Image from Anthemic Tangle
When I learned that I was going to review Loud Truck’s Red Blast Energy Gummies, I was totally jazzed. Since I read Jamie’s review of the Citrus Blast flavor I’ve been itching to try the Red Blast, as I usually prefer berry to citrus.

The concept of this candy is a cool idea. Gummi bears that give the caffeine buzz of an energy soda without the crash an hour later? Awesome! And, as I’ve mentioned previously, I find biting the heads off gummi bears to be a lovely form of stress relief, so all in all, this seemed like a dream product.

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Technology is responsible for many changes, and food is no exception. Just about everything we eat has been genetically modified, treated with chemicals, and altered in some form or another in the name of “productivity.” Candy is no exception.

Why, chocolate isn’t even real chocolate half the time, and sugar went out of the window long ago in America in favor of corn syrup. Do you even remember a time when you could buy a packaged candy bar that wasn’t made with artificial flavors or colors?

That is why it’s refreshing to discover there are candy companies out there like Surf Sweets, recently acquired by tru sweets (a company of identical ethical food practices). Surf Sweets, a company native to hippie Santa Cruz (go Banana Slugs!), is steeped in a philosophy of admirable food values.

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My first encounter with gummy bears occurred in junior high when a widespread gambling craze swept the school. My friends Rob and Steve and I would save our lunch money by eating only Haribo Gummi Gold Bears that we bought at the nearby convenience store so we could gamble away our quarters. Ah, youth is wasted on the young. I only lasted a few weeks on this Vegas-inspired program as I began to feel weak from lack of nutritious food. I would soon resume the scheduled spaghetti and mystery meat regimen of public school dining options. Does anyone remember Potato Turbate?

As usual, I digress.

Gummy bears originated in 1920 by confectionery producer Hans Rigel of Bonn, Germany, and he named his company HARIBO, a creative acronym using the first two letters of Hans, Rigel, and Bonn. To me, Haribo always sounded vaguely Asian, but through the magic of “Internet Research” I’ve been schooled.

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Yesterday I had a three-mini-Snickers morning. You can always tell my current stress level by the number of trips I make to the Attitude Adjustments jar where the candy resides. Yeah, yeah – I know. The “experts” say you’re not supposed to stress eat. But as a proud Candy Addict I feel it’s my duty to ignore that kind of crazy talk.

As I licked the last bit of chocolate from my fingers, it got me to thinking. What’s the best stress relief candy out there? I have several personal favorites that I use for different purposes. Here are 3 of my top stress relievers along with the particular ills they help cure.

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Watch this video and I dare you not to have this song stuck in your head… “Oh, I’m a gummi bear. Yes I’m a gummi bear…”