Food color is an ingredient that can be added to food or other items to enhance or add color. It is mostly added to processed foods as without it the food would just look drab. It is definitely not a 'new' thing. Food colors have been used as a means of enhancing the aesthetic pleasure of food for centuries. But earlier they were mostly derived from nature. So if you wanted red color, you would add beetroot juice; if you wanted yellow, you would add turmeric water.
But after World War 2, artificial colors derived from chemical and dyes became more common. The artificial colors used to look great and they make food look vibrant and appealing. The potential advantages over natural colors were immense. They were easy to manufacture at a lower cost and had an almost unlimited shelve life. As a result, more and more foods now-a-days are filled with artificial food coloring ingredients that contain chemicals from highly toxic sources.
Constant consumption of these highly toxic colors can lead to several disorders such as:
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Promote Cancers: Blue 1 is a dye often used to color ice cream, candy, beverages and baked goods. It is considered low risk but one study linked it to cancer in mice. Another animal study found some - but not conclusive - evidence that Blue 2, found in per food, beverages and candy, causes brain cancer in male rats.
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Hyperactivity: Red 40 is in common dye found in snack foods such as chips and other crisps and has been linked to hyperactivity disorders and irritability in children. Common symptoms that children who are sensitive to red 40 dye experience include severe temper tantrums, fidgeting, aggression, inability to focus, and nervousness. Though past research showed no correlation between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and food dyes, new studies now point to synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents as aggravating ADD and ADHD symptoms, both in those affected by these disorders and in the general population.
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Kidney diseases: Yellow 6 dye which is one of the most widely used, can be found in sausage, gelatin, baked goods, candy, and beverages is linked to tumors of the kidney and adrenal glands. It also contain small amounts of many carcinogens.
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Male sterility: Blue 1 and 2 have been linked to male sterility in a number of studies.
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Weaken immune system: A study conducted at the University of California determined some food coloring agents result in a negative effect on the immune system. This study showed that caramel food coloring, frequent additive to many commonly consumed soft drinks, soy sauce etc, diminishes immune system function which could alter the body's ability to fight off infection. However, the amount of caramel coloring used in the study were far greater than what is found in foods.
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Multiple complications: Yellow 5 dye used in snacks, cereals, jams, instant noodle, cake mixes, and candy can cause allergic reactions, asthma attacks, migraines, blurred vision, anxiety, and behavioral problems.
How to avoid the dangers of food coloring?
Here are some tips to help you reduce ingesting artificial colors:
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Give your child more whole foods and avoid or limit the amount of processed food he eats. If necessary, you can give him/her foods made from natural colors.
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Read the label carefully on the foodstuff before buying them. If it has artificial colors - especially red 3, red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, blue 2, green 3 and orange B - steer clear. Some manufacturers even use unusual names for artificial colors like Allura Red AC for Red 40, Erythrosine for Red 3, Tartrazine for Yellow 5 and Indigotine for Blue 2.
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Avoid or limit foods with a lot of different bright colors on them.
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While shopping for fruits, vegetables or fish, inspect the food item before purchasing and look for signs that they've been artificially enhanced. Some sellers actually add color dye to make the food look more appetizing and fresh. Be suspicious of any product that looks too colorful.
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Avoid taking kids for grocery shopping. They are more likely to want the box of brightly colored breakfast (containing the most artificial food dyes) cereal than the all-natural, plainly colored version.
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Whenever possible, avoid buying food with artificial colors. Many manufacturers use non-permitted colors or permitted colors beyond the prescribed limits. At a study conducted at Industrial Toxicological Research Centre (ITRC), Lucknow, it was found that 70 percent of the market samples of food and food products contained non-permitted colors. Additionally, food samples analyzed by National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad showed a wide range of non-permitted colors being used, and permitted colors added to foods, beyond the prescribed limits.
By a little bit of research and a little bit of restraint, you can protect your loved ones from the dangers of artificial colorings.
