Food Dye and Hyperactivity

Growing up, my family was pretty strict about limiting food dye. I had a sort of allergy to Yellow 5 food dye specifically, which seems like a pretty odd allergy to have. And that's right! But I wasn't the only kid with a sensitivity to food dyes. While uncommon, it still exists- one in a hundred children have reported reactions to eating or drinking foods with heavy coloring.

Now, what is food dye? Food dye is generally a chemical compound used to enhance the hues and tones in specific food. It's what makes your lemon candies yellow, your red velvet cake red, and pink candy melts pink. It's found in juices, drink mixes, and surprisingly enough, in breads, and boxed macaroni as well. They come in gel form, droppers, powders, paints, pastes, and more.

Food dyes have zero nutritional value. They can even go as far as causing mild headaches, rashes, thyroid issues, and more. Scientists are still trying to look into the possible hyperactivity side effect of too much food coloring- but about 8% of parents of children with ADHD report heightened symptoms including hyperactivity after consuming unnaturally colorful foods. Even if it boils down to very mild side effects caused by the consumption of artificial food coloring, it certainly can't hurt to eliminate them from diets entirely.

Now yes, avoiding coloring can be difficult if you're the parent in charge of bringing themed cupcakes to a party, or if you're on a quick shopping run and can't stop to look at ingredients. What if you want to color your food but want to avoid the unhealthy options? There are some surprisingly easy fixes and options.

• Skip the color entirely! Who doesn't enjoy classic white cake and vanilla frosting. Need some contrast? Make Oreo frosting, add some cocoa powder, or any of the other ingredients below.

• Spirulina- Spirulina has more than likely crossed your For You Page on socials, or in your daily news feed. It actually can be considered a super food, being a type of algae packed with antioxidants. Throw a teaspoon or two of spirulina powder into smoothies, white cake batters, and more to develop a gorgeous, blue-green hue.

• Beet juice- this one is a little bit more difficult. Beets have a strong taste, so you'll have to go for paler pinks and dull reds. You're also using a liquid- it could alter the recipe all together if you add too much beet juice. In recipes, consider replacing some of the oil, water, or milk with beet juice.

• Spinach- spinach for coloring is super useful for flavorful foods that will mask the taste of the green. This could be smoothies, or savory foods like homemade pasta.

• Teas- this might limit you to just drinks, but it's a perfect way to add some healthy coloring to your foods. Consider pink hibiscus tea, or butterfly pea tea. Need a rainy day experiment for kiddos? Brew some butterfly pea tea and add some lemon juice to change it from a deep blue color to a gorgeous pink or purple!

• Freeze-dried fruits- great option, and very readily available! Use strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and more. Grind them into a fine powder to use in meringues, macarons, cakes, frostings and more. You can find them at most grocery stores, or you can make them yourself using a dehydrator, or even your oven.

• Fruit purees- work great in buttercream and meringues for subtle coloring and flavor.

• Liquid chlorophyll- this is another tricky one due to the chemistry of cooking, and due to its slight minty taste. Mask the taste with honey, more mint flavoring, lemons, and more.

• Turmeric- This one has a strong taste, but is perfect for Indian foods, smoothies, and more. Bonus: Its antioxidant properties!

• Matcha powder- great for desserts, smoothies, frostings, and more.

• Basil- perfect for sauces and other savory foods. Think pesto, breads, fresh pasta, and more.

There are plenty of colorful snacks and cereals too, however, that use natural colorings. When looking for artificial colors, look out for the following key terms: food coloring, yellow, red, blue, lake, 5, 20, 40, carmine, coloring agent, artificial coloring, dyes.

Have more suggestions and key-words to look out for? Any research you've come across? Feel free to comment down below! We're always looking to learn more here at Redefining Inclusivity.

Sources:

Food Dye and ADHD

Food Dye and ADHD II

Harvard on Spirulina

Dangers of Food Coloring (Cleveland Clinic)

Alternatives and Options

Until next time,

-Vaishali :)