ARE WE POISONING OUR CHILDREN?
Not so long ago, in a galaxy pretty close to you, a certain grandmother was faced with a minor moral quandary: Should she continue the tradition of including packages of sugary Peeps in her grandsons’ Easter baskets? After all, they loved the candy, it was only once a year, AND the Peeps are even labeled "Gluten-free" (ironic, but true).
Unfortunately, for Grandma’s ability to ignore facts and still sleep well at night, she had become that most dreaded of shoppers, A LABEL READER. Now you can either blame this condition on the fact that beloved grandson #2 is highly allergic, and Gluten-intolerant, or you can attribute this fun-stopping habit to the fact that she works with Special Needs children, including many with ADHD. No matter, she is no longer able to buy first and read later.
So, viewing the Peeps label through her bifocals, she read "sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, contains less than 0.5% of the following ingredients: Yellow #5 (Tartrazine)…"as the saying goes, 'the rest is history’.
FD&C NO EVIL
FD&C Yellow #5 is classified by the
Food & Drug Administration as a Color Additive. The letters mean that the substance is approved for use in Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics.
It is one of "nine certified color additives approved for use in the United States" according to the FDA in its pamphlet "
Food Ingredients and Colors". The FDA further explains that FD&C Yellow #5 is a "certified color" meaning that it’s "synthetically produced (or human made) and used widely because…they are less expensive". Colors that are exempt from certification "include pigments derived from natural sources, such as vegetables, minerals or animals (and)…are typically more expensive".
So…if FD&C Yellow #5 isn’t made from a vegetable, mineral or animal, what is it made from? The answer is simple. Coal Tar Dye.
Coal Tar Dyes are synthetic dyes, once derived from coal tar which are currently derived from petroleum sources. (they are) used in foods, cosmetics and personal care products, such as hair dyes, shampoos and deodorants…
Now, the FDA can remove products from the market which are found to be harmful, with the interesting exception of hair dyes containing coal tar dyes, which must only contain a warning that "
the product contains ingredients that may cause skin irritation on certain individuals" and if used near the eyes "may cause blindness". The specific culprit, a coal tar dye P-phenylenediamine, is commonly used in popular hair dyes, with darker shades containing more
than lighter shades.
Not planning on dyeing your little one’s hair this week, not to worry! Your child can still regularly consume Yellow #5, because it’s found in loads of common foods including:
cotton candy, soft drinks, energy drinks, instant puddings, flavored tortilla chips such as Doritos, breakfast cereals, cake mixes, pastries, pudding powders, soups, sauces, flavored rices such as paella, powdered drink mixes, sports drinks, ice cream, ice pops, candy, chewing gum, marzipan, jam, jelly, gelatins, marmalade, mustard, horseradish, yogurt...
WAIT A MINUTE! No body actually thought that those Peeps are really good for you, but YOGURT??? Yogurt is one of the healthier things many of us eat, and something we feed our babies and children because it’s good for them. Isn’t it?
WHAT’S IN SO-CALLED HEALTHY VARIETIES OF YOGURT—THE CHILLING TRUTH
So, off Grandma goes to a local chain supermarket known to stock a lot of healthy/holistic/organic foods, to see what the major players are putting in our children’s yogurt, instead of toxic Tartrazine/Coal Tar Dye. The following is a list of natural choices, containing colors derived from plant souurces (not labs):
DANNON
DANIMALS DOUBLE CRUSH BANANA & STRAWBERRY
PURE BLENDED YOGURT STRAWBERRY & BLUEBERRY COMBO PACK
STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIES EXPLOSION
YOPLAIT
DORA THE EXPLORER STRAWBERRY
TRIX STRAWBERRY BANANA BASH
LACTOSE FREE (NOT DAIRY FREE) VANILLA
STONYFIELD
YOBABY BLUEBERRY
YOTODDLER STRAWBERRY BANANA
YOKIDS BLUEBERRY
Okay, many child-oriented varieties of yogurt pass the Tartrazine test, but what
if Johnny wants something else to eat?
ADHD, ASTHMA & OTHER THINGS THE FDA DOESN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT
A
"major study published in the UK in 2007 linked food colorings with hyperactive behavior in children, resulting in the FSA (Britain’s FDA equivalent) calling on manufacturers to voluntarily ban food colorings."
In December of 2008, the European Union began requiring warning labels on foods containing artificial food coloring stating that the food "
may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".
Though Tartrazine must be listed as an ingredient in the US, no warning is required. The FDA has been trying to dodge the ADHD/food coloring bullet, noting in its pamphlet only that "results from studies on this issue have been inclusive, inconsistent, or difficult to interpret", and cites a 1997 article (no that’s not a typo, the FDA is still in the previous century) noting "minimal evidence" supporting "restricted diets".
However, to cover their bureaucratic fannies, in the very next paragraph, the FDA advises an exception for "a small number of preschool children who may be sensitive to tartrazine, known commonly as FD&C Yellow #5".
Actually, more than a small number of pre-schoolers have been reported to be affected by Tartrazine, which is linked to Asthma, hives/skin rashes, and allergic reactions, in people of all ages, especially in individuals sensitive to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Other studies have linked Tartrazine to migraines and a variety of "immunological responses".
WHERE DID I PUT MY BIFOCALS?!
I think I need to have a container of yogurt so that I’ll have the strength to read all of those labels on every product the next time I’m in the supermarket. Remember, each of us is our family’s best line of defense against harmful ingredients found in so many of the products we put into and on our bodies.
What are some other surprising ingredients you've found in your child's food?
Saying Peace Out to the Peeps from Granolaville,
~ Kalimah
Kalimah Karim is the Executive Director of The Granolaville Group, a veteran writer and Registered
Nurse. Her focus is on community outreach and children with special needs. When she is not commuting to NYC for work she's spending time with her 3 grandsons, and building a successful Doula business with her daughter, Nacia. Kalimah wants people
in co-ops and apartments as well as people in suburban areas to know the benefits of holistic living.
