FDA decides No Warning Necessary on Artificial Dyes- However, Consumer Choice can Change Market

  Parents who find the cause of their child's symptoms are buying foods without artificial colors and are not going to wait for the FDA to put warning labels on foods. We are not going to wait for someone to finally complete a very valid study so the FDA can say what we already know. It's about money, it's about consumer choice, but for me it's also about educating others. I was a parent who could not understand what was happening to my child and why no form of discipline would make a difference. I saw my child struggle with depression, a lower self-esteem, uncontrollable fits of anger, and a lack of friends. I was ignorant and unaware that artificial dyes could cause such a behavior change in my child. Two years of this without anyone telling me to look at the dyes my child was eating. Warning labels would have been helpful and saved valuable time with my child. Today he is a bright, sweet child, with the ability to manage his anger rationally like other kids his age. So studies or no studies, I am not buying it any longer. Money talks in this greedy world. That is the only way to make a change, although I hoped for the sake of others that some sort of warning was issued for the other children and adults suffering.
    MSNBC.Com health has the latest news on this subject and what the FDA decided.  It was a close vote 6-8.  Please click on the link below and add your comments.     
http://health.newsvine.com/_news/2011/03/31/6384389-fda-panel-no-warning-needed-on-food-dye?threadId=3093106&commentId=52954750#c52954750

Could what you eat cause behavioral problems?

    I got started doing this blog years ago after learning that red dye 40 was the cause of my child's most turbulent behavior.  Then, I realized that the artificial dye was affecting other members of my family, including me.  After witnessing a complete turn around in my son, I felt compelled to share what I learned.  I learned that artificial dyes can cause stomach aches, depression, hives, have an effect on IQ, cause motor-coordination problems and behavioral problems - to name a few.  Why should children or anyone else needlessly suffer because of consuming these harmful dyes.  Before having my children, I taught third grade.  I recall some of my students having the same dye-induced look that my child used to have after consuming red-dye 40.  I couldn't understand why their behavior was so irrational while other days they were calm, sweet children who were able to focus.  One child could sit in his desk calmly and was able to focus on his work and then after lunch he would be a completely different child.  He would lay on the floor, roam the room, cause problems with the other students.  Could what he had during lunch have caused a behavioral change?  Could the dyes make this much of a difference in their life?  I believe it can and so do many people who leave their comments of thanks for this blog.  For children and even adults who are sensitive to these dyes, it will transform their lives if they eliminate these dyes from their diet.  My child's self-esteem blossomed, has many friends, can focus, lost the dye-induced violent episodes, makes wonderful grades and is the sweet child I thought he was. 
    Please check out the two new videos I added from YouTube (in the right side column).  Also, please sign the petition to make healthier school lunches without artificial dyes.  You and everyone together can make a difference!
   

Can eliminating artificial dyes from a child's diet decrease or eliminate ADD symptoms?

 Artificial synthetic dyes that have been marketed heavily to children have been known to increase hyperactive behavior in children.  Although, what is not greatly researched is how they can also increase undesirable behaviors such as fits of anger, aggression, and depression.  If you have a child with ADD and are trying to find a way to help your child, please take a look at the link below.  It is a very well written article on this topic.

http://www.ardyss-bodymagic.com/blog/index.php/2010/05/17/our-nations-kids-on-uppers/

Are you irritable or angry? It could be Linked to Artificial Food Dyes

Have you ever experienced irritability when everything is going right? Have you ever felt really mad and aggressive over minor irritants while having a difficult time calming down or even felt overly-emotional?

If you have ever felt that way and wondered why you experienced that, then you might have been experiencing - "dye-induced behavior". No kidding. Read the labels of the foods and drinks that you consume. Does it contain any artificial dyes like red dye 40 or the yellow dyes? Some people say that the blue dyes have caused hyperactivity in their children. If you have ADD/ADHD or any other pervasive development disorder, you might be more susceptible to the affects of these dyes. Perhaps you are among the many who have never been diagnosed as having ADD/ADHD and are now an adult experiencing problems with relationships, memory, planning and organizing or keeping up with day to day tasks. While ADD/ADHD is viewed as a negative trait, it can also be a very creative and spontaneous trait. So that said, if you find yourself experiencing the symptoms I described or recognize that in a child please spread what you know about artificial dyes or direct them to this website. It may help someone that you care about find a more peaceful way of living - just by removing the artificial dyes from their diet, medicines and prescription drugs. I wish someone had told me sooner. My son was experiencing major behavior problems and neurological problems which were all illiminated by removing the artificial dyes. My son is an example of a powerful success story. He is well liked in school, gets good grades, and has received many positive awards from his teacher. He even won a spot on the wall for his artistic talent. His former occupational therapist would have been amazed to see his progress. It was the therapist who initially suggested removing red dye 40, but like many people she didn't really realize the full implications of what these artificial dyes can actually do and even handed him some treats that had artificial dyes in them after his sessions.

After our family totally changed our diets to foods without these dyes, we have experienced and witnessed the transformation of our children and ourselves. I hope this reaches as many people as possible because what these dyes are doing to our society and to our children is unforgivable. It is also sad that the FDA has done nothing to remove these harmful petroleum-based dyes from our foods and medicines.

My husband is a Neurologist who understands that these artificial dyes are potentially harmful to everyone who consumes them. He believes that the number of medicines being prescribed for ADD/ADHD can be lessened by removing harmful artificial dyes. He has guided me with this website so that we can help others by spreading the news.

Can your school do this???

Yesterday our son decided to try the school lunches in his new school. The menu appears to have healthy options. However, I don't like to take chances because eating or drinking foods with the artificial colors would mean drastically altering my son's behavior from good to dye-induced ugliness. Therefore, our son has a doctor's note explaining that he is not to have any artificial food colors in his food or drink beverage. I was then given the lunch menu for each day of the week and instructed to circle which foods he would like to eat. Next, I would be given the ingredients for each item for my son's doctor to look over. The food dietitian would then make an alternative if needed for each item that our son is not allowed to eat. As more and more people are becoming aware of harmful dyes and food additives, some schools are choosing healthier options. If the word gets out that I was allowed to do this then others might follow suit. It might just be easier to make foods this way to begin with. Don't we all want our children to eat real foods instead of foods that look real?
There is a school in San Juan Island School District that has chosen to stay away from artificial dyes and preservatives. The link is below:

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/jsj/news/59256037.html