Artificial Food Dyes

Artificial Food Dyes

 

 

Attention Deficit Disorder and hyperactivity in children have been officially linked to the consumption of Artificial Food Dyes according to the American Academy of Pediatricians. Decades ago, many parents figured this out on their own through trial and error and came to the conclusion that removing foods with artificial dyes in their children’s diet was an effective treatment for hyperactivity and ADHD but it was only recently accepted by the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) as a valid course of action.

 

 

Some companies add artificial food coloring that consists of chemicals to enhance color to foods. Food dyes are often added to processed foods, drinks, and condiments. They don’t do anything for the taste of foods, they are used only for the appearance of the food and drinks. I was surprised to see that everyone’s favorite candy, M&M’s has just about every color of artificial dye plus Lakes.  Lakes is a combination of dyes so you really don’t know what exactly they are.  Another favorite I found with red dye is raspberry sweet tea mix.

These are the artificial food dyes to be on the look out for in foods and drinks that may be triggers if your child is hyperactive or has ADHD.
Yellow #6
Yellow #5
Sodium Benzoate
Red #40
Red #3
Orange B
Green #3
Blue #2
Blue #1

 

Gatorade is use by many kids in sports but just look at the list of artificial flavoring plus it has no fruit juice.  It also states it is PARTIALLY PRODUCED WITH GENETIC ENGINEERING.  Wonder what that means!!

There’s still some controversy over the science plus new data regularly coming in, so the jury’s still out on whether or not these additives and artificial food dyes actually cause ADHD and hyperactivity. But, it’s quite clear from many parents of children currently coping with ADHD and hyperactivity, artificial food dyes and preservatives can cause severe symptoms.

 

My Facebook friend had been trying to figure out why her daughter was so out of control and after coming up on her own about removing artificial food dye in her diet, her daughter has been a perfect loving little girl…. until the other day. This is a post she wrote that is an eye opener for any parent that is going through the same thing.

“How that pretty little red cherry on top of the milkshake was my worst mistake in a while…
If you don’t know what I’m talking about you should read this.
That pretty little red cherry is filled with red dye so it looks that pretty. What you might not know is it can turn your well-behaved kid into a hellish demon within minutes.
I had been really careful not to give Xia red dye up until tonight when she asked so nicely for a chocolate milkshake with that pretty little cherry on top. Within 15 minutes of eating it she became the old Xia that I lived in constant fear of. The one that for no reason at all would run up and hit me or bite. The one that lived with no fear or pain. The one that was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. The one I that would only sleep 4 hours a day. The one who could run non stop for the entire day and couldn’t sit still.
Sadly we were out shopping for Birthday party supplies so there was an audience for this one. No sir sadly she isn’t “just testing me” and no miss “she isn’t just tired” a few of the comments we got. I know its hard to believe that pretty little red cherry caused that full-blown meltdown where I got hit and she tried to bash her own face into the floor but its the truth. Many think I’m crazy and thinks it doesn’t do it to her and sadly yes some are family but its the truth.
I know I thought the people who were telling me to try a dye free diet was crazy at first but thought what the heck. I’m thankful I did as it saved my sanity!
I want to state dye free means artificial dyes like Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 6 etc. Natural dyes are fine. Look in your kitchen I’m sure there lots lurking around. Check those gummies your kid loves even that “fruit drink that Red Gatorade FULL of it. Look up dye allergies some cases state it can cause autism, ADHD, ADD etc. symptoms in kids.
For Xia, RED 40 is the worst you can pretty much tell when she has accidentally gotten into some as in even little amounts it changes her other not so bad.
Its simple and pain-free to figure out if your child has a Dye allergy so PLEASE look into it as I know we suffered too long before finding out about it!”

 

 

After reading Tiffany’s Facebook post, it sparked my interest and realized there may be parents that aren’t aware of the Artificial Food Dye and the problems it may cause.  I then searched through my kitchen and found there are foods that use natural ways to add coloring and are much safer for the body.  I am happy to say my Brookside Dark Chocolate candy with Goji and Raspberry flavors uses natural vanilla flavor and fruit juice concentrate to add color, no artificial food dyes.

 

 

Another find was when I checked my freezer and found my SE Grocers raspberry sherbet used Elderberry for coloring, not artificial food dyes. These are just two products I found that use natural food dye and I’m sure there are many more once I start checking.  Whether you have children or not, check your pantry and see which food products have artificial food dyes in them.  If you know someone with a child that may have the signs of ADHD or hyperactivity, share this blog with them, it may give them an answer to their child’s behavior.

 

This is an interesting article where the FDA Probes Link Between Food Dyes & Kids Behavior http://www.npr.org/2011/03/30/134962888/fda-probes-link-between-food-dyes-kids-behavior

Another article written on the Evaluation of Studies on Artificial Food Colors and Behavior Disorders in Children           https://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/FoodAdvisoryCommittee/UCM273033.pdf

But now I question, if the artificial food dyes can cause hyperactivity in children, what are the chances that it could cause anxiety issues in adults?  Something to think about.  If you have a child that seems to be hyperactive and the doctor says it’s just the age or they will grow out of it, you many want to do some research on the Artificial Food Dyes in foods.