Find out what food you buy regularly contains artificial colors and flavors, by Katy Farber

Katy blogs at Non-Toxic Kids (more on that below), and she is involved with the EDF’s Moms Clean Air Force, which holds a Live chat online via Facebook TODAY, Wednesday, June 1, from 2:00 – 3:00 pm EST. Just go to the Moms Clean Air Force Facebook page, click “like,” and you’re in!

A few months ago, the FDA was considering putting warning labels on all foods containing artificial colorings.

Just the fact that they were considering this should give parents pause.  It certainly did for me!

The FDA did this because studies have shown when parents removed all food containing artificial coloring from their children’s diet, the behavior of their children improved.  These studies focused on children with behavior challenges and disabilities.  Some studies even show behavioral changes in typical children.

Image by DailyCraft on Flickr

Wow.

I’m of the philosophy that if something is harmful to pregnant mothers, to people living in the state of California, or to one group of children, its likely harmful for all of us. Shouldn’t we be prescribing to the precautionary principle with our kids? And with managing child behavior, can’t we use all the help we can get? I certainly can.

Ultimately, the FDA decided not to include the warnings on food containing artificial colorings—probably because of heavy lobbying from the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

Artificial food colors are everywhere. And unfortunately, the United States has become a dumping ground for them.  In other countries, consumers have demanded that food companies remove questionable food colorings from foods. You can see here the different Nutri-Grain bar boxes, one from the U.K. and one from the U.S.

So, how does a concerned parent avoid artificial food colorings?

*Read labels! Artificial food coloring HAS to be on the label. You’ll see it listed like this: “colored with (RED 40, YELLOW 5, BLUE 1)” as an example.

*Avoid regular food coloring in baked goods.  Opt for natural versions instead available in the natural food section of your grocery store or your local natural foods store.

*Question brightly colored foods. They likely contain artificial food colorings (otherwise, how could they be so unnaturally bright?).  Think rainbow colored popsicles, bright blue frosting, Jell-O, and Fruit Loops.

*Shop at your local natural food co-op, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe’s who refuse to sell any food that contains artificial coloring. No worries!

Author Bio: Katy Farber is an author, blogger, and teacher from Vermont.  She writes the green parenting blog, Non-Toxic Kids which features parenting news; information about how to raise kids naturally; book, music, and eco-friendly product reviews; environmental issues; and opportunities for activism.  Katy published two books in 2010, about education:  Why Great Teachers Quit and How We Might Stop the Exodus and Change the World with Service Learning:  How to Organize, Lead and Assess Service Learning Projects.