"Have you really noticed a difference when your children consume Red Dye 40?"

I can definately notice a difference when my children consume red dye 40. I can even notice minor disturbances in their behavior when they consume yellow dyes. I have gotten good at eliminating these things from their diet. No, I am not a health nut who stumbled on this diet and decided to use this to excuse my childrens' behavioral problems. I never was much of a label reader. It all started when I took my son, who was four at the time, to an occupational therapist. I was afraid he had some sort of conduct disorder. His focus was poor, his activity level was low, he looked depressed at times, and he was easily frustrated. He would kick or try to hit at me or his brothers for ridiculus reasons. At the same time, he was very bright and could read at an early age. I noticed that his behavior had changed for the worse when he was a little over three years old.
We ate the usual stuff that most American families consume. Fruit snacks, Strawberry Milk, Goldfish Crackers, etc. (all things with red dye 40). Taking him to occupational therapy was probably the saving grace that we needed. I told his therapist that I was trying to reduce the amount of sugar in his diet. His therapist mentioned, "you might want to cut out red dye 40 in his diet." I never heard about that and so I researched it when I got home. I thought I would give it a shot and stopped giving him his favorite drink, Quik Strawberry Milk (Loaded with red-dye 40). His behavior seemed to be pretty good. I went through our pantry and started eliminating everything with that dye in it. The Food and Drug Administration hasn't banned the dye and has held onto the notion that it is safe for food consumption, pharmaceuticals, and almost every product imaginable! I realized then that I didn't care what the FDA approved, but that our son was showing improvement in all areas without the red-dye 40. Every time that our son has accidentally been exposed to red 4o it is evident that his behavior was adversely affected 100% of the time - the evidence was there!

There was a study conducted in 2007 that supports the theory that Food Additives Play Role in ADHD Behavior
I found this in information in the following webpage:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/371821/new_study_supports_theory_food_additives.html?cat=70
This is an exerpt from the webpage:
"Artificial food colorings can exacerbate attention deficit and hyperactive (ADHD) behavior in children between the ages of 3 to 9 years old according to a report by British researchers Wednesday, September 5, 2007. Research for the study included testing 300 children by giving them juice with food coloring and preservatives, then identifying significant changes in behavior. The study was done by Jim Stevenson and colleagues at the University of Southhampton. The findings show that not only children with ADHD where effected, but also children in general. "These findings show that adverse effects are not just seen in children with extreme hyperactivity (such as ADHD) but can also be seen in the general population and across the range of severities of hyperactivity," researchers wrote in the Lancet Medical Journal."

I also came across this webpage:
Should Artificial Food Coloring Be Banned?
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1466157/should_artificial_food_coloring_be.html?cat=5#comments
An exerpt from the article:
"The state of Maryland is considering two bills that would outlaw the use of artificial food coloring in school foods as well as require a warning label on products that contain them."
I wish all of our schools would follow Maryland's lead!

Here is another link: Dyes can double ADHD The British have conducted studies and have banned artificial dyes. America needs to do the same.