Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Day 30: Color Me Sane Again

Ahhhhh…the monsters that started it all. Food colorings. Were it not for these little boogers, this whole venture might not have happened. When we first heard the term “ADHD” from the school counselor, followed by the suggestion that “dietary changes” might have positive impact, I delved into internet research on the topic and learned that Certified Artificial Colors are a hyperactivity trigger in some children. They also have some carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting properties. And these colors are in every single thing we use and eat commercially. Read the labels on your foods, your cosmetics, your hand soap, your shampoo. Pardon my French, but it’ll start to piss you off.

Victoria and Aaron are fast becoming experts on certified artificial colors, and they avoid them voluntarily because I have explained the risks to them. FYI, “certified” artificial colors are the synthetic tar- or petroleum-based ones with a color name and number like Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 1. Certified colors are approved by the FDA and must be listed individually by name in the ingredient list. (I’m withholding my personal comments here.) If a food label states simply that it has “artificial colors” in it, then those colors are the ones that are naturally occurring (found already in nature itself – plants, fruits, etc.) There’s your daily dose of Ingredients 101.

Ever since blue jello came out on the market, I have squawked that, “I don’t eat blue food!” And I didn’t even know about synthetic colors then. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a PDF file on its website entitled Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks. This 68-page document gives a world of information on the synthetic food colorings, much more than the average bear is interested in. I don’t understand all the chemical composition details of the ingredients in each color, which are deeply detailed and account for the size of the document, but it has some common language and summarizing information I think everyone should read. Just check out the summaries of colors on Page vii (physical page 7 of the file). The summary is enough to make me want to spit nails.

I can’t help but think that if people KNEW what they were eating, they wouldn’t eat it. How many of us, if we knew a food additive was going to cause harm to our unborn children, changes to our DNA, kidney problems, hyperactivity disorders, thyroid issues or cancer would continue to spoon it in??

I could preach for days on this, but I don’t think my blood pressure can take it. Do yourself and your children a favor…make yourself aware of ingredients. Educate yourself. Read the labels before you put the product in the grocery cart. The food companies and the FDA will only change under consumer pressure. And we all know pressure on the pocketbook effects the greatest change. The people making the money prefer keeping the public in the dark. It’s time for more of us to turn the light on.

2 comments:

  1. I think you're right and I'm so impressed with all that you've done. I agree that it's going to take a long time, but as I run out of my everyday products (deodorant, shampoo, etc) I'm going to start switching over to Lori approved products. ;) Also, I have three diet cokes left. I'm going to attempt to tell them goodbye after this. *tear*

    Oh, and Diet Coke has "Caramel Color" I wonder where that falls in all this?

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  2. Jess, I have learned that Caramel color is made by heating the carbs to the point of carmelization, just like we do in heating sugar when we bake. Everything I read about it sounds relatively harmless - they are using the natural or at least harmless ingredients when they make it. It's not a synthetic color. :)

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