Color Carefully: synthetic food dyes may be sabotaging your health
Tasting the rainbow may sound like a great idea, but is it really? Colors make foods look irresistibly delicious, but you may want to think twice about the implications of eating foods made with artificial food dyes.
Synthetic food dyes are typically made from petroleum-derived chemicals, which come with some concerning consequences, including allergic reactions, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, increased risk of cancer, increased inflammation, neurotoxic effects leading to changes in behavior and cognitive function, and negative environmental impacts.
Common food dyes you may recognize include: Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1; that list is not comprehensive. There are no safe synthetic food dyes, especially considering the rate of consumption and inclusion of food products containing them. The FDA sets specific ADI (acceptable daily intake) levels based on toxicological data. These ADI levels are typically expressed in milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg bw/day). The typical American diet challenges safe levels of consumption. Food dyes are now common ingredients in processed foods such as candy, baked goods, beverages, and even surprising products like gum and toothpaste.
Dr. Josh Redd states that food dyes “can even cause autoimmune flare-ups in some people. That’s because the dye binds with proteins in foods. This makes it harder for your body to break down food proteins. As a result, they look like a foreign invader to the immune system, so it mounts an inflammatory response.”
He explains that food “dyes can also bond to human tissue, triggering an inflammatory reaction. This can worsen autoimmune, inflammatory, or neurobehavioral issues.”
If you suffer from migraines, blurred vision, anxiety, or attention-related or behavioral issues, removing artificial food dyes from your diet is a great place to start.
If you are worried that removing food dyes will make your plate bland and your food unappetizing, think again! There are safe ways to color food. Natural food colors are derived from natural sources such as fruits, vegetables, plants, and minerals, such as beetroot or beets, turmeric, annatto, spirulina, caramel, paprika, and more.
Need that in simpler terms? Just shop organic. Organic products are prohibited from using synthetic food dyes. You can also shop smart. Stores like Trader Joe’s do not sell anything made from synthetic food dyes.