Gluten Free doesn't mean your food has to be a dull and gray! Many brands of food coloring and liquid flavoring are gluten free. McCormick or Wilton, All Tone and Durkee are just a few of these brands that are easily found in your local grocery store.
We've tried it all and prefer, above all else, the food dyes from Maggie's Naturals. Not only are their colors gluten free, but also all natural and organic in base ingredients. Best of all, they have a bouquet of colors and taste great!
We know this Gluten Free rainbow tastes good, but is it really good for you? Unfortunately, just because something is gluten free doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy for you. Usually, though, organic is a safe bet health wise.
It's always better for your body to digest something Mother Nature put together especially for you, her favorite dominant mammal than something "created" in a lab by a repressed dietician with who knows what sort of motivation.
There are so many articles linking food dye/coloring with preventable diseases that it's proper motivation to take the extra steps to ensure that what you're eating not only tastes great, but is great for you.
Childhood is so great because kids don't, and shouldn't have to, worry about internal organ damage and all that other stuff which is mostly about taking proper care of their little soul containers so they'll last them a long happy time. That's a hard concept to get across. A Flameball Orange ice cream tongue is not only cooler, but easier to see, touch, and has major bragging rights attached.
This is why parents have to be the ones to pay attention to what is going into their kid's bodies via the eating tubes. Next time they are begging you for some brightly decorated treat, remember that most companies are not concerned about what they're selling you, just so long as they can get you to buy it. So pay attention to labels above all else.
Some really terrifying information about kid foods and their dyes:
Blue Dye #1, aka Brilliant Blue is commonly found in snacks, sauces, candies and soft drinks. It can cause Cancer, ADHD, Rhinitis and Asthma
Green Dye #3 aka Fast Green is found in sauces, icings, baked goods, gelatins and also in some vegetables. It has been linked to Bladder Cancer and Allergies.
Orange B is found in sausages and hot dogs. Can be the cause of Allergies, ADHD and also Kidney Damage.
Red Dye #3 or Erythrosine is found in popsicles, candies and baked goods. It has been connected with Chromosomal damage and Thyroid Tumors.
Red Dye #40 known as Allura Red AC is used in common snack foods (such as the popular Goldfish!), is found in sauces, candies and soft drinks. This color has been connected with ADHD, Cancer, Asthma, Rhinitis.
Yellow Dye #5 or Tartrazine is found in candies, jams, cake mixes, cereals, snacks, and instant noodles. It has been connected with ADHD, blurred Vision, Anxiety, Migraines and Asthmatic Attacks. (You should think twice, when you buy your kids favorite breakfast cereal which contains this dye!)
Yellow #6 aka Sunset Yellow is found in sausages, gelatins and baked goods. This dye can be the cause of Adrenal Gland and Kidney Tumors.
Competition in the food market is only increasing and so the demands on a company to make a decent profit is a scary incentive to overlook the not so hot safety value of a product in the hopes that by costing less and by being appealing, the product will sell well. This is bad news for us, the ones who might actually be eating the stuff.
FDA does not stand for "Finally, Dependable Authorities!" The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to protect us by keeping dangerous foodstuffs off the shelves, right? Well, there's a problem here, or rather, there. Define "dangerous"? As a mom, I consider anything dangerous that can negatively affect the internal workings of my kids simply by eating it, right? Well if the FDA felt the same way there would be no food on the shelves. Their problem is they have to set the parameters and the definition of "safe" and that gets complicated, for them. Apparently.
Everybody is slightly different and that means everyone will have a slightly different reaction to a type of food. SO how can the FDA determine what is safe? They are forced to resort to statistics. What is the percentage of people negatively affected by this? Of them, how badly are they affected? Ect, ect, It is a no win situation because it's such a slippery slope.
The most infamous case of the FDA dropping the ball was in 1950 when many children became ill after eating Halloween Candy Containing Orange Dye #1. After rigorous investigations by the FDA, it was determined that the dye was responsible for poisoning all these poor little kids. (There was even Math to prove it.) And Red Dye #2 was banned as well as it was, surprise!, found to be carcinogenic.
Europe has its own processes for determining food safety and based upon what I've read, they seem to have a better system currently in place. Shockingly, many food dyes allowed in the United States are actually banned in Europe, so what does that tell us about our FDA? You decide.
Artificial dyes are not healthy for anybody, even if they are gluten free. The easiest way to ensure they don't end up on your pantry shelf is to shop in stores that refuse to even stock products made from them, such as our beloved Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. If you don't live close to such a store, please take the time to read the labels on any dyes you are interested in buying.
In conclusion, YES! there are healthy gluten free food dyes available, and within easy reach, for you and your family!
We've tried it all and prefer, above all else, the food dyes from Maggie's Naturals. Not only are their colors gluten free, but also all natural and organic in base ingredients. Best of all, they have a bouquet of colors and taste great!
We know this Gluten Free rainbow tastes good, but is it really good for you? Unfortunately, just because something is gluten free doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy for you. Usually, though, organic is a safe bet health wise.
It's always better for your body to digest something Mother Nature put together especially for you, her favorite dominant mammal than something "created" in a lab by a repressed dietician with who knows what sort of motivation.
There are so many articles linking food dye/coloring with preventable diseases that it's proper motivation to take the extra steps to ensure that what you're eating not only tastes great, but is great for you.
Childhood is so great because kids don't, and shouldn't have to, worry about internal organ damage and all that other stuff which is mostly about taking proper care of their little soul containers so they'll last them a long happy time. That's a hard concept to get across. A Flameball Orange ice cream tongue is not only cooler, but easier to see, touch, and has major bragging rights attached.
This is why parents have to be the ones to pay attention to what is going into their kid's bodies via the eating tubes. Next time they are begging you for some brightly decorated treat, remember that most companies are not concerned about what they're selling you, just so long as they can get you to buy it. So pay attention to labels above all else.
Some really terrifying information about kid foods and their dyes:
Blue Dye #1, aka Brilliant Blue is commonly found in snacks, sauces, candies and soft drinks. It can cause Cancer, ADHD, Rhinitis and Asthma
Green Dye #3 aka Fast Green is found in sauces, icings, baked goods, gelatins and also in some vegetables. It has been linked to Bladder Cancer and Allergies.
Orange B is found in sausages and hot dogs. Can be the cause of Allergies, ADHD and also Kidney Damage.
Red Dye #3 or Erythrosine is found in popsicles, candies and baked goods. It has been connected with Chromosomal damage and Thyroid Tumors.
Red Dye #40 known as Allura Red AC is used in common snack foods (such as the popular Goldfish!), is found in sauces, candies and soft drinks. This color has been connected with ADHD, Cancer, Asthma, Rhinitis.
Yellow Dye #5 or Tartrazine is found in candies, jams, cake mixes, cereals, snacks, and instant noodles. It has been connected with ADHD, blurred Vision, Anxiety, Migraines and Asthmatic Attacks. (You should think twice, when you buy your kids favorite breakfast cereal which contains this dye!)
Yellow #6 aka Sunset Yellow is found in sausages, gelatins and baked goods. This dye can be the cause of Adrenal Gland and Kidney Tumors.
Competition in the food market is only increasing and so the demands on a company to make a decent profit is a scary incentive to overlook the not so hot safety value of a product in the hopes that by costing less and by being appealing, the product will sell well. This is bad news for us, the ones who might actually be eating the stuff.
FDA does not stand for "Finally, Dependable Authorities!" The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to protect us by keeping dangerous foodstuffs off the shelves, right? Well, there's a problem here, or rather, there. Define "dangerous"? As a mom, I consider anything dangerous that can negatively affect the internal workings of my kids simply by eating it, right? Well if the FDA felt the same way there would be no food on the shelves. Their problem is they have to set the parameters and the definition of "safe" and that gets complicated, for them. Apparently.
Everybody is slightly different and that means everyone will have a slightly different reaction to a type of food. SO how can the FDA determine what is safe? They are forced to resort to statistics. What is the percentage of people negatively affected by this? Of them, how badly are they affected? Ect, ect, It is a no win situation because it's such a slippery slope.
The most infamous case of the FDA dropping the ball was in 1950 when many children became ill after eating Halloween Candy Containing Orange Dye #1. After rigorous investigations by the FDA, it was determined that the dye was responsible for poisoning all these poor little kids. (There was even Math to prove it.) And Red Dye #2 was banned as well as it was, surprise!, found to be carcinogenic.
Europe has its own processes for determining food safety and based upon what I've read, they seem to have a better system currently in place. Shockingly, many food dyes allowed in the United States are actually banned in Europe, so what does that tell us about our FDA? You decide.
Artificial dyes are not healthy for anybody, even if they are gluten free. The easiest way to ensure they don't end up on your pantry shelf is to shop in stores that refuse to even stock products made from them, such as our beloved Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. If you don't live close to such a store, please take the time to read the labels on any dyes you are interested in buying.
In conclusion, YES! there are healthy gluten free food dyes available, and within easy reach, for you and your family!
About the Author:
Dr. Berger is a biologist and a specialist in Food AllergiesOnce her son wasdiagnosed with gluten intolerance she created a website for parents with kids allergic to food. If you are interested to read more about Food Allergies and Food Coloring than go to her website - www.gfreeharmony.com