Food dyes. They are in most of the foods we eat today and in the skin and hair products we use every day, many of you may know this, but do you really know how those dyes affect us every time we put them in or on our bodies? I’ve recently become really aware of the dyes in my food, and trust me; my heart has been broken many times because of it. My favorite gum is now no longer being bought by me, goodbye Mac-n-Cheese and many other beloved foods!
The bright side to all these goodbyes is relief of allergies and so many more sicknesses. Here’s a list of all the dyes and the affects they have on your body.
Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue)
An unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice. What it's in: Baked goods, beverages, desert powders, candies, cereal, drugs, and other products.
Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine)
Causes a statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. What it's in: Colored beverages, candies, pet food, & other food and drugs.
Citrus Red #2
It's toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. What it's in: Skins of Florida oranges.
Green #3 (Fast Green)
Causes significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats. What it's in: Drugs, personal care products, cosmetic products except in eye area, candies, beverages, ice cream, sorbet; ingested drugs, lipsticks, and externally applied cosmetics
Red #3 (Erythrosine)
Recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. What it's in: Sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, baked goods, candies. Why it’s still allowed in our food and medicine makes no sense to me..
Red #40 (Allura Red)
This is the most-widely used and consumed dye. It may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice. It also causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in some consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children along with anger and attention issues. What it's in: Beverages, bakery goods, dessert powders, candies, cereals, foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
Yellow #5 (Tartrazine)
Yellow 5 causes’ sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. What it's in: Pet foods, numerous bakery goods, beverages, dessert powders, candies, cereals, gelatin desserts, and many other foods, as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow)
Caused adrenal tumors in animals and occasionally causes severe hypersensitivity reactions. All Yellow dyes also cause environmental allergies in almost everyone, so if you suffer from allergies, check the food you eat or the products you use. What it's in: Color bakery goods, cereals, beverages, dessert powders, candies, gelatin deserts, sausage, cosmetics and drugs.
Every year, food manufacturers pour 15 million pounds of artificial food dyes into U.S. foods -- and that amount only factors in eight different varieties, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
These dyes are so common in U.S. foods -- especially kids' foods -- which parents don't think twice about giving their children rainbow-colored cereal or fluorescent blue "juice," and adults don't consider bright orange cheese puffs out of the ordinary, either.
But you might do a double take if these food packages contained warnings detailing what these artificial food colorings may really be doing to your health, and that of your children.
Well, in the European Union at least, they do. As of July 2010, most foods in the EU that contain artificial food dyes were labeled with warning labels stating the food "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." The British government also asked that food manufacturers remove most artificial colors from foods back in 2009.
In the United States, however, consumers are still snatching up artificially colored foods with fervor, as most are completely unaware of the risks involved … and let me just say, hyperactivity in children is only the tip of the iceberg. . CSPI reported:
"The three most widely used dyes, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, are contaminated with known carcinogens … Another dye, Red 3, has been acknowledged for years by the Food and Drug Administration to be a carcinogen, yet is still in the food supply.
Almost all the toxicological studies on dyes were commissioned, conducted, and analyzed by the chemical industry and academic consultants. Ideally, dyes (and other regulated chemicals) would be tested by independent researchers.
Furthermore, virtually all the studies tested individual dyes, whereas many foods and diets contain mixtures of dyes (and other ingredients) that might lead to additive or synergistic effects.
In addition to considerations of organ damage, cancer, birth defects, and allergic reactions, mixtures of dyes (and Yellow 5 tested alone) cause hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in some children.… Because of those toxicological considerations, including carcinogenicity, hypersensitivity reactions, and
Behavioral effects, food dyes cannot be considered safe. The FDA should ban food dyes, which serve no purpose other than a cosmetic effect; though quirks in the law make it difficult to do so (the law should be amended to make it no more difficult to ban food colorings than other food additives).
In the meantime, companies voluntarily should replace dyes with safer, natural colorings."
When foods are processed not only are valuable nutrients lost and fibers removed, but the texture, natural variation and flavors are lost also. After processing, what's actually left behind is a bland, uninteresting "pseudo-food" that most people would find entirely unappetizing.
So at this point, food manufacturers must add back in the nutrients, flavor, color and texture in order to make them desirable, and this is why they become loaded with food additives.
Most commonly, additives are included to:
Slow spoilage
Prevent fats and oils from becoming rancid or developing an off-flavor
Prevent cut fruits from turning brown
Fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals (which are lost during processing)
Improve taste, texture and appearance
In the case of kids' foods, bright colors are also added to attract kids' attention and make the foods appear "fun." But in most cases, if a food comes in an outrageous color that is not found in nature, consuming it is not a good idea.
Let me make it clear that your diet should include a range of vibrantly colored foods … but these foods should be the ones that are naturally rich in color. Red bell peppers, purple eggplant, green spinach, blueberries and rainbow chard are all examples of healthy foods whose bright colors are signs of the important nutrients they contain.
These are the food colors you need in your diet … not the man-made varieties found in most processed foods. The good news is avoiding artificial food dyes is incredibly easy -- just stick to whole fresh foods and avoid the processed ones.
Also check your vitamins, vitamin companies use dyes in their products often. Make sure you are aware and always check the labels of everything you buy, don't trust the company with your health and your life.
You're good if you can remember these:
Blue 1 —— Chromosomal Damage
Blue 2 —— Brain Tumors
Red 3 ——- Thyroid Tumors, Chromosomal damage
Green 3 —- Bladder Tumors
Red 3 ——- Thyroid Tumors, Chromosomal damage
Green 3 —- Bladder Tumors
Yellow 5 — Allergies, Thyroid Tumors, Lymphocyte Lymphomas, Chromosomal damage
Yellow 6 — Allergies, Kidney Tumors, Chromosomal damage
Red 40 —— Lymphomas, Lymph Tumors
Yellow 6 — Allergies, Kidney Tumors, Chromosomal damage
Red 40 —— Lymphomas, Lymph Tumors
Did you know that Haley is the older sister of Lilies photographer, Cassie?!?!
Thank you! This was super informative!
ReplyDeleteGreat article! Ever since Every one in my family other than my dad was diagnosed with gluten intolerance, we've looked into things like this pretty thouroughly! Scary some of the things we put in our bodies without even realizing it.
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