I'm DYE-ing To Know, Is It Just Hype?

We control every piece of food our children put into their mouths. In 3 or 5 years from now, that won't happen. Kids eat things at school, friends houses, birthday parties, so on... But right now me and Terry know exactly what our kiddos eat everyday. Every time I turn on the TV I hear this news of American manufacturers banning food dyes they put in foods that are imported to Europe. Britain bans these food dyes from their food. BANS THEM. That tells me something. I watched GMA yesterday and there is a list of 8 food dyes that are a concern. These food dyes have (in certain studies) shown to increase a child's excitability and alter behavior. The GMA piece showed a mom with a 9 year old, she omitted food from her sons diet that contained these dyes and it immediately changed the behavior of her child. CRAZY! At least there's proof it doesn't alter behavior long-term, kids would be in big trouble!

I walked directly into my kitchen and opened the pantry. Here are the foods I found that contain one or more of those 8 dyes...

*'Colors' goldfish
*Fruit loops (I eat those) Thank God Do Do Dora cereal doesn't contain these dyes, Ava would go ape shat if I took this cereal away.
*Kraft Mac-N-Cheese
*Pop Tarts
*Cake mix
*Pudding (every single one in my pantry, chocolate, vanilla, banana cream - I'm a pudding lover)

That made me think of the yogurt I give to Ava, Yoplait Dora, I found they use strawberry puree for the coloring. But - I wonder if the Trix yogurt, which is very vibrant contains the dyes...

Kraft's market research in the United Kingdom has shown a "much higher interest" in food dyes than in the United States. Here, consumers are more interested in calorie, fat and sodium content, he said. So in the U.S., Kraft, Mars and others use artificial dyes, which tend to be less expensive and look more vibrant than natural colorings.Artificial food dyes, which are primarily derived from petroleum and coal tars, are a staple in breakfast cereals, snacks and soft drinks.

The good thing is Ava has never consumed a soft drink, doesn't eat candy, and those two items alone are the main culprits with these food dyes.

The American FDA say there is no evidence that food color additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in children. That's fine, I'm sure that might be true, but from now on, I will switch from 'colors' goldfish to pretzel goldfish, Ava won't care. And be more vigilant about the dry snacks she eats, now that the awareness is out there. I think limiting the allowance of certain foods my kids eat that contain these dyes is reasonable, but taking them completely off of my shelves is something I won't do.

Here are the eight food dyes - Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3 and Yellow 6 - together with other additives are particularly prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods pitched to kids.

Even the pancake syrup and Lipton onion soup mix in my pantry contained the 'Carmel' color dye - which gets its color from the Red 40...

Now, go to your pantry and check it out!