What do strawberry Jello, orange Koolaid, raspberry soda, grape popsicles, candy, baked goods, ice cream, maraschino cherries, snack foods, most pet food, and even a good deal of our fruits and vegetables have in common? They are laced with millions of pounds of artificial coal-tar based dyes with names such as Red 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40. Each year (2005 research), Americans eat (as food dyes), swallow (as pill coatings or medicinal syrups) or rub on themselves (as cosmetics) 17.8 million pounds of these dyes. Four of these food dyes (Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 2), which make up over half of the food dyes used each year, have been shown to cause cancer as have other dyes which are not used in food but are used in drugs or cosmetics.
Additionally, many of the artificial food colorings are suspected to cause reactions ranging from hyperactivity to depression to asthma-like symptoms in sensitive individuals. Dr. Benjamin Feingold pioneered research in the field and founded an organization devoted to helping sensitive individuals stay away from synthetic colors, artificial flavorings, and certain petroleum-based preservatives.
Changing Nature's Palette
It is just short of criminal to alter the beautiful colors found in nature. The beautiful herbal greens, the rich spectrum of colors found in the florals, and the warm sunshine hues in citrus fruits. While most consumers are aware that foods with bright, unnatural colors, like Froot Loops, are artificially colored, few people know that apparently "natural" foods such as oranges are sometimes also dyed to mask natural variations in color. Oranges do not necessarily have to have a bright orange color on the outside to be good. In fact, the uniform color of traditional oranges, found typically in grocery stores, may be due to injection of Citrus Red Number 2 (an artificial dye) into their skins at the level of 2 parts per million. Whether organic or not, oranges that are partially green or have brown russetting may be just as ripe and tasty as those that are solid orange in color. And, because oranges are among the top 20 foods in which pesticide residues are most frequently found, buy organic, non-colored or waxed oranges whenever possible. This is especially true of citrus fruits if using their zest in food preparation.
This from a food dye producer:
“Color variation in foods throughout the seasons and the effects of food processing and storage often require that manufacturers add color to certain foods to meet consumer expectations.
"The color of food is an integral part of our culture and enjoyment of life. Who would deny the mouth-watering appeal of a deep-pink strawberry ice on a hot summer day or a golden Thanksgiving turkey garnished with fresh green parsley?”
This statement begs the question, “Is there any reason why the natural pink of the strawberry and green of the parsley is not enough for our so-called “enjoyment of life.” I have never understood the general appeal of neon-colored snack foods. I am, however, very much aware of how this excites children. Personally, I am able to produce a wonderful strawberry popsicle with for my kids with little more than a handful of strawberries, raspberries and a banana - and it's plenty pink.
I hope this information inspires you to learn more and to seek out creative ways to live more naturally – without the unnecessary use of petroleum-dyed foods.
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Resources used for this article:
http://diet-studies.com/dyesinfood.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=37
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_Red_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_dye
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/colorfac.html
