Up until the 1950’s, natural plant and vegetable based compounds were used to add color in foods. For example, pale red colors could be achieved from beets, green could be achieved from chlorophyll, yellows and orange could be achieved from extracts from a number of other plants and spices like saffron. After WWII, the chemical industry grew rapidly. They saw the potential to make money by creating man-made chemicals to add to food to enhance its coloring. They convinced the food industry to use chemical based colors because they were more convenient, cheaper to use, and had an unlimited shelf life.

As a result, more and more foods are filled with artificial food coloring ingredients that contain chemicals from highly toxic sources. These chemicals can cause serious diseases and mental disorders in humans. The majority of artificial food coloring ingredients are made with petroleum and are a derivative of petrochemicals and coal tar. These chemicals should under no circumstances be ingested by humans or animals. Yet, several artificial food coloring products are added to many different foods and sold on the marketplace.

The FDA and EPA do not require detailed testing of chemicals to test the effects they might have on human beings. It is being recognized more widely that artificial colors and dyes that are used to enhance the appearance of foods, drugs, and cosmetics, may, in fact, produce dangerous consequences after prolonged use.

As recently as June 2008, the Center for Science in the Public Health, a consumer advocacy group, tried to get the FDA to ban eight artificial food colors: Red 3 and Red 40, Blue 1 and Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, Green 3, and Orange B.

FIVE of these are still in foods today and are linked with cancer in animal testing; the other three are linked to behavior problems in children and health problems including hives and migraines.
Red 3: This artificial coloring is sprayed on cherries (not just canned cherries, but FRESH, conventional cherries, to enhance the color), fruit cocktail, baked goods, and candy. They have demonstrated thyroid tumors in rats.

Red 40: This dye is in common snack foods such as Goldfish, and has been linked to hyperactivity disorders and migraines. Chemically, its molecular structure is very similar to dyes that have been banned for being proven carcinogens.

Blue 1 and 2: These artificial colorings lurk in candy, baked goods, pet foods, and beverages. They have both been linked to cancer in mice. In 2003 the FDA issued an advisory on Blue 1 because it had leaked into a septic hospital patient’s bloodstream and caused death.

Yellow 5: There is strong evidence to suggest that Yellow 5, also known as tartrazine, causes tantrums and hyperactivity in children. Dr. David Schab of Columbia University suggests that taking artificial food coloring out of children’s diet might have similar effects as putting them on a drug like Ritalin!

Yellow 6: This artificial coloring which is one of the most widely used, can be found in sausage, gelatin, baked goods, candy, and beverages. Studies show that Yellow 6 can be linked to tumors of the kidney and adrenal glands.

Green 3: This artificial coloring, though rarely used, has been linked to bladder cancer. It is often found in candy and beverages.

Orange B: Approved for use only in hot dog and sausage casings, Orange B given to lab rats was shown to cause urinary obstructions. This type of urinary obstruction, known as hydroureters, can damage the kidneys. It also happens to have a similar substance to the food dye Amaranth, which was banned in 1976 because it proved to be carcinogenic.

How can we avoid consuming foods with artificial colorings that are harmful to our health?

By educating ourselves and reading food labels, we can avoid buying products that contain these harmful chemicals. Make a rule that you won’t eat anything that contains dyes or coloring. If a product contains these destructive properties, put it back on the shelf! Instead, buy organic, natural foods that do not contain man-made chemicals that cause illness and disease. And most importantly, don’t feed your children anything that contains artificial coloring.

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