getting ready for a dye free Valentine's Day

It just hit me that another "red holiday" is right around the corner. My friends and I have found lots of strategies that help so I thought I would share them ahead of time, in case you need to order stuff.

Here are some candy options I've come across:
http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/natural-valentines-day
http://www.surfsweets.com/products.php

If you want to bake for Valentine's day, I have not ordered these, but the pictures looked so good, I'm really tempted
http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/natural-baking-projects

There are also options on Amazon:
Yummy Earth
India Tree

Here is last year's post about what I made:
http://fooddyediaries.blogspot.com/2009/02/bring-on-red-were-all-set.html

One of our favorites continues to be Darrell Lea's Australian Licorice from Target--great tasting dye free red licorice. I couldn't find it on Target's web, but they actually have different colors (green and yellow) at amazon. I might order that with a friend some time since you need to get large quantities:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dgrocery&field-keywords=darrell+lea+licorice

Happy party planning!

TGIF

I probably will not be posting as much during Little League season as my boys have games Mon-Thurs and again on Saturday. Since they alternate days and my husband is coaching 2 teams, we are really living on the go right now. I kind of wonder sometimes if it is worth all the insanity and portable dinners, but then Ben pitched 3 strike outs in a row in one inning and Alex got his first 3 hits all in one game and we can't help but celebrate.

The down sides of Little League: concession stand full of red candy, just about every kid on the team has a brightly color sport drink, and my kids sit back and watch all the other kids have their food coloring fiesta for 2 1/2 hours every night. I have stocked up on safe gum, candy, treats, and other drinks, but sometimes it gets to be a pain. At least I think we have finally seen the last of the effects of that dixie cup of Crystal Light the other night.

I'm not sure how I would survive if my son were that irritable, whiny, demanding and over-reactive on a regular basis. It makes me all the more thankful I've been able to see his REAL personality without the food dyes for the past 2 years. The contrast is so "Jekkyl and Hyde" it is hard to describe. Imagine watching your calm, loving, affectionate, smart, considerate, polite, responsible boy turn into a sobbing, cranky mess over little things like, "I can't find a ruler to do my math homework." So, here's hoping for a better dye free weekend.

Happy Mother's day to all the moms who follow.

I can only imagine..

...what my life would be like if I had not figured out the connection between food and behavior. We used to have tantrums over nothing, defiance over the basics, and all out war over the biggies like homework and chores. My children used to have wound up, hyperactive, crazy days where their ears were blocked to the sound of my voice and their engines burned at full tilt from dawn til after dusk. I used to naturally try to raise the sound of my voice to be heard over all the buzzing chaos and wound up frustrated and hoarse without any better results than if I had sat on the couch doing nothing. My oldest often hated my guts and had no qualms about telling me to my face.

Then, I started taking away the food dyes, and it got better. Now I have completely removed food dyes and I also keep 2 of my kids off apples and grapes. The salicylates (chemically similar to aspirin) seem to wire them. Now, we have an unbelievably different picture. Life is smooth. My oldest is polite, helpful, cooperative and affectionate. I can't remember the last tantrum. He appreciates little things and thanks me for them. He will hug me spontaneously and say "thanks of buying the granola bars I like" or something similarly sweet.

So in choosing the title of this post, I was absolutely thinking of the song by Casting Crowns. Freedom from food dyes is a gift from God, a kind of redemption, for my family. We live in light and peace now. No, we're not perfect, but things are soooo much better. And I really do think food dyes are a direct work of evil trying to erode families everywhere. What you do with the information is up to you. Dismiss me as crazy if you need to. I know it probably sounds too good and simple to be true. If you are skeptical, click on my links to the right. Check out the research or the other parent testimonies. Sometimes the truth is simple. If you have not tried avoiding food dyes, then you can't even imagine how much better things can be.

don't keep it secret-- a challenge to moms

I was inspired today by another mom whose story is surprisingly similar to mine. Another amazing turnaround happened just by taking the food dyes out of the diet. We agree that we need to work harder get the word out. She sent me a link to another article about food dyes: The truth about food dyes from CBS. I like this one because of all the comments at the bottom from other moms. Be sure to go all the way down and read those.

Because of this, I want to challenge other families to get the word out. Don't just tell your friends, have a talk at your school PTA meeting. Start a group at your church. Talk about making changes to the school lunches. Do something to let bigger numbers of people know about the importance of food dyes and how bad they can be for children. We can't keep this a secret. We need to become warriors, fighting for the well being of all the children in our country.

We can do this. We can make a difference, but we need to make the information better known. We need to put pressure on food companies by using our wallets to buy only natural foods and convincing enough others to do the same that it starts to make a difference. If you haven't tried taking the food dyes out of your diet, you have no idea of the child you might be missing out on knowing. Doesn't every child deserve to have their real, un-chemically altered brain working on a regular basis?

food dyes and bugs

I've had some recent emails and comments about dyes made from bugs. I don't think my kids have a problem with the bug dyes. These are different than the numbered dyes that I avoid. I avoid the chemical dyes commonly called red #40, yellow #5, yellow #6 and blue #1. My understanding is that the numbered dyes are manufactured from petroleum. They are synthetic chemicals that do not commonly occur in nature. Thus, our bodies are not well equipped to digest them. I've seen repeated references to artificial colorings being neurotoxins that excite the brain (not in a good way). While they are very prevalent in food marketed to children, research shows more and more that they cause increased behavior problems.

The bug dyes, on the other hand, are made from ground up bug parts, which is considered a natural product. They are referred to as carmine, or chochineal. They come from the chochineal beetle. Here is link to an article about the differences in bug dyes and artificial dyes that explains it better. Allergies to carmine are not as common, but I've seen many discussions of more life threatening problems to carmine such as anaphalatic shock.

I guess the bottom line is still the same, know what you are eating and know how it makes you react.

Rules for staying dye-free

While we're all enjoying the good times, I thought I'd post our rules for avoiding food dyes. We avoid all numbered dyes: Red#40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Blue #1, Red #3

1. Always read the ingredients, even if the product looks white, it may still contain dye. Examples of white products containing dye: breads from refrigerated tubes, marshmallows, vanilla frosting, cakes, popcorn.
2. Even if it says there is no dye and it looks white, if it is manufactured with colored products, it probably still has traces of dye. I have found my kids still react to white candies (white nerds, clear Dum Dums, etc.) because they go through the same equipment as the ones with red 40 and probably pick up traces along the way.
3. Ask about ingredients in restaurants. Take the extra time to ask what is in the sauce, how does the rice get it's color, is there red 40 in your cranberry juice, etc. I've had to get over my discomfort with making the wait staff do this extra step. Luckily my husband has no shame and is never afraid to ask. It has saved us many times, but we still miss out on key ingredients sometimes (Watch restaurant food for hidden dyes in vanilla ice cream, mustard dipping sauces, salad dressings, pickles, lemonade, breads, etc.)
4. Provide your own treats and snacks for school or daycare. Get on the sign up list early so you can be the one to make the holiday treats. Then your child eats the same as everyone else and nobody gets the petrochemical overload.
5. Pack your child's lunch. You never know when an item that is normally safe will be traded for a colorful one. The chocolate chip cookies were traded for red and green rice crispy treats at Christmas. The nacho cheese sauce often has yellow 5 or 6. The fruit is often fruit cocktail with red 40 in the cherries.
6. If packing is not practical for daycare meals that you have to pay for, check the menu ahead and substitute as needed. My 3 year old goes to preschool/day care 2 days a week. Her meals are included, but they have a few items with food dyes. It took a while for everyone to get a system in place. I have spent time in the kitchen with the cook and the director. I have read the ingredient labels myself and we worked out which items I will provide. They have a copy of the menu with all items highlighted that Lindsey needs substituted. I send items ahead and they leave an empty box in her cubbie when I need to bring more. I send my own cheese crackers for daily snack (theirs have yellow), fruit cups to replace fruit cocktail, pudding cups since theirs have red#40, and organic cereal bars to replace blueberry bread (red 40) and strawberry newton cookies. It sounds complicated, but it really only affects a couple things a week. She still eats about 80% of what they serve.
7. When you see a reaction, track it down. I've often gotten online to look up restaurant ingredients to figure out what caused the chaos in my kids' behavior. Once you start sharing this information with friends about the hidden dyes and where they are, it's easier to steer clear of them.
I also ask my kids repeatedly if I think they indulged at school and assure them I will be more proud of truthful answers than I will be angry about mistakes. Ben often denies eating dyed foods, but his face gives him away. I tell him I suspect he had something and encourage him to tell me when he is ready. I never punish them for eating the wrong thing.
8. Reward your child for not eating dyed foods. Stock up on organic candy and good treats. If someone (like a bus driver, teacher, etc) gives my child a piece of candy, they get 2 better ones if they bring it home and give it to me (so I can throw it away). I try to keep safe candy in my purse for any time a bank, hairdresser, etc offers something. The expense is well worth the peace I keep by avoiding even small amounts of dyes.
9. Talk to your kids about how they react to dyes. When they are calm, explain that they have a choice to not feel hyper, angry, upset, out of control, etc. They need to connect their choice of food to the problems that happen later so they can be encouraged to choose wisely. I say things like, "I think that treat you ate yesterday is affecting you. Do you want that treat to have that kind of power over you? You need to be in charge of what you eat so this doesn't happen next time. I also really empathize with them a lot. I'll say, "I know it seems unfair. I'm working to change things and ask food companies to make better products. I'm sad that so much food has this stuff in it. But I also remind them about all the good things they still get.
10. Don't forget mouth and body products (gum, toothpaste, fluoride rinse, lip balm and lotion) can also contain dyes that make kids react. Anyone else notice that Wrigley's gum used to be white/grayish but now it is florescent green or yellow? We've been sticking to white toothpaste. I originally paid about 4 dollars a tube at the health food store. I recently found the same natural products in Kroger's healthy food section on sale with 1$ off coupon.
11. Make the house completely dye free so that baby sitters, family members, or others don't feed your kids the wrong thing. It also means DH can't have his secret stash of Doritos and red licorice. The only way to reap the rewards of staying dye free is to take an "all or nothing" approach. Even one pink jelly bean can mess things up. If you decide to be diligent, you may be surprised at how much better your kids can be.
12. Take dye free products with you when you go places. If you have your own drinks and snacks, you are less likely to resort to other products.

How to calm an ADHD child

I'm probably sounding like a broken record. My kids act ADHD times 100 when they consume foods with food dyes. They are incredibly better off the food dyes. I think foods with salycilates contribute too. Check out the Feingold site for more on salycilates and other food connections.

But I've also been learning that there are also lots of other non-medication options for children with ADHD. I'm not completely opposed to medication. In my practice as a Professional Counselor I've seen lots and lots of children benefit from taking medication. Unfortunately, I also see a lot of trial and error and a lot of unwanted side effects. Doctors also seem to think that if one medication doesn't work, then 2 meds are better. That's my primary reason for not considering medication for my son, despite his attention problems. I think there is a lot of irresponsible prescribing going on with children and I want no part of that for my child.

That's also a reason I am so excited that I finally got Alex into an Occupational Therapist for Sensory Integration. I've been on waiting lists in 2 agencies for 10 months. My son's balance and coordination problems probably go all the back to his early ear infections and 2 sets of tubes. The OT suggested lots of heavy work for Alex. You would not believe how much a little of the right activity can do to calm a child. I could see the effects taking place after 10 minutes in our first appointment.


Since the kids are all home from school today (its' -14 outside) I decided it was the perfect time to test out the "heavy work" idea. I had the kids do an obstacle course in the basement with all kinds of pushing and pulling tasks requiring upper body muscle work. They loved it! They had fun, worked up a sweat, and best of all, they were much more calm than usual. Alex even did great playing the cello afterward.


Here are some more links to Sensory Integration Info
Sensory Processing Disorder site
another SI site