I wish more people understood the negative effects of food dyes on children. I wish my kids were not the only kids in their classes who are not allowed to have food coloring. I wish food companies would stop putting chemicals in everything. And I really wish I could make a meal for my son that didn't need to be free of wheat, dairy, and sugar. Sigh, it's only temporary.
OK, that said, I can move on to the good cooperation from teachers. The 3rd grade teacher sent an email asking for Trix and a few other things for a math project. I emailed her and offered to send in an organic equivalent, Barbara's Wild Puffs that are dye free but still colorful and good tasting. They even come in fruit shapes. My son spotted them at Kroger a few months ago and read the ingredients to check for the forbidden stuff. I sent a whole box in to the teacher so this time around everyone eats the same thing.
I also got an email from the 1st grade teacher. Their class is doing a fun map activity decorating sugar cookies with blue frosting and green M&Ms to make little edible earths. Poor Alex, being on the "no sugar, kill the yeast" diet is going to get a rice cake with blue berries and Snap Pea crisps. The Snapeas sound strange, but are surprisingly salty, crunchy and tasty like a potato chip. Then he'll get a few Xylitol candies to round it off. Not quite the same, but it's about the best I can come up with.
Would you feed your child chemicals that would cause them to be hyper, moody, or distracted? Of course not, no parent wants that. Well, this blog is to help parents understand that your kids probably eat foods at every meal that could really keep them from being their best. It's time to get the word out.
IF YOU ARE NEW TO MY BLOG, START HERE
you get more smiles when you eat dye free
LINKS TO THE RESEARCH
- 2007 Lancet Study
- BBC research and news about school lunch foods
- Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Cut ADHD by 1/3 with ban on dyes
- Die dyes on Squidoo
- Dyes can double ADHD
- Feingold research on dyes
- Food coloring and ADHD
- Food dyes rainbow of risks
- food-dye-rebellion-starts-now
- Fooled by petrochemicals
- Health Observatory from IAPT
- Twin study from the BBC
LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION
About Laurie
- food dye diaries
- I'm a mother of 3 and a part time Counselor. I'm interested in improving the health and well being of children. I have found food coloring to play such a crucial role in the well being of my own kids, I want to get the word out. I think we should all work to make the world better than we found it. If even one family finds their child better off by not having food dyes, than this blog is successful.
Followers
More about me
First I was a therapist. I have a Masters degree in Community Counseling. I have treated children with emotional and behavioral problems for over 15 years. Never once in my advanced clinical studies or in my extensive reading and web searching about ADHD and other behavioral issues, did I ever hear about food coloring.
I am also a Mom. It took me 7 years of parenting to discover that food coloring was a trigger to many of my children's worst behaviors. I didn't go looking for something to blame. I didn't really think there was anything wrong with my kids. I only found the connection by accident. When I first starting telling people that food coloring was bad for my children, they looked at me like I was nuts. I wondered if it was some weird trait carried only in my family. Now I know better. I'm not the crazy one. Entire countries are banning dyes from their markets. I hope the FDA or Congress catches up soon. So many children will be better off, if we can just get the word out.
I am also a Mom. It took me 7 years of parenting to discover that food coloring was a trigger to many of my children's worst behaviors. I didn't go looking for something to blame. I didn't really think there was anything wrong with my kids. I only found the connection by accident. When I first starting telling people that food coloring was bad for my children, they looked at me like I was nuts. I wondered if it was some weird trait carried only in my family. Now I know better. I'm not the crazy one. Entire countries are banning dyes from their markets. I hope the FDA or Congress catches up soon. So many children will be better off, if we can just get the word out.
8 comments:
I know how you feel! Sometimes I tell my kids - Lucky for you, you know what is in that junk they are eating and it's not good! My three year old doesn't have a tantrum asking for gumballs anymore - he says, "Yuck, those are the gumballs with the bugs in them!" I just laugh and say, yep - let's get you something tasty and without the bugs! :) I always tell them that Daddy and Mommy are trying to get those food companies to change their ingredients. I tell them that they are smart to know what is in the foods that they eat and that you can always find something way better! I don't want them to feel like it's not their choice. They definitely don't like how they feel after they eat it and how they get so emotional over nothing. You are going through a lot lately! Your kids are lucky to have you! :)
That can be so frustrating! I find that the FAAN's focus on educating about anaphylactic allergies has backfired...and now people who understand anaphylaxis don't care about any other food intolerance.
No, my kid doesn't have an epi pen. No, you may not feed her whatever you want. And no, she doesn't need an epi. And YES...I am sane. :P
Sometimes I'm tempted to just let her eat...then keep her home for a week each time they poison her. I think it would demonstrate my point...but she'd suffer too much. :-(
Here's my gripe! You would think that a teacher who was educated about the possible affects of the artificial dyes would stay away from them. As a teacher, she would know that those kids who are susceptible, but not diagnosed, would perform better! Behavior problems might decrease in the classroom.
Ya know, when the kids in my son's classroom were fed snacks with red dye 40, the kids were the worst that day. The teacher reported more problems that day than the typical day. Because of my request, I have a feeling that the kids have been more well-behaved. She has commented that they have been such a pleasure. I wonder why??? There were some, who at the beginning of the year, were having major behavior problems. (Not now)
Schools need to have more restrictions on snacks and lunch foods.
Nice to know I'm not the only one in this struggle. With everything else going on, the food dye stuff seems like small potatoes now. But it is really nice that my kids have all been so calm and cooperative. Life has been smoothe in many ways. I never say that when food dyes are in mix.
I hope I'm doing my part to educate teachers, but most people don't believe me about this stuff and never get around to checking our the research, even when I send specific links. This effort really is a "one family at a time" kind of thing.
I totally agree. Someone said to me even after reading my blogs..."really, you really notice a difference with that stuff?" My husband, a neurologist, was talking to a psychiatrist who said that he often thought people were using that as an excuse! My husband told him that he was extremely skeptical when I first started eliminating the stuff, but now has enough evidence with his own children to know it is the truth! The psychiatrist who respects my husbands opinion became very interested in helping him to research the neurological and behavioral aspect of it. I wish more psychiatrists would become more aware. It's sad to think others are smirking at something so real.
Me too! My son asks me all the time why God made him not be able to have food dyes. I try to explain to him that food dyes aren't good for anybody but since he sees people consuming colored foods all the time, he doesn't really get it.
My son is acting hyper and mean for about 20 to 30 mins after eating. Not every meal. I took him to my Doctor after watching him laugh at nothing and wobble around in my arms for about 20 mins after eating fruity pebbles. My Doctor said he didn't believe it was food related. Please help!
Dear anonymous,
All I can suggest is to try taking your son off all dyes and see what happens. You are less likely to see results if you do not get him 100% free of the chemicals for several days. But this is one time where diligence pays of BIG TIME. Good luck.
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