I am all about going dye free this summer. Basically, there is evidence that many of these dyes are toxic and cause problems from cancer to allergies to learning problems. There is a huge body of evidence suggesting artificial coloring in food and drinks interfere with the Omega 3 pathways that are critical for brain functioning. This causes learning and behavior problems like ADD. The evidence is building that these dyes are bad for everyone, not just the kids who might be susceptible to attention problems.
Because of parents concerns in Europe, many US companies have removed these artificial dyes from their european products. But in the U.S., because the parents haven’t demanded it, they still are using these harmful dyes in many of the products marketed to kids. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CPSI) asked for a ban of the most dangerous dyes: Yellow 5, Red 40 and six other dyes.
This summer, lose the dye in gum and buy WHITE GUM if you ever buy gum. Choose drinks and treats that are free from coloring. Many products have dye free options available now as more and more people are opting out of coloring for their kids. Of course, homemade treats don’t have these dyes in them, so foregoing processed food is also a way to avoid dye in food products.
Instead of eating foods with dye this summer, try this Tie Dye kit from Gift Hero, my new favorite place to buy gifts. My daughter’s friend got this Tie Dye Kit for her birthday and made the cutest shirt–I had to ask where it was from. The strings contain the dye and you wrap them around the shirts so it’s not a giant mess but you end up with a super cute tie dye shirt. The kit contains the strings, a pillowcase and a doll size shirt, but you can use the strings on your own shirt (or shirts!)
Cathy - We have been dye free for a few years but recently my niece was visiting for her third birthday and wanted a pink cake. We used beets for the frosting and it was a hit! We are definitely going to experiment more with natural colorings.