"Dyeing" From Our Food

Ever wonder how they make purple ketchup? Do you think its because they are somehow able to grow purple carrots? Ever wonder WHY they would make purple ketchup? Well I have pondered these questions myself and did a little research to find out. Food dye is a big component to processed food. Without it, most of the processed food would look very bland and unappetizing. It would be discolored, multicolored and turn different colors after a while just sitting on a shelf. Even more importantly, without food dye a big segment of our population wouldn't even think of touching processed foods. The segment is kids. Yes, that is right, kids. Kids are a big part of why food dyes are added in the first place and food dyes are found in most processed food intended for and marketed to children. There is truly no nutritional reason or benefit for adding food dye to what we eat. Its purely for aesthetic reasons. Ok, so we have colorful looking food that may or may not be more appetizing. It certainly does not affect the taste but it can affect how we behave.

There are natural dyes which are made from plant based colors such as beet juice and saffron and there are synthetic dyes like FD&C Blues No. 1&2 and FD&C Green No. 3. Both of these food colors are water soluble which means they dissolve in water. A different type of dye is called lakes. They are not water soluble and are found in products containing fats and oils. I am not so concerned with the natural food coloring as it is derived from plants and not made with any synthetic chemicals. However, the majority of processed food that is marketed for children contains synthetic food dye and for no reason other than its pleasing to the eye.

Recent studies are finding that children consuming high amounts of food dye are more hyperactive than children who don't. They are trying to make a link to food dye and ADHD but nothing has been proven so far. However, where there is smoke, there is fire. At least that is my belief. Synthetic chemicals are not "proven" to cause any bodily harm in isolation but we do not know the synergistic effect they may have on the body when combined. I explained in a previous post how it is nearly impossible to test all the combinations and permutations of the 100,000 synthetic chemicals on the market and their effect on the human body so its up to us to be the best judges when it comes to our health. Why consume extra "stuff" when we don't have to? We really don't know if these food dyes cause ADHD but we do have evidence that once kids are taken off of all foods containing these colorings their behavior improves.

I now look for foods that are free of all colorings and dyes. But if there is something that my kids absolutely have to have then I make sure its colored with natural vegetable coloring. The less synthetic chemicals in our food the better. In fact, I just found a perfect substitute for Ritz Bitz. My kids tasted Ritz Bitz a while back and fell in love. I was devastated because of all the junk that goes into making them and the food dye Yellow No. 4 to make the cheese look tasty. Well, I just found the brand Late July sold in various health food stores. They make round unrefined wheat crackers with real cheese or peanut butter in between. No synthetic food dyes to be found! I was very excited to try them out on the boys and they love them just as much as the Ritz Bitz. Whew! I am so glad that there are alternative offerings out there on the market. You just have to look and make sure to read the ingredients of everything you buy. Nothing should have to be purple in order for it to taste good!!