Food coloring

[angelina]

Yes, and red food colouring comes from ground up beetles. That's natural too. Yummmm.

I'm a gardener and the primary food source of Dactylopius coccus (bettles) is Opuntia (prickly pear cactus). Hence, it is organic, then it will easily decay, like eating any meat product --- if you pass the yuck factor. I love prickly pears cactus, and I would eat it regularly if it was not expensive. LOL, this bettle eat it for free? The fun facts of nature...

Another source of red dye - not bright red is the 4 o clock flower (Mirabilis jalapa). Again, organic, and easily water soluble, digestible, a plant source.

Pandan - source of green pigment is also a tropical plant with high fiber content, which decays at the rate of eating spinach.

Maybe, the ones we have now are synthetic, which releases carcinogen to our bodies, causing diseases such as cancers?

There was an article linking it to ADD, but then again, any synthetic food additives does not do any good to your body anyway. So, we avoid it, right?

I would have no idea what is the source of our food dye nowadays, as I buy them in pack of 4, small tiny bottles.

I used my food coloring to color my play dough, but not much on baking or cooking in general.

I also use them to color ice blocks for our sculpture project outside.

What else do you use food coloring for?

[angelina]

Because in the interest of being more PROFITABLE most food coloring in our food in North America is not 'natural' at all but artificially made with chemicals to be cheaper and more 'stable' in foods that are processed and need long shelf life.

This is a story from 2011 where the FDA is actually reviewing the use of artificial food coloring and 'behavior / health' in human beings ... there are some links within it to research that while not perfect cause nothing ever is in science cause so many other factors can affect outcomes but there is 'enough' to raise concerns.

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/30/134962...-kids-behavior

This link below speaks to me as well cause it discusses the link between food dyes and children with ADHD and how to help them have more focus by limiting their access to food dyes...so research is not saying it 'causes' ADHD but it does complicate their symptoms.

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/food-dye-adhd

oh reggio, that was the article i was looking for, the link to ADD, thanks.

[JennJubie]

My son has ADHD, and as much as possible we avoid food colouring. Perhaps it's a coincidence, but when he eats something that has a fair amount of food colouring, (birthday cakes, gummy candies etc), I can actually see it "kick in". He goes bonkers.

[Momof4]

My son was ADHD as well, and I knew exactly when he had food colour or sugar at a friend's house because he was bouncing like a kangaroo. It's not a coincidence JennJubie! You and I know the truth!

[kidlove]

i too have a 9 year old son who has been diagnosed with ADHD, although we don't weigh on it a lot in conversation, we do recognize the effects certain foods have on him as well, sprinkles, major no no, oreo cookies put him in tears, doritos and cheetos, if he has any of those he goes goofy! so nice to know there are others out there who deal with the same things, makes me feel better....for years before the neuro appt and before we found out the actual diagnosis I fought so much with the fact that we could have been doing something wrong in his raising, jeejubie and Momof4 so hope we can be support for one another at times, I am def here to listen, I know how much of a struggle it can sometimes be having to handle this silly ADHD. So many people look at him and think he is such a bad kid or I am a bad Mom, some people just don't understand the reality of ADHD and the effects it can have on children and their parents, so nice to know you are out there!