Seeing RED… no it’s not Santa

by Susan Cross | Posted: December 20th, 2009 | No Comments »

Warning – reading this may make you see red, as in angry. We know you are ready to be awakened and to live a fully aware life. Well today we are taking the blinders off and revealing what is in some of your children’s most beloved foods. We want you to be your best self, and we know you want your children to be their best. Let’s begin by becoming aware of how the choices we make at the supermarket effect our long term health.

Food Coloring: It has no nutritional value whatsoever. It is in our food for the sole purpose of “color.” It is important to read labels and make sure no food additives/dyes are in your foods. In many studies done on children it has been conclusive that these dyes are linked to behavior problems and especially to ADHD and borderline ADD/ADHD and sleep issues. Britain and many European countries have banned food dyes completely.

But there is hope… Mars candy company has removed food coloring from M & M’s, skittles, starburst and many other candies. Great news right? Not so fast – NOT in the United States. Kraft has removed food dyes from lunchables and Macaroni & cheese boxes – but NOT in the United States. Kellogg’s has removed dyes from Pop-Tarts and breakfast cereals but, yes you’re catching on, NOT in the United States. McDonalds has even started using real caramel and strawberries in their shakes/syrups – but again, NOT in the United States. What does this say about us as a nation? We aren’t concerned enough as parents? Our children’s health isn’t as important to us? We turn the other cheek? What we don’t know won’t hurt us? I beg to differ. As a nation we don’t want to seem like alarmists about food and we go into further denial as we consume more and more chemicals. Well we need to be very concerned.

Food coloring and additives are in many non-organic food items. It is in all soda (caramel), cheese (cheese doodles, macaroni &cheese, cheez-its, goldfish, barbecue potato chips and just about anything that has that orange color, candy, jams and jellies, I could go on and on). Please choose organic where color is concerned. If you aren’t eating freshly caught salmon or organic farmed salmon you are eating a piece of fish that has been made “pink” with red food coloring. YUM! Here you are thinking you are making the best choice right? Lean protein, brain building nutrients, essential fatty-acids, food dye? What the hey? Who knew? I do and now you do and hopefully you will go tell a few friends, and so on, and so on.This is how we can create change.

Caramel food coloring (sodas and ice cream toppings and flavorings) is burnt sugar which turns to a carcinogen and interferes with leukocyte action (white cells). It is an immunosuppressive – lower, inactivates your immune system. This is reversible once you stop ingesting food dye. To sum up the dangers of food coloring/food dyes they produce changes in our bodies at a cellular level. Many holistic and more progressive doctors believe that they are at the underlying root of many cancers. Dr. Andrew Weil discusses this at length.

DIET SODA/FAKE SUGAR: The FDA has received more complaints about artificial sweetener than from any other food additive. Other countries have banned the use of aspartame. It has been linked to neurological disorders, changes in our cells, fibromyalgia and Alzheimer’s. When used in hot drinks or cooking [baking, tea, coffee] it turns to formaldehyde when it reaches above 85 degrees. Nutrasweet which contains methanol can cause oxygen deprivation, shortness of breath, dizziness and memory loss. These additives are in all diet soda’s, lots of frozen yogurt’s and other diet sweet items.

DELI MEATS/PROCESSED MEATS: The national cancer institute released a bulletin stating that hot dogs and luncheon meats have been directly linked to childhood leukemia [and many other health problems]. Our school systems still serve industrial lunch meats and hot dogs.

These meats contain nitrates which turn into something called ‘nitrosamines’ during digestion. The nitrosamines is the carcinogen [or cancer causer]. These meats have also been linked to ADHD/ADD and all forms of hyperactivity and insomnia, due to the nitrates and high MSG levels. Organic meats do not contain these chemicals. You need to ask at your deli/butcher to carry organic meats. I had a conversation about this with a local butcher. He didn’t even know about it but was so happy to learn and genuinely concerned about his customers. The store now carries organic chicken, bacon, chop meat and cold cuts. As the customer we need to demand better quality food for our health. Taking a probiotic will help neutralize the above chemicals as will beginning to make better choices. I know we say this a lot but eating organically will save you money [and life years] in the long run.

Tip: We love to bake and our kids love colored frosting and sprinkles. I use organic food coloring and sprinkles from a company called India Tree. India Tree Decorating Colors are made from highly concentrated vegetable colorants. They contain no corn syrup or synthetic dyes. Happy Baking!