Pretty Food Colors and Your Kids

Did you ever see the tongue of a child the tongue of a child who ate candy or soda?  Was there tongue bright red, electric blue or passionate purple?  Did you notice that the tongue color takes hours to fade?  From personal experience, the few times my kids have had really colored food, their elimination products were colored as well.  The types of dyes used to produce such outstanding color and staying power are synthetic.  While the FDA approves these dyes as safe, the European Parliament has begun requiring products containing synthetic food colors to carry warning labels saying, "consumption may have an adverse effect on activity and attention of children."  Many American allergists and pediatricians are recommending to parents of a child with attention deficit disorder to remove dyes and preservatives from their child's diet.  This diet change does benefit many children.

Some dyes are natural and come from food sources.  Read the packages of food before you buy and determine whether there are artificial dyes and preservatives.  This way you are making an informed choice. 

I am a mother and I like my kids to have a treat and fit in with their friends, but I make these occasions rare and try to find healthier substitutes.

From an Ayurvedic standpoint, anything that is artificial  would be foreign to the body and difficult to digest.  Food and things that are not digested sit in our system and create ama (toxins).  An occasional treat will be a body stress, but the body can recover if it is not a consistent diet choice.  Choose food by its true value not its flashy colors.

Stay healthy & well,
Lisa