The dangers of food colorings
Red, yellow, blue, lake, FD&C, 5, 4, 40. You're probably aware of the fact that artificial food coloring is bad for you, or at least that it's not good for you. Real chefs refuse to use it. Some countries like Norway ban some of them. Do you know why?
In studies in which rats were given doses of artificial food coloring versus a placebo and then placed in a maze, it was found that the rats were hyperactive and had difficulty staying on task and retaining attention (see link to study in Additional Sources below: "Potential Health Hazard", 2011 Kamel & El-lethey). This is interesting because, as a lot of brightly colored snacks have lots of sugar as well as artificial color, people blame the sugar alone for hyperactivity. However, the coloring itself may have something to do with this as well. Some parents have concluded this on their own from observations at home, too. The colorings will worsen one's inability to pay attention if he or she already has trouble, such as with ADD or ADHD, so keep that in mind.
Additionally, other studies have found that artificial colorings may lead to rashes, asthma, or even tumors! Egad!
Do you know what petroleum is? Well, that's what artificial colors are made of, in addition to acetone and coal tars. Ew. These colors are approved by the FDA, too.
Unfortunately, children are often the most vulnerable to artificial color not because their bodies are still developing, but also because their snacks and desserts are the most likely to have artificial color, such as fruit snacks or that weird green ketchup.
Thankfully, it may not be too late for many people, who can stop eating food with artificial colors and try to cleanse their bodies of the chemicals. If you just keep eating them, they'll keep building up, and you'll never get better.
It's pretty easy to avoid foods with artificial color, whether you're looking at the label or at the unnatural tint of your food. Remember, however, that some bright colors are natural, such as the red from beets or the orange from carrots (carotene). Use common sense in locating unnatural colors for your health and that of children.
Livestrong has suggested a list of food additives to avoid (just so you know, "FD&C" stands for "Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, which mandated the certification of some food color additives):
- Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
- Sodium nitrate/nitrate
- Sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium sulfite, sodium and potassium bisulfite, sodium and potassium metabisulfite)
- Potassium bromate
- FD&C Blue #1
- FD&C Blue #2
- FD&C Green #3
- FD&C Red #3 (Erythrosine)
- FD&C Yellow #5 (Tartrazine)
- FD&C Yellow #6
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Aspartame
Additional resources
- US FDA/CFSAN - Colorings
Color additive menu page - Artificial Colors in Food A Poison Rainbow? | Fooducate
Those bright and friendly colors that bring joy to your child as she slurps down a drinkable yogurt or mixes Froot Loops with some milk are actually - The Potential Health Hazard of Tartrazine and Levels of Hyperactivity...
- Artificial Food Additives Linked to Attention Deficit Disorder
- Food Additives ~ CSPI's Food Safety
Since 1971, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has been a strong advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy, and sound science. Its award-winning newsletter, Nutrition Action Healthletter, is the largest-circulation hea - Toxic Food Additives To Avoid | LIVESTRONG.COM
Toxic Food Additives To Avoid. Additives are put into food for a number of reasons. They can help prolong shelf life, add color and provide added flavoring to prepackaged, processed food. According to Food Matte... - Food Coloring Substitutes | eHow.com
Food Coloring Substitutes. Many people are purging their kitchens and homes of processed, preservative-filled foods, and that even extends to the food colorings they use. However, many people still want to color and dye foods. Baked treats, such as c
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Comments 34 comments
OH, my! That cake looks dangerous! I touched on this point in my Discussing Distressing Dressings hub. There are a lot of food additives, deemed safe that might be safe for rats, but did anyone ever think what they might do to children?
Good work-- people need to start paying attention.
oh shoot, no more skittles for me :D
glassvisige,
Great Hub! Very informative. It's good to know how harmfu food coloring is, especilly to children, and how to avoid it.
Thanks for sharing. B ~ arbie Perkins
Very informative.
Thanks for this, I am getting some friends to read this too.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you all for your comments! Even after this long after making this Hub, the cake still looks disturbing :(
I've found that certain artificial colors will trigger headaches for me. I can think of many things that I've eaten that have either given me a bad headache or a migraine, including skittles, fruit snacks, and certain sodas (not 7up or Sprite, or any of the clear ones). Basically any candy will trigger a headache for me, and I'm starting to find out that I might be allergic to artificial coloring. This isn't a natural product and we should not be eating it!
No wonder I can't afford to pay attention... Too much Yellow #5 in my Mountain Dew. I guess I'll have to switch to some other source of caffeine.
@Greg Wytaske
Coffee my friend! Get off the unnatural stuff, your body will thank you! Also remember to drink plenty of water.
wow people should really read this and belive it this is true ppl!
I have a son with ADHD who gets no FD&C colors in his diet...he bounces off the walls after ingesting it.
Thanks for knowing this. Very informative article.
Most of the things you listed are not colors
Please cite sources
Thank you for the comments! Sources cited!
Very informative. Thank you!
I was just trying to find a way to color play doh for my little guy without using food coloring (I'm assuming the coloring in play doh is not safe). I cannot figure out if there is a brand of coloring or a way to color homemade play doh safely! If there is, can someone post some suggestions? I read you can use fruit somehow. I'm hoping there may be a way to color things safely since everything seems to go in there mouths!
Wow i did not think food colouring could be so bad for you...
Agree, agree. No artificial anything. How do they get away with it if it's bad for us and our children?
Whoa,artificial coloring is really dangerous!
And the cake looks delicious! :)
Wow. Thanks for the information. This really should be known by everyone especially parents before its too late.
food coloring is my title of my speach,and now i`m shoked by this dangerous additive that we use alot every day
Is it too late...and how long does food color stay in the body ?
Anything is ok in moderation. I try to stay away from this stuff as much as possible but theres no way to cut out artificial colors entirely. They're in almost everything. And I doubt they're totally to blame for kids hyperactivity.
What are the color subsitutes that would be safe to use and how to use it? Kids love to colorful stuff.
Good question! There are a lot of natural alternatives to food coloring. I added a new link I found with some ideas!
Food dyes is so bad for you
My wife is pregnant and her prenatal vitamins have RED 40 .
This a a huge eugenics program being built around us.
Why in the world would you put that in prenatal vitamins.
research John P.Holdren . He is the science tzar in office now ,who Obama put in office. John P.Holdren wrote a book in 1977 called "ECOSCIENCE" he writes in the book about drugging the water ,food and vaccines to control population growth. This world is MAD!
Thank you for sharing! dave, I can't believe they put that in those vitamins - no reason to! Maybe the vitamin and dye companies are in it together :P
It's rediculous what's in our food!!! My generic allergy meds had blue dye in it. It's a white pill. So had to switch to Zyrtec which has no dyes.
Alarmist. Rats are not humans. Test results on rats do not mean humans will react the same way.
Colours have been added to food for 1000's of years and humans have been living with food dyes for the same length of time. Just like a small number of people re-act to cat hair, some can re-act to food colourings.
Scientists have not been able to reproduce consistent test results to support a link between food colourings and chronic diseases as you've claimed (tumors). There is not a single case of a cancer related human death that can be even remotely linked to food dyes.
Do you or your readers own a car or ever travel in one? Have you ever travelled in a car with your kids? Every single time you travel in a car your life is at significant risk. Yet most of us do it without thinking about it a whole lot...and we keep on doing it. It really does boggle my mind how anyone could be quite happy to drive a car on a daily basis which poses serious risk to life and limb, but then spends time worrying about how the strawberry yoghurt gets its colour? Oh, and maybe car manufacturers have some kind of deal with the hospitals & morgues for repeat business.
Honestly...there are far bigger dangers to your health than food dyes.
Hi few days ago I ate sweet rice at my friends house she had added excessive amount of food colouring since then I hav had an itchy body including my face and a burst of tiny spots I hav taken piriton but no change any suggestions?
wow u con get cancer????
I don't really understand the need for so much food coloring these days.
i am never eating a piece of cake, skittles, bananas ever again
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