Stop the Artificial Food Dye Madness
Imagine for a moment, if you will, a perfectly beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon at the baseball field. You are gathered with friends and family to watch your child’s game. Smiling faces all around and the relaxed feeling of an afternoon filled with quality family time –Americana at its finest. Suddenly, out of left field comes that unavoidable curve ball that sends the entire idealistic afternoon into a frenzy. The snacks! It’s as though suddenly everything is moving in slow motion and everyone is talking in that low-pitched monster voice.
“DROP THE DEADLY WEAPON AND STEP AWAY! Aren’t you aware of the danger? Neon colored sport drinks and the Sponge Bob yellow and blue cupcakes are the new menace facing our kids! Get away! Or at least, you wish you could scream that. But it’s too late to be the hero. Your child has already sprinted past the dugout with an electric blue mouth guzzling down an alien red sport drink.
For mothers of children with hypersensitivity to artificial food dyes, this seemingly innocent ritual can become a nightmare very quickly. Especially when coupled with a sugar induced high. Stand back and watch the allergic response kick in to full gear with the artificial food dyes.
Fast forward 12-24 hours and that Sponge Bob blue dyed cupcake is now a glow in the dark floater (if you know what I mean). The body is begging for these chemicals to GET OUT of its system. Now that’s the true Americana no one really wants to discuss. Unfortunately, it really is an experience mostly reserved for Americans. Why? Because America is one of the only countries that still allow these harmful food dyes into our food supply. The UK and European Union have taken measures to ban these harmful substances.
Let’s face it, these artificial food dyes are EVERYWHERE! There is hardly a day that goes by when we are not exposed to these substances. They are in our children’s medicines, toothpaste, chewing gum, lollipops, Doritos and snow-cones.
The two most offending food dyes are Yellow Dye No. 5 and Blue Dye No. 2. They are proven to cause hyperactivity and worsen the conditions of those who suffer from ADD and ADHD.
I have three children and one seems to really go nuts when exposed to these toxic substances. The effects usually begin with bouncing off the walls and the inability to focus. This is followed by a loss of appetite and a night filled with restless sleep. We all know what a bad night’s sleep does to our kids (and us) the following day! These chemicals alter the brain in a way that even a child’s mood can be altered—depressed and sad.
Even the most disciplined mother looses control to the exposure of these artificial chemical culprits. Recently, my artificial food dye sensitive son was away at camp. He truly had the time of his life. When he arrived home he showed me his adorable group photo with his cabin mates and counselors. Sitting next to him was a huge box of NERDS! Gasp! I was horrified and irritated. Why in the world would camp counselors let children eat these sugary chemical cocktails when they have to tend to them 24/7? Maybe I need to sign them up for the Modern Mom blog! J
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, (CSPI is a non-profit organization funded by its 850,000 members and public donations) most, if not all of the 9 FDA approved chemical food dyes are harmful to humans–especially young children. For more data on these findings refer to the CSPI’s report titled Food Dyes a “Rainbow of Risks”.
So if these harmful chemicals have noticeable effects on one of my children, what is happening to my other two kids whose symptoms are not as noticeable? You may be aghast when you read the report. I say –“just stop the madness” and get rid of it all!
Don’t fear. The birthday parties are not over. There are alternatives to these substances! There are natural food dyes out there made from whole food ingredients like carrots and spices like tumeric. We must demand more from our food supply. If we as citizens and consumers demand and buy more of these safer products, the large food conglomerates will have no choice but to follow the trend and design their products with natural alternatives. We the people have the power to make change. We must stop supporting those products that contain these substances.
Whole Foods Market will not allow any products in their stores that contain these harmful substances. Smaller health food stores maintain the same protocol. Do not worry moms, your kids can still eat fruit roll ups, sodas and cereal that they will love. I recently served my son an orange soda without artificial colorings and high-fructose corn syrup. I put a slice of orange in the glass to help with the visual since the soda was not a day-glow orange color. He LOVED it and wanted more.
As moms we must unify for game day snacks and think about the health and future of our children. Next time bring sliced apples and water to the game for snacks. Unfortunately our children’s eyes have been trained to see these brightly colored foods and they think these will taste better. This is NOT true. We must retrain their eyes and their taste buds towards healthier alternatives. As adults we know that a real orange taste better than an artificial orange soda. Children will too if given the chance. Our children are too important not to take action on their behalf.
Go forth mothers and help bring on the change our country so desperately needs!
For more information I recommend reading The UnHealthy Truth by Robyn O’Brien and checking out her websitewww.allergykids.com.
