Food Dye

You need to read the book, The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn OBrien. She writes about the strong correlation to additives in food and how children behave. I don't give my kids any artificial colors. They were made in a lab and approved by the FDA, who cannot do their job properly because they are underfunded. Yellow 5 and Red 40 have links to cancer in lab animals. Steer clear. If you want a good candy, choose Yummy Earth lollipops. They have the sugar and fruit, but nothing that is harmful.

hey! I myself don't have any "experience" with this, but my mom had to limit all sugar and red food dye from my brothers diet for the same reason. she said he was generally a sweet and playful boy, but if he had too much sugar or anything with red food dye in it he would get physically agressive as well as demand his way by whatever means possible. i hope this helps!

Check out the Feingold die. It has been used for over a decade for children with food dye, artificial sweetener, and/or caffeine allergies/sensitivities. I've had patient who have used it successfully - and as an added benefit, if the adults followed the same diet, their skin became healthier and looked younger.

YES!!! There is a correlation and my family physician knows all about it!! Her name is Elaine Hardy, RN, MSN, APN, C and her website is www.holisticfamilyhealthcarepc.com. She is a wealth of knowledge, polite, caring and worth the trip from miles away to get proper treatment for our children!! She does email and phone followups even!!

Hi P., I have had the same problem for years. All dyes seem to trigger my son but red dye has caused aggression in him. He is 13 now but I have had this problem since he was 4 or 5. I did some research b/c he was dx with ADHD and ODD at 6 years old and the research stated that food and its additives may cause some or all of the symptoms. Then I discovered the Feingold diet. I was never able to follow it to a T but the changes I made were very helpful. Good luck to you!
A.

Hi P.,

Stop giving him food with dye.

If his behavior continues then you need to reassess how you are disciplining him.

Good luck. D.

Yes it's true. Lots of kids out there are falsely accused of behavior disorders because of what their parents feed them. Thank goodness you see the connection. The behavior swings are only part of the ramifications of feeding their young bodies unhealthy food, so of course the answer is to make sure they only eat real natural food with very rare exceptions at holidays etc.

Discipline should still apply. My brother and I ate all kinds of florescent food in the 70's but were not allowed to act out. Rules are rules, but you're making it harder on yourself and them by giving them the kid version of 'roid rage. The food isn't totally to blame, but for their health, don't give it to them!

My kids like to make their own ice pops out of natural juice and once a month or so the whole family splits an ice cream cone at the ice cream stand-they get a few pieces of candy at holidays before most of it goes in the trash and a bite or two of cake at parties (and they act like maniacs afterwords). That's it for sweets. They get fruit after every meal, and they don't miss out on all the weird dyed food we don't buy at the store-they don't even know it exists. Hopefully when they're older they will eat it in moderation when I can't control them.

But while you're the shopper and guardian-you're in charge! Don't buy that stuff! Everything you purchase is a "vote" for the store to order that kind of food. Don't encourage it!

Hi P., Are you sure it's the dye and not all the sugar that is probably hidden within the food (and drinks) with the dye? I have seen two little boys (totally not related living in different states) that have had remarkable behavioral changes when 90% of sugars have been removed from their diet. Both boys had teachers that insisted that they were ADHD...and would be difficult at times with terriable tempers and tons of energy. After an almost drastic diet change (only water and milk to drink, lots of veggies, lean meats & fish with carefully added fruits and no sweets or juices) both boys experienced dramtic changes. Sure they both still have lots of energy, but both families found that the boys were able to control their tempers better, focus in school better and over all were the sweet boys they knew they could be. It did take time, and at first the diet changes were hard to follow but in the long run the changes were well worth the effort. After a few months both families were able to add the special treats back into the diet in small controled amounts without worry....like that piece of birthday cake at a party or some chips once in a while or even that favorite pb&j. I think you're on the right track as far as looking into your son's diet, you just may have to look harder at the ingredients...Best wishes!

Hello P.-My son is 7 and he has the same reaction to the food dyes. I have talked to quite a few different people about the dyes and have heard all the same things. My son does the worst with the red #40 so we avoid at all costs. He loves red gatorade, which seemed to be the worst and colored cereals. I was told I could take him to the doctor and they can test for all of them but they also will grow out of it. Not soon enough though-it is very hard to avoid these dyes, seems like they are in everything. We have cut down and it seems to help but we still have some incidents. I do feel your pain. Good luck.

My oldest was like that. Especially with red dye. She would get out of control and extremely hyper and then come down with a major crash of crankiness ending in tantrums. We really noticed it with M&M's, probably because of the differnt coated colors plus the sugar from the candy. Regular (undyed) chocolate didn't have the same effect though, so we know it was the dyes. She now seems to be fine, although we still try to avoid the dyes if at all possible. It may be that when they're little there are so many products that are "colored" that it's an overload to the system. HTH and maybe he'll grow out of it, as my daughter did. My best advice is to just avoid the dyes in general and stay away from things like those fruit snacks and juices that contain dyes. Good luck! ~ M.

Yes. Absolutely. I NEVER give my child any dyes, artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, anything like that.

They pulled some food dyes off the market in Europe because they found they were harmful to kids. Many of the same foods we buy here, are made w/o the dyes for sale in Europe. (you can google that to confirm) Why are we so much more lax with our kids health?

Look into the Feingold Diet.

L.

P.,
I am glad you asked the question. Yes, my son is 5 1/2 and I have had this issue since he was a little over age 1. I first noticed a change in his behavior and sleep pattern whenever I gave him purple medicine. Now, I buy dye-free meds. I researched it quite a bit and discovered that many kids have the same reaction, particularly foods with Red #40 and Yellow #5. My son's behavior becomes almost unbearable whenever he eats something with Red #40. I almost been close to tears many times. Everyone in my family and his pre-k school knows that he can't have it. Most of the time, my son will let people know that he can't have it. I instructed them to not give him foods that are red, orange, purple, or blue because any of these can have red #40 in them.

I basically read all food labels because it can even be in foods that are not colored like some pancake mixes. I now have a good idea as to what he can and cannot have. Most yogurts with fruit are off limits because they have the dyes. Sometimes I buy organic snacks or candy that is naturally flavored so that he does not feel totally deprived. I don't know why they continue to sell these foods to kids it has been an issue since like the 60's. I wish you all the best.

Yes, yes, yes! It's the food dyes, especially the red! Kudos to you for noticing. My 9 year-old daughter went through the same thing. At age 4 I started giving her lollipops. After the third red taffy, (on 3 separate occasions), my son and I realized it was the taffy causing her to literally bounce off the walls and behave so horribly with no ability to control herself and we, standing helpless to calm her. Also, I have noticed a correlation as she's getting older to food preservatives. A little once in awhile is tolerable, but she had processed food 3 days in a row and she became so uncontrollable again that I removed all preservatives and got my lovely, well-behaved girl back quickly. Parents don't realize how sensitive their little systems are to these chemicals. Of course, some children more than others, but we all benefit without them in our bodies. My daughter knows to check labels and ask if served anything red if it's red dye or natural. If in doubt, she doesn't eat it. I list "red food dye" on all health forms as an allergy, so she doesn't get served any. No, it's not life-threatening, but it affects her health. If in doubt she skips it. Whole Foods has red beet food color and other naturally-derived dyes and they work just fine. Again, good for you. It takes a little extra time and energy to prepare and serve food without preservatives and chemicals, but it is so worth it. Best of luck!

P.,
My daughter has a son whom is 8 years old. He has reactions to dyes and processed foods. For quite some years now she follows the Feingold program (can be found on the internet), this seems to work real well for her. She can always tell if he sneaks something he isn't supposed to have. Check it out. You may want to get the book of allowable foods as she has. She does buy mostly organic.
Good luck to all of you.
Barbara

My girlfriend sees a dramatic difference in her son when he has red dye #40 (I believe that is the #) so you are not alone.

P.,

Absolutely, you are not alone AND good for you that you were able to pick up on that connection!! You are serving your kids well!!

In certain kids (who are usually allergic to the dyes or developing an allergy to them) food Dyes and other food chemicals can linked to hyperactivity, emotional highs and lows and overall emotional/attitude/energy imbalances. As can refined sugars (great for the other mom who pointed that out to you too!). The first thing most experts would tell you to do would be to eliminate the dyes completely and see if after 2 weeks you can notice a change (it can take up to that long for chemicals to work their way out of little bodies!)
The GREAT news is - your kids will be so much healthier for taking the dyes and chemicals out of their diets!!

If you need any advice on what "alternative" products you can buy or foods to feed your kids that don't have artificial colors in them, please feel free to ask and I will give you as many as I can!!

Once again, the silver lining in the "special" needs diet - everyone gets healthier for eliminating something else that is not great for our kids bodies!

Be well and live healthy!

S. Martino
Founder
The Sweeter Than Sugar Foundation