in the store, and by the time we got to the car there was no holding back. They each sampled a ZaffiTM Taffy as I drove home, and I heard “mmms” and “yumms” from the back seat. After dinner that night they couldn’t wait to have their first Zollipops®, “It says the 'After You Eat Treat' Mama! And remember, we can have them up to THREE TIMES per day!” The Zollipops® got the same reaction as the ZaffiTM Taffy. Impressive! Young Alina Morse created something good for my kids’ teeth AND as my daughter suspected, delicious!
So, what does this “mean”, candy-limiting Mama think of Zollicandy?
Sugar-free, no artificial colors or flavors, and only 10 calories a piece with benefits for healthy teeth and mouth? Treats that I can throw in my purse to offer my kids when we are out and about? Candy that even I may snack on every now and then? (Shhhh, no judgment! They are yummy!) PLUS, 10% of the profits go to the Healthy Smiles Initiative to support oral health in schools. What do I think? I think we’re going to have to run back to Wal-Mart to get some more!
To learn more about Zollipops, visit https://zollipops.com/ and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and You Tube
Disclosure: I was compensated for this review. All opinions are my own (and those of my children).
