Feingold Part 1 (of 2)

This is a very interesting video that I think everyone should watch.  Everything she talks about happens to be the truth.  I have witnessed the change in my own child after removing artificial dyes from his diet.  She also gives advice for ways to avoid artificial colors.  Synthetic Artificial food dyes like red 40 are harmful to everyone and she helps to give a clear understanding of the damaging effects of these dyes.  Please watch.   

Red Dye 40 in Energy Drinks - Are your children drinking these?

     Currently there are no restrictions on children consuming energy drinks.  Children can buy drinks, such as Red Bull, without parental permission and down as many as they can afford or tolerate.  The other day I saw a group of boys outside of Publix chugging down their Red Bull drinks.  Not only are they getting a large dose of caffeine but those nasty artificial dyes derived from petroleum (Red Dye 40).  Children will become use to the feeling of high energy and might try to get that feeling again - and that is how these products may become addictive.  Caffeine, in itself, can be very addicting.  Now our society may have children who become edgy and irritable when their bodies crave the caffine that they have become used to.  Also, there are the children who have a sensitivity to the red dye in the drink and act in an overly aggressive manner, become hyper, or depressed - not to mention the harmful effects of the dyes for any person consuming it.  Are we being responisble when we allow this to continue?       

Hope for Sanity

    Someone told me the other day that after staying away from artificial dyes in their food, drinks, toothpaste, and anything that has it in the ingredient, she has seen a difference in her children.  Her teenager has become more empathetic and less prone to anger.  Her younger child who LOVES candy, but wasn't allowed to eat it became noticeably "different"  after eating the candy with red dye 40.  He began to talk non-stop and was bouncing off the furniture in a matter of minutes after ingesting the artificial dyes.  She has known for a long time that these dyes couldn't be good for you, but didn't realize that they had any effect on her children until she completely eliminated it from their diet.  Now she tells everyone about the effects of red dye 40 and what it may be doing to their children.  I hope that I can help more people with this blog.  Everyone should know this important information - Artificial dyes are bad for your health and there really is hope for sanity. 
 














I recommend Dr. Leman's book, Have a New Kid by Friday.  The advice in this book applies to parenting children and teens of all ages.      
(Please vote on the latest poll located on the right side column of this blog - Would you pay more for foods without artificial dyes?)

Can companies afford to switch to natural dyes?

    Many companies are struggling with the decision to switch to healthier natural food dyes.  From the article, "Do food dyes affect kids' behavior?" http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/13/health/he-foodcolor13?pg=5
here is an exerpt...
  "Some U.S. companies, he says, have experimented with replacing artificial colors in certain products, but ultimately changed their minds when they knew they would have to charge more.
"It is more expensive. You have to use more (natural pigment) so it costs a little more," Maletto says. "But if you say 'no artificial colors' on the box, you could charge a customer 10 cents more and they would pay it," he adds."
    Perhaps the research is already out there that consumers are willing to pay more for healthier options.  Please add your vote to the poll on the right side column about this topic.  Your opinion does count.

Is the medication for your child helping or hurting?

     Is the medication that your child is taking for ADD/ADHD helping or hurting?  Did you know that many of the medications that are prescribed for children have red dye 40 in them or other synthetic dyes known to cause behavioral problems in children?  Please check your medications because pharmacies can often find an alternative that is dye-free.  If not, check with another pharmacy. 

Search Amazon.com for feingold diet

My Testimonial: Is your child out of control?

Looking back, I thought my role as a parent was going to be a breeze. Besides, how hard could parenting be after teaching a class of thirty children. Staying home and raising them would be a piece of cake. I have always been a positive person so my kids will most likely be easy going too- so I thought. After my second child turned two, my rose colored glasses began to get foggy. My role as a disciplinarian was being tested in ways that I wasn't prepared for. My children entered the world of artificially colored foods, preservatives in almost every bite, and a world of processed foods that could make any kid's head spin (or at least those children who were sensitive to the stuff). I was ignorant. I thought that the foods that I ate and that my family ate were safe and that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) was out for our best interests.
So I went on, wondering, crying, reading, and taking my child to an occupational therapist for having some sort of conduct disorder, an autistic spectrum disorder, or whatever kind of label that would help define my child so that I could fix what was wrong. Let me first say this, no label was going to change how I thought about my son, it might only help me to help him better, but it was in no way to be used to define him (he would never know any term that was given to me).
He was four years old at the time and he was easily frustrated, he would hit and kick at his brothers or myself for reasons that were unexplainable. He could not be calmed by time-outs and holding him would only induce more of the same. His motor-coordination was poor and his occupational therapist said that he could possibly have dysgraphia. It was odd to me since he used to (when he was two years old) draw pictures with nice detail and have good control of his pencil. That was not all she said, but it is not necessary to bring that up now. During the time I was acquiring all of the labels that my child possibly had, I learned something that changed our lives in the process. I mentioned to her that I was trying to eliminate sugars from his diet so that he might act differently. I was acting on a hunch. She mentioned casually that I might also want to eliminate red dye 40.
In a quest to make my son better, I tried just eliminating red dye 40. First, I eliminated his favorite drink - Strawberry Nesquick Milk. I noticed a significant difference in his behavior. My husband and I began eliminating everything with red dye and saw positive changes in our son's behavior. Each time he was accidentally offered red dye 40, his behavior was significantly worse. His eyes had a "dye-induced look" that I could detect after having seen his transition time after time again proceeding him eating something with red dye 40. He looked depressed and had trouble responding correctly to the stimuli around him. His perception of reality became distorted. This I came to realize by seeing how he handled minor disturbances and how his explanation for his behavior was exceedingly irrational.
With each month improvements were made in our search for healthy foods. We decided to eliminate all synthetically-dyed foods. Our reasoning was that the dyes are created using petroleum. It does not add to the value of the food and can in fact be harmful. We chose not to eat foods with carmine or cochineal because it is derived from the cochineal bug. These changes that were made helped our son significantly. He is now in first grade and has very beautiful handwriting. He has good drawing skills and grip of his pencil. He has good behavior and makes high grades in his subjects. He has many friends now. He shows empathy and understanding of how his behavior and communication effects others and can adjust his behavior accordingly.
If you know of a child who is suffering from low-impulse control or who acts aggressively and irrationally - perhaps kicking or punching, I recommend taking a look at his diet and eliminated all synthetic artificial dyes. I can only say that for our family it has been a blessing to get this piece of the missing puzzle to turn our child back into the person he was supposed to be.

Red Dye is a Petroleum-based dye! You are eating Petroleum people - Not Real Food!

More people are understanding that artificially colored foods with red dye 40, yellow and blue dyes are not real food. They are, however, the concern of millions of parents and Doctors who have taken the time to find the truth behind all the hype. Red dye 40 is made of petroleum and it can cause behavioral problems in children, contribute to ADD/ ADHD behaviors and in some children stimulate a sort of conduct disorder. Red dye 40 can cause one to feel angry for no apparent reason, act out irrationally, and make one to feel unable to make sense of a given situation. In others, who do not react in such an apparent manner, it is still a risk to consume these synthetic dyes because it is still unknown the degree in which these dyes can harm ones body neurologically.
The state of Maryland has followed Britian's suit and "may become the first state in the country to protect children- and their families- from Red 40, Yellow 5, and other artificial food dyes that worsen hyperactivity and other behavior problems in some children." To learn more about the bill that Senator Norman Stone proposes, please check out the following article: http://cspinet.org/new/200902061.html and in the mean time, stay away from these dyes!

How our Lives have changed after Eliminating Artificial Synthetic Colors.

It has been over two years now that we have completely removed artificial colors from our diet. The results have been remarkable. Our six year old son who was diagnosed as having some form of dysgraphia by his former occupational therapist is now able to write extraordinarily well. He has great handwriting skills. During the time he was eating artificial colors (namely red dye 40), our son had problems with his behavior, his handwriting was weak, and he didn't seem to have the coordination to hold a pencil or utensils properly. Artificial colors which are petroleum-based seemed to have a neuro-toxic affect on our child. At two years old he was able to draw pictures and grip a pencil and then he began to have difficulty after his diet changed to the more popular diet of artificial dyes. Today, he is a different child. He is happier, empathetic to others' needs, he writes well and is able to concentrate and complete his school work. His grades are very good and his attitude regarding schoolwork has improved.
I wanted to share that because I can only imagine all of the children out there that could benefit from something as simple as removing artificial synthetic colors. I tried to include as much information on this site so that anyone can get the information that they need and also to help people to make that transition to a diet free from artificial colors.

Foods would be boring without Artificial Dyes! That's False

Some people think that without artificial food dyes, foods would be colorless, boring, or less appealing to look at, but that is just not true. Synthetic artificial dyes like red dye 40 do not need to be used. It is just cheaper to use them and so profit is the motivating factor. It is more expensive to use natural food colorings, such as the coloring from India Tree, but for my family it is a healthier alternative. Eventually, natural food colors will become more of the norm in the marketplace as more health conscious consumers demand to have the synthetic food dyes, such as red dye 40 derived from coal tar, eliminated from their diets. The food industry is beginning to shift to healthier options as people are choosing organic foods that are free from artificial food dyes. Publix Greenwise markets now sell candies such as Surf Sweets, Organic Lolipops, and other such candies without artificial food dyes. Starbucks has gotten rid of all artificial food dyes from their products. The change is happening and the first ones to adopt this change will be the first to profit. This marketing strategy makes perfect sense. This is exactly what consumers want and expect. Consumers want healthier food options. Consumers realize that today the overuse of synthetic artificial food dyes is absurd and our children are being marketed to with commercial ads of brightly colored synthetically engineered crap - not real food. How much nutrition does one actually get from a Poptart as opposed to an organic version? Is there any fruit in a Poptart? Mostly, if not all, it is filled with colors that simulate what it might look like if there were actual fruit inside. A child who is sensitive to these synthetic dyes would then have the dye-induced behavior that is typical when ingesting synthetic artificial food dyes. This dye-induced behavior, which occurs soon after ingestion, can be described as causing hyperactivity. I could also describe this behavior as a certain look - an almost depressed and angry face, followed by outbursts of uncontrollable rage when the littlest thing goes wrong. I, for one, am looking forward to the new food, drink, and medicinal products with colors from natural sources. Just imagine - real food with real nutritional value! What a concept!

Keeping the Kids free of Artificial Dyes is getting Easier

Keeping my children from eating artificial dyes is getting easier. For one, my children prefer to not eat anything with artificial dyes in it because they know how it can ruin their day. They prefer not to alter their behavior by eating brightly colored foods laden with artificial dyes. They don't like getting into trouble when it is possible just to avoid the stuff all together. They know how irritable they get. Another reason, is my extended family consisting of Grandparents, Aunts, and nephews all help to keep their cabinets stocked with healthier options after reading my blog, but like anything it takes time to adopt a total dye-free lifestyle. My children, including my three year old son, keep Grandma on her toes by explaining to her that, "No, I can't have that drink or candy because it has red dye in it." They don't feel deprived. Grandma didn't need to feel bad because it was their choice and they knew that they wanted something better for them than those brightly colored drinks or candy. The last reason, is there are more options available today in the marketplace for foods and snacks that do not have red dye 40 and other synthetic artificial dyes.
If you are avoiding these dyes as well, remember to look for yellow dye, red dye 40, blue dye, or dyes listed with numbers after them when reading the ingredient list on your foods. I avoid carmine as well because we prefer not to eat bugs. Look for foods with natural food colors such as beet juice, caramel, annatto, or tumeric for example.
The benefits of feeding my family without artificial dyes have been enormous. There are no more uncontrollable tantrums, no more hitting each other over really dumb reasons, and my children are really enjoying their time together. It is a great summer this year!

Why Should Independent Franchises Switch to Natural Food Dyes?

Independent franchises are looking for healthier ways to make their products. Starbucks has decided to remove artificial flavors, artificial colors and high fructose corn syrup from their products. Their campaign will boast "Real food. Simply Delicious." Competitors of Starbucks such as Dunkin Donuts and fast food chains such as McDonald's would be wise to revamp their products as well. In the following link, Dunkin Donuts Independent Franchise site has a link listed on the side bar about Starbucks revamping their products.
Dunkin Donuts Independent Franchise... - http://www.ddifo.org/

I would speculate that more and more franchises will be rushing to make their products healthier and without artificial food dyes while gaining the competitor edge on the market. Consumers are looking for labels of "no artificial colors", "dye-free", "real food", "real fruit", "No added colors", "Colored with Natural Ingredients."

Artificial colors made of synthetic dyes, such as red dye 40, have been known to cause behavioral changes in children and adults. It is a toxic ingredient and believed to be a neurotoxin. It can cause hyperactivity in all children. It can increase symptoms of ADD, ADHD and can alter behavior in children who are sensitive to these dyes which includes, but is not limited to pervasive developmental disorders, spectrum disorders such as autism, and even mimic conduct disorder in some children. We need to remove these synthetic food dyes derived from petroleum and bring back real food.

If you are an independent franchise making a change to remove these synthetic dyes, I would love to list you on this growing blog viewed by people throughout every state in the United States and other countries. You could be among the first to change the way America eats.

Red meat color injections: eww! (Updated June 26th)

Red meat color injections: eww!

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Salmon and red meat are becoming another hot topic. Should I buy Farm-raised Salmon or Wild Salmon? Should I buy organic meat, grass-fed cattle, grain-fed cattle, or any red meat? The reasons why I care about these questions are that both Salmon and red meat can be altered with synthetic red dye. Red dye has been known to increase hyperactivity in children but other symptoms listed on this blog as well. In the link below, I learned that the red juice in the freshly packaged meats is really just red dye and that the color of the meat and the juice is not in nature that color. I always thought that the red meat with it's red juices indicated a fresher, healthier cut of meat. I began to get skeptical about that after removing synthetic (man-made) artificial colors from our diet.
http://www.arizonaadvancedmedicine.com/articles/salmon_and_red_meat.html

That lead me to wonder where to find meat that is not altered in this manner. A friend of mine mentioned GreenWise meat from Publix. I bought some for dinner last night. It didn't have any juices in the package. The meat looked good. The label said the following:
"Publix GreenWise Market, USDA CHOICE BEEF,
raised without Antibiotics, No Added Hormones, Vegetarian Diet, No Artificial Ingredients or Preservatives."
It was a little pricier than the other steaks, but the difference was a better tasting meat (in my opinion) and a much healthier option. The steaks that I bought from Publix in the past month (not GreenWise) were in packages with red juice (most likely red dye) and we had to return several because some of them smelled bad. A few of them were discolored and had a purplish hue and smelled. I was reluctant to buy more meat from Publix until I tried the GreenWise meat. I would recommend this brand to others.

Foods without Red Dye 40

Foods without Red dye 40 -
The foods listed below are only suggestions of what is available without red dye 40. There are many more available, but for those who are just starting to eliminate this dye and feeling overwhelmed with searching for the right foods, a list such as this broken down into each category might help you to find what is available. Because red dye 40 is found in almost everything, it is important to read ingredient labels for anything new that you are adding.
This list will be updated periodically.
*Check out the Red Dye Free Store for more products without artificial dyes.  If you don't buy anything at the store at least you can see different alternatives for dye-free products.

Foods Without Red Dye 40
Please read all ingredient labels - information posted here is not guaranteed to stay the same.
**********************************************************************
Bakery: Duncan Hines- Moist Deluxe
Classic White Cake (Premium Cake Mix)
Chocolate Chip Cookies from Publix
Bakery
Frosting: Make your own (Betty Crocker has some good recipes for Butter Cream Frosting).

Fruit Snacks:
Dare Real Fruit Snacks Minis -Wild Kingdom
Gerber Graduate Fruit Snacks
Funky Monkey Fruit Snacks (Amazon.com ships), Sharkie (Target sells these. See photo below) Beware of the fruit snacks that are labeled made with natural colors because these could possibly have carmine (derived from the cochineal bug). Carmine, at this time, does not have to be listed on the label separately.

Popsicles: Edy's Fruit Bars, Popsicle Scribblers, Original Popsicle Orange, Cherry, Grape (no Artificial colors and Flavors!)
Cereals - Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Raisin Brand, Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Little Bites Chocolate, Kellogg's Corn Pops/General Mills Cookie Crisp
General Mills- Fiber One/ Frosted Shredded Wheat/ Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
Total Cinnamon Crunch
Cocoa Crunchies (generic Publix)
Cocoa Puffs - Just took the artificial color back out.


Organic Cereal and Poptarts found in Publix - Barbara's Bakery - Organic Wild Puffs (Crunchy Cocoa) Nature's Path Organic Frosted Pastries - Cherry Pomegranate (My Kid's love this one to my surprise!) It comes in Blueberry and Strawberry also.

Juice- Caprisun, Mott's 100% Apple juice, Tropicana Orange Juice
(check ingredients for all others - they put artificial dyes in many fruit juices!)
Snacks- Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (Chocolate Chunk, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Flavors) Rice Cakes, Popcorn by Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn- Organic, Smart Pop!,
Tortilla Chips by Tostitos, Publix White Corn Tortilla Chips (Be careful with the Tortilla chips some variations have dyes in them), Frito Lays-Fritos, Oreo Cookies, Cheetos, Pringles- the original, Quaker Chewy Chocolate Chip, Newtons Fruit Crisps, Sun Chips Garden Salsa


Crackers - Nabisco Honey Maid Cinnamon/ Keebler: Crackers Original, Saltine Crackers/ Ritz Crackers, Triscuit Crackers, Sunshine- Cheez-It

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers Pizza, Cheese Flavors, and Neon Colored  
Candy- Some of these can be ordered online or found in local stores

Organic and Natural Candy - Surf Sweets

(It also can be found in Toys R Us) Toys R Us has a new Organic candy and snack section,

Pure Fun Better for You Candy

Natural Candy Store UNREAL Candy

Mentos candy mint flavor and fruit flavor have no artificial colors

Fruit- Some canned fruits and some fruit cups have red dye added. Publix Peaches or Dole Peaches are usually a safe bet.

Dairy - Check each ice cream ingredient list
Breyer's Cookie Dough, Fudge Brownie, Vanilla

Sauces- Barbecue Sauce: Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue Sauce

Spreads- Peanut Butter / Ferrero Nutello (Hazelnut Spread)

Syrups-  Some chocolate syrups have red dye 40 added (please read labels)

Fish- Salmon can have red dye added to their feed so that they have a nice red color. Check for salmon that are deep ocean catch as opposed to farm-fed. Ask your butcher about the Salmon that you wish to purchase. Tilapia is a good choice and is inexpensive.

Condiments- Pickles Claussen Kosher Dill

Medicines- Tylenol Cherry Dye-free, Children's Tylenol Plus Cold & Cough Dye-Free, Motrin Dye-free, Children's Zyrtec Allergy Grape Syrup, Children's Benedryl Dye-Free

Toothpaste- Check your toothpaste ingredients (Crest Tartar Control Whitening plus Scope cool peppermint liquid gel has no red dye) Tom's Natural Care of Maine fluoride toothpaste - they have children's toothpaste as well (Found in Publix), Therabreath

Mouthwash - Therabreath (Look for clear color)

Soaps - Aveeno, Kiss My Face Obsessively Natural Kids Bubble Wash (comes in hand soaps, hair wash, and body)

Prescription Medicines - Ask Pharmacists for alternative to Red dye - Some Pharmacy's might have dye-free options while other's don't offer it *check with your pharmacy and change if needed. For example, CVS didn't carry a dye-free medication that we needed, but Publix was able to order the one we needed.

Dental work - Ask Dentist for Fluoride treatment or cleaning without red dye or artificial colors.
Are artificial food colors to dye for? EN sheds light on a colorful topic.(Ask EN)(Report): An article from: Environmental Nutrition

American food companies have different ingredients for Britains

While Americans continue to eat foods with synthetic artificial dyes, the British will enjoy eating a much healthier alternative. Foods colored with synthetic dyes, which are often petroleum-based dyes, have the look that makes you think, for example, that you might really be eating blueberries in blueberry Poptarts. If you thought you were eating real fruit, than the synthetic food dyes had you fooled. I just love petroleum-based Poptarts, don't you? I'm being facetious. Canned fruits and fruit cups even have synthetic dyes added. So, while American food companies race to change the ingredients (some of them have already), some of the food companies will keep the petroleum-based dyes for the Americans to eat and create a healthier alternative for the British. Isn't this ubsurd? "It means there are two international standards for food additives. Companies that sell in both countries often use petroleum-based dyes in the U.S., such as Red 40 and Yellow 6, but beet root, carrots and paprika in the U.K." This quote was found in the following link: Signs of the Times News for Sun, 07 Jun 2009
Some American food producers are changing their ways. These are the ones who are ahead of the game. On their labels they sport the "no artificial dyes", "no artificial colors", etc. and they are preferred or will be preferred over the alternatives made from petroleum based dyes. Food marketed to children does not have to have the colors leaching off on their clothes and skin for it to taste good. Why did it become important to market candies that leave a tattoo color on the tongue to show to friends? Food is marketed to be fun and not necessarily real food. If food is to be fun, why not use healthier ingredients so the children will get some benefit. Why did it become necessary to put red dye 40 and other synthetic dyes in almost every product imaginable? Why? Synthetic dyes are cheaper. Synthetic dyes can trick you into thinking real fruit is in it. We have come to the habit of eating with are eyes and forgetting our health and the health of our children. These dyes are not good for anyone. Please read more of my blogs if you would like to know why.

Food Can Still Be Colorful without Synthetic Food dyes and lakes like Red Dye 40

Excuse the mess around the table, but I was doing some cookin'! See, food can still be colorful without synthetic artificial food dyes like red dye 40, yellow dyes...etc.
I made the frosting with a Betty Crocker recipe and then made my own color using BADIA Ground Annato Achiote (found in the spice section of any grocery store.) The instructions for making the dye is actually on the back of the label! It says, "Heat one cup of vegetable oil with 1/2 a cup of Annato Seed. Strain oil (you can use a coffee filter) and use the colored oil in desired amount, to add color to your favorite dishes."
My son chose these colors.
You should check out Itty Bitty Bistro: Homemade Food Dyes ! She made some beautifully colored cupcakes and her family is also staying away from all artificial colors and has seen a remarkable difference! Spread the good news and please leave a comment if you would like me see what you have made with natural colors! I would love to post more colorful foods and spread the links!
6-17-2007 Updated -
This link is from a great blog that I follow: www.fooddyediaries.blogspot.com. In the link below is a picture of a beautiful cake made without synthetic artificial dyes. Isn't it pretty????
pretty pink cake