Julie's testimonial about artificial food-dye

Anybody who knows me pretty well knows that I am always ranting (HA!) about food dye and why it's not good for us, etc. Today, I want to share a guest post from my friend Julie. This is her family's story and just one more reason I know I'm doing the right thing for my boys. :) If you follow us on FB, then I'm sure you have already read it, but I wanted to share it on here, too.

*Guest post, by Julie*

Before this past January I really never gave much thought to artificial food dyes or the effect they had on our bodies. I had heard tid bits about red 40 and yellow 5 & 6. The brighter and more colors, the more likely my kids would eat it, and they did.
I chose to try dye free for a week to see if it would help with some behavioral problems I was having with my son. He had been having an increasing hard time focusing in school, almost no impulse control, extreme mood swings, and was only getting 3-5 hours of restless sleep a night (which probably contributed to his mood swings). Many of his problems were possible side effects to his ADHD medication. He was diagnosed in kindergarten (4 years ago) with ADHD and promptly put on medication. The medication worked wonders, and when it didn't then his dosage or medication was switched. However it seemed the meds have stopped working and his doctor had started talking about my son having more than ADHD going on, because he was out of ideas of what other meds to try.
I had shared with Crystal some of what was going on and how I was at a lose for what to try next. I really didn't want my child diagnosed with a life altering label. She challenged me to try removing artificial food dyes for a week and to look into how food dyes effect behavior. Over the weekend, I looked into it and was first shocked then angry. There was so much research about the link between ADHD and dyes and hundreds of testimonies from parents. How could I never heard about this?! I couldn't believe there was a alternative to medication, and how could our doctor never offer this as alternative before he had me give my 6 year old pills. I decided it was worth a try, at this point I felt I had nothing to lose.
That Monday school was closed due to extremely cold temperatures. I told me kids we were doing an experiment and that we weren't going to have anything that had a number in the ingredients for one week. I didn't tell them what results I was hoping to see. They helped me box up all the foods that had dyes. We went shopping to restock our cupboards and they actually had fun reading labels and finding new foods to try. We were all surprised my how much stuff has dyes.
I was nervous about how they would do at school when I wasn't there to monitor what they were eating and about them feeling left out at snack time. The teachers were very supportive and had dye free alterative that I sent in.
Three days into the challenge I saw the first sign of improvement! My insomniac child fell asleep only after and hour of being sent to bed and slept all the way to morning!! I was so excited, but still cautious that it may have been a fluke. The following days he continued to fall asleep easier and slept through the night. His teacher told me that he was more on track than he had been in a long time. At home little things that would have sent him into a tailspin didn't seem to phase him. The other boys had also calmed down, had more impulse control, and better ability to handle their emotions resulting in less arguing amongst them. My son's eczema had started clearing up. The changes weren't only with the kids; my migraines were gone, I had more energy. When I slipped up and had a Mt. Dew, I would get a killer headache and would be more irritable and short with the kids.
Seeing the results removing dyes has made for us, we have chosen to stick with it. It didn't turn me boys into perfect little gentlemen. They still bicker and argue, the still run through my house and are loud; but they aren't completely out of control anymore. We have been dye free for just over 3 months. I know there are other reasons to avoid artificial dyes, but Crystal will have to elaborate on them she is more knowledgeable than I am on the topic.

I also commented with the following challenge in my comment to her FB post: Thank you so much for sharing, Julie!! I'd love to hear from any of our readers, too. 1.) Would anyone be willing to take up the challenge for a week (or longer?!) and go dye-free? or 2.) Are you already dye-free and can you share your testimonial here in the comments? ~ Crystal

Making a difference

I was approached by a friend today about helping her write an article in our school newsletter about food dyes. She has a fantastic idea and since she's experiencing first hand what a difference it can make, she will do a great job with this. I am truly humbled that she asked me to assist her!

I want to make sure to approach this without putting any parents out. I don't want them to feel bad or think they are doing something wrong, cause that's not the case. But I want them to be open minded and think about it. Maybe little Suzie is struggling to focus on that assignment, not because she can't do it or she's bored, but because her brain can't focus due to food dye interfering with it's natural functions. Maybe little Johnny can't stay in his seat, not because he's "hyper" from sugar, but the food dye is affecting his ability to sit still and not fidget so much. Maybe your child has "brain fog" and can't think clearly when it comes to their homework, or they get a lot of headaches but the doctor can't find a medical reason. They won't stop talking or interrupting long enough to listen. Whatever "ADHD" symptom they are having. This is not to say there is no such thing as ADD/ADHD or that medicine is NEVER the answer, but sometimes it's more (or less) of that. Isn't better to remove some unnecessary item from your life, something insignificant, that COULD be causing a problem, and surely doesn't do anything good for our bodies? Why not eat foods that don't have dyes? They really serve no purpose, other than making our food look "pretty". The fact that they are made from petroleum makes me (and hundreds of thousands of other people) think that, how can they be good for you or just be benign ingredients??

It's hard. Your kids will resist. Especially when their friends have fruit roll-ups or blue frosted cupcakes. Or when Grandma and Grandpa say, hey it's just once in a while, or even the inevitable "well you ate it and you're just fine!"

Seriously, that one makes me mad. Am I really? Is my generation seriously just fine? Look at the obesity rates! I'm 65lbs overweight, because I've eaten crap food for too long and not exercised on top of it!! Look at the high incidences of ADD, ADHD, Autism, asthma, cancer, and numerous other diagnoses. Do I think that all/any of those are caused by food dye? I really don't know. Do I think that they are exacerbated by it? YES, YES and a resounding YES!!! I think GMO foods haven't helped either. I think these things not only screw with our brains but our genetics, our fertility and therefore our children! Our parents ate a ton less "crap" food, and their parents, even less. We can NOT keep doing this to ourselves. We have this one life here on Earth, (and God-willing, eternal life with Him in Heaven, because yes I do believe!) and we have to make the most of it. We have to make our kids lives good so they can grow up and be successful and hopefully someday, if they choose, have their own families. How can they do that with out good, real food going in their little bodies and their brains being able to get the right nutrients? We all know if we don't eat a meal or eat too much candy, we don't feel well, maybe a tummy ache or a headache. So why not make the most of those meals we do eat?

Oh yeah, and when your kids resist, remember, you are the parent. You buy the food, you do the cooking. Don't buy junk, don't make it available. Offer something at every meal you know they will eat (but is good for them) and whatever else you planned. That way they have the choice to try something but won't starve if they don't want to or don't like it. Don't make it a battle. There are so many more important things in life, than fighting over food. Offer the good stuff, don't "give in" and keep the crap out of the house!

Just a thought...

Trying to avoid food dyes and some GF tips too!

In 4th grade, E did a science experiment involving mice, a maze and red food coloring. At the end of it, he had proven that the food coloring, as benign as it may seem, had a definite effect on the behavior of the one mouse who drank water with the red dye. The mouse had become aggresive, sluggish and had forgotten how to run the maze that just days earlier he had mastered with a time of about a minute. At the end of 7 days of drinking the water dyed red (with FDA approved food coloring), his time for the maze was over FIVE minutes, while the control mouse still had a very low finish time and who's behavior had not changed. The mouse (Chesterfield) died a couple of months later and, while unconfirmed as to what exactly it was, he had some type of growth in his belly area, which we believe to have been a tumor. The other mouse (Phineas) only lived a few more weeks but we were told by the pet store that they would probably only live a few months anyway. The point was that the food dye, after a short time, had a visible effect on that tiny little mouse.

Shouldn't food dye be safe? If it's approved by the FDA for consumption, surely it is, right? Also, I know, we are not mice, we are larger and eat less than that mouse did, right? Are you sure? Have you actually checked your food's labels lately. There is food dye is SO many things, even marshmallows! Did you know that is made from petroleum?? YUCK!

So how do I avoid food dye? Well, I don't always. But I'm trying a lot harder to.

Check every label. Read every ingredient. There are so many things we really should avoid eating, things that aren't food and that shouldn't be in our food.

The first and best option is to avoid anything with ingredients you can't identify or wouldn't cook with in your own kitchen. Organics are a better option for prepackaged foods, at least when it comes to avoiding dyes. I'm not saying they are always healthier. There are, for sure, a lot of unhealthy prepackaged "organic" foods. Fresh fruits and veggies, meats, and rice. Bake from scratch as much as possible.

There are choices for candies that use natural food dyes made from vegetables and fruits.

Capri sun is a "better" drink choice than others, except you have to be careful if you avoiding HFCS.

Watch out for canned/jarred cherries and pie fillings, there are almost always dyes, especially red #40 in cherries. Even in the little cups of mixed fruit. I avoid those for the kids.
Real juice or even water and milk are great choices. If they really want pop, and you aren't opposed to it, try sierra mist (it doesn't have dye or HFCS).

Check out blogs and facebook pages: Die, Food Dye; 100 days of real food; Feingold diet; and many many more.

Gluten free is hard too but some keys to truly going gluten-free: Use a separate, NEW toaster for gluten-free bread. Watch for cross-contamination. It really can be easier to just have everybody go GF. It truly does NOT have to be super-expensive. Avoid the majority of processed GF foods except for occasional treats. Look for hidden gluten, like in lunch meat and hot dogs. Make your own GF pizza crust using pamela's bread dough mix (seriously it's some of the best pizza we've ever had, when we were GF). Eat fresh fruit and veggies, meats and rice and potatoes. Quinoa, and other unique grains. Avoid wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and only eat oats if they are certified gluten free. Try to make your own bread or buy gluten-free wraps for "sandwiches"/roll-ups. Use corn tortillas or corn taco shells (check for hidden gluten). Also there are a ton of internet resources for going gluten-free.

Annie's makes really yummy, naturally flavored/colored (organic!) fruit snacks as well as cheese "bunnies" and chocolate "bunnies". There are store brands of dye-free items (mostly organics) and also GF items. Kroger and Meijer both have a decent selection of each.

Not sure what else to write on the subject. As you start to avoid the dyes though, you will see yourself avoiding other additives and hopefully start to feel better, to notice a change in your kids. I know, for us, when our boys have stuff with red #40, especially when it's a lot or a few things over several days, or even other dyes/additives/HFCS, there are more meltdowns, more behavior issues, more frustration, more whining even. They seem more tired, or more hyper, depending on the child, LOL. I feel more on edge, less patient, meaner for lack of a better description. I even have a brain fog type of feeling. Depending on what and how much I've eaten, I have physical symptoms, ranging from stomach/digestive issues to headaches to more/longer colds and respiratory illnesses.  I can say, when we eat better, I truly, truly feel better.

I love this phrase: When we know better, we do better. That is what I'm working towards. Slowly but surely. Another favorite: Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. If you slip up and eat something not so good for you, it's ok. Move on. Do better next time. Don't just give up and go back to that not so good way of eating. Follow the 80/20 rule. Plan to eat really good 80% of the time so when the other 20% of unexpected happens, it's really ok.

I will try to post later with some actual links if I can find them ;)