Artificial colors

I’m a mom and a teacher. I grocery shop and notice the colorful products in the aisles. Occasionally, I buy them. My weakness is a certain color-coated bite-sized chocolate candy, which happened to be an ultra bargain price with my Costco coupon last week. I observe the packet of neon “fruit snacks” poured into kids’ hands during snack time in school. I want to get to the bottom of the time old question: Will food dye make my child hyperactive? If I told you that artificial food dyes were suspected to cause irritability, restlessness, and even cancer, would your concern shift?

Presentation of food is important. It’s almost as fun as creating an original dish with taste to remember. The way it’s plated could enhance the flavor, or could it? The colors represented on the plate should be varied and complementary of one another, right? Somewhere along the way, it was said that Mother Nature needed a helping hand in her presentation. Here enters artificial food coloring. Eye-catching, contrasting, colorful products fill our grocery carts (or baskets) time and time again. I’m all about color; I’m in the midst of transforming my slate-gray kitchen to a bright ginger palm (orange). But when it comes to the foods we eat, sometimes dull is the bright way to go.

The list of artificial colors makes up about half of the ingredient label.

Name
Artificial colors, artificial food dye, food coloring
More specifically FD&C Blue No.’s 1 & 2, FD& C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No.’s 3 & 40, FD&C Yellow No.’s 5 & 6

What it is and what it does
I’m not going to spill about natural food colorings, like saffron or turmeric; just the ones worth spilling about – the synthetic ones. This list details 7 artificial colors that are permitted in the United States (also listed above). The list which follows details 7 dyes which were once approved, but have since been banned. FD&C Red No. 3 contains erythrosine, which is a suspected carcinogen, and has been linked to thyroid tumors in rats. This study shows a clear relation between ingesting tartrazine (FD&C Yellow No. 5) and irritability, sleep disturbance and restlessness in children.

Personally, I have witnessed a clear difference in my baby when I’ve eaten something with food dye in it, then fed her. It took me a while to realize the corrolation to her irritability and sleeplessness with the food dye consumption, unfortunately. But now I know and would give up my little color-coated weaknesses for good, and I have so far, to have a much happier baby.

What it’s typically in
Farm-raised or “ocean-raised” salmon (fed food dye), color-coated candies (see above), cereals, chips (even ones claiming to be made with the *sun*), sodas, snack foods, condiments, baked goods, drink mixes, jelly-type mixes, licorices, this table lists typical products that each artificial dye is in

Additional Resources:
Delicious Organics explains food coloring ingredients and gives a list of food colorings to avoid.
This study shows that in a common snack or drink containing food dye and aspartame, neurite growth is distrupted.

Would you get enjoyment from your food if it was less vibrant in color? Me, I’m going back to basics on this one. If my Valencia orange is not “high-voltage optimum orange”, I’m going to enjoy it nonetheless, trusting it’s not been near Chernobyl. And I’m also going to replace my color-coated chocolate weaknesses for something, less, colorful.