Die, Dye! The effect of food dyes on children's behavior and thinking.

Have you ever heard the phrase "sugar rush"?

This phrase typically applies to the frenetic behavior of an out of control child who is bouncing off the walls after consuming a large quantity of sweets.

While sugar certainly can have the effect of 'juicing' a kid's system, the food dyes in that pile of sweets are more likely the primary culprit.

Countless kids are taking ADD or ADHD medications when they might just be on food dye over load!

One of my clients contacted me last spring because her 8-year old son's teacher thought he might have AD/HD. We looked through the list of characteristics and found they didn't apply really apply to her son. He was a bit fidgety and overly active from time to time.

I suggested that they try two things. One, to clean up their diet by avoiding fast food and processed food from the grocery store. Admittedly, they had been eating a lot of fast food adn convenience foods.

The second suggestion was to avoid food dyes--I recommended starting with Red Dye #40, since it seems to have a greater negative impact on kids' brain function.

Within three days my friend reported that her son was 'a completely different child.' In fact her sone noticed the difference and how he reads labels looking for Red Dye #40!

The other day, he had a lot of sugar and hadn't eaten well and was a little high strung. He said, "I feel like I just had Red #40!" Now that he's off of Red #40, he can identify the way it made him feel: hyper, unfocused, and fidgety.

Impaired brain function, hyperactive behavior, difficulty focusing, lack of impulse control--how's that for starters!

Are these attributes you like to see in your children? If not, then I recommend you consider eliminating artificial food dyes!

If your child has ADHD or just tends toward the hyperactive, it is important to know what's at stake.

Hyperactive children typically have a difficult time focusing on school and other tasks. Studies indicate that food dyes negatively impact school performance among hyperactive children.

These two dyes have been implicated in the most research:
Red dye #40 and its variants
Yellow dyes and variants

Does that mean the other artifical food dyes are safe to consume?

Nope, but if you're looking for a simple starting point, I recommend you start eliminating artificial red and yellow dyes.

One step at a time!

The U.K. has recently been inundated with research on the harmful effects of artificial food dyes on children's behavior.

England has demanded that two very popular, fruity and colorful candies be made without artificial dyes. The country has also demanded that the artificial food dyes be taken out of a convenience grocery store lunch meal, which is a favorite of field trip going elementary kids across the pond.

What about the U.S.? Evidently we like our food colorful and our kids hyper, because we have requested no such elimination of artificial food dyes.

Yep, your kids come home with a whole bucket full of artificially dyed candy. And it's yummy!! And, the colorful licorices and bites are often lower in fat--but now you know they are NOT better for your kids.

Your kids would be better off chucking the licorice whips and chewy, fruity, colorful candy bites and keeping the chocolate!

When you start reading labels, you will notice that food dyes can be found in all sorts of foods.

Snack cakes, puddings, granola, juices, fruit snacks (for the vast majority--they are NOT fruit!!), cereals, etc. Artificial dyes were used to make the skins of oranges more orangey!!

Since most of us don't eat according to the food guide pyramid, it's especially important to supplement our diets with good nutrition.

Please don't choose vitamins with artificial colors (or sweeteners for that matter--but that's another lens!). You want the nutrition to fill in the gaps of the food guide pyramid. You don't want supplements that add undesirables, like artificial food dyes, to the blood stream.

Good nutrition also helps the body to fight off the impact of negative nutrition.

We owe it to ourselves, and our children, to eliminate as many artificial ingredients as possible, eat the most natural food possible, and supplement ONLY from a company that uses no binders, fillers, or artificial ingredients.

Research shows that children's brain function improves up to 80% when they consume protein first thing in the morning. What are your kids eating for breakfast? A fruity bowl of sugar and Red 40?

If the morning leaves you with enough time to make eggs or peanut butter toast, those are great options. If your morning schedule is a bit more crazy than you like, then you may want to use a meal shake made from a soy or whey protein. (And obviously from a company that can guarantee that the products are free of artificial ingredients, toxins, metals, pesticides, etc.)

Just reading the back of a vitamin bottle will not tell you all you need to know. You want to reserach the company's integrity, bioavailability, and purity.