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I had heard that there was some sort of link between artificial
food coloring and behavior disorders, but I never really paid much attention to
it. Finally I had a check in my spirit and thought there might be a link
between the fruit snacks my kids were eating (everyday… I cringe just thinking
about it) and the mean girl living in my house.
Within a week of eliminating artificial food coloring from
her diet, I met my REAL daughter for the first time. The difference was so drastic
that other people noticed. I had hoped that we wouldn’t have to be neurotic
about it. Then the kids ate red frosting at church. It took 3 or 4 days for her
to get back to normal. She literally becomes mean within a couple of hours and
then it takes a few days for her to withdraw from it. If I didn’t experience it myself, I
would swear it was impossible.
The craziest thing about this process has been discovering
that artificial food coloring is in almost EVERYTHING we buy. Obviously, things
like fruit snacks and cookies with sprinkles have it. But so do some marshmallows
(which are white… I don’t get it) and frozen waffles and crescent rolls and canned white frosting. And
should we talk about your orange cheese? Does it come from orange cows?
But don’t give up hope! There are alternatives. If you can
afford organic foods, you can replace most of your snack foods at the store. If
you can’t, learn how to make things at home and freeze them. I’m in the process
of sharing some of our favorite recipes through this blog. I have even found natural sprinkles and food coloring for baking.
What to look for and avoid: anything that says a color and
number (ex: Red 40) or the phrase “artificial food coloring.”
What to look for
that is OK: annatto
and other plant-based natural food colors.
For further information about the insanity that comes from artificial food coloring, you can start here.
This is where I would like to rant about why Europe has a higher standard for what goes into their food than we do in the United States... but I will spare you. Let me just encourage you to learn what you are putting in your body and in your children's bodies. Let's take control of our health and teach our children how to live longer, healthier lives.
I was just washing my hands and noticed that the *clear* handsoap I was using had dye in it. I wonder if we should be watching out for soaps/lotions etc. for dyes as well? We know that our bodies absorb toxins through skin. I'm sure soaps, etc. are even less regulated than food.
ReplyDeleteThis is Mandy Barrington, by the way :)
I'm sure it's a problem. I never even thought about that. I will have to check what we use. That's a good question for Dave at the Medicine Shoppe. I'll try to remember to ask him the next time I see him.
DeleteI love seeing more and more blogger moms writing about this. I can so relate - I did NOT like my daughter almost the entirety of last summer, until about two weeks before school started when I ditched the dyes and then I enjoyed her so much, I was sad to see her go to school! One thing about annatto, I recently discovered that when my daughter and I consume large amounts of annatto, we have a reaction similar to Red 40 petrol dyes. It seems to be a quantity-driven reaction, though, whereas petrol dyes set my kid off even in the tiniest amounts. Thanks for spreading awareness. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this info! Adam had told us about this, but I dismissed it with a roll of my eyes and figured it was too granola for me. Until our second child became a screaming mess (not 'just the terrible twos'). We are slowly transitioning away from artificial preservatives and coloring. It's tough and expensive, but it will be better for the overall health of everyone in our house.
ReplyDelete