Monday, November 12, 2012

Food Dye Dangers

I remember finding out years ago that a friend's son was allergic to red dye #40.  My first thought was wondering if dyes #1-39 were okay.  What about red dye #41?  But mostly I wondered how they'd survive.  I mean, a quick glance around the grocery store proves that so many products we buy for our kids contain food dyes:  marshmallows, fruit snacks, pancake mix, even children's Tylenol.  If you have an allergy to food dyes, are there alternatives?

But what if you don't have an allergy to food dyes?  What if you do a little research and find out that these food dyes could be negatively affecting your children's behavior?

A good friend of mine began eliminating food dyes from her girls' diets earlier this year as a result of behavior issues.  They have been dye-free for eight months now, and if it weren't for her incredible stories about the impact this has made on their lives, I'd probably shrug it off.

Brooke is doing an entire series this week on her blog about their journey with food dyes.  I'm going to be reading so that I can learn more and find out if this is worth pursuing for our family's health.  I invite you to read along!


Plus, Brooke is  hi-lar-i-ous and I promise you'll laugh with her.  She's all about keepin' it real.  And she's super fun.

I'm excited to see what she's learned, even if it means our days of green and pink mashed potatoes might be coming to a halt...

3 comments:

  1. Angie! I attest to this as well. Red Dye makes a huge difference. We have learned and tried to stay away from it around here...especially the red Gatorade. And there alternatives....just ask Laura!

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  2. It's true!!! I have 4 kids 2 that are ADHD and the dye has a HUGE impact on their behavior I have spent the last 2 years working with several different counselors in home for my kids and one of the biggest things I can recommend is to take your kid to a dietician before a psychologist. Rule out the other stuff and do not go directly to meds.

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  3. Synthetic dyes are made from petroleum and red is just one of them. A parents support group was organized back in 1976 called the Feingold Association, named for the dr that wrote the book Why Your Child is Hyperactive. Its website and membership materials are awesome: www.feingold.org. There's also a great Yahoo group.

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