Of course no loving parent would intentionally poison their child. However, if you continue to remain unaware of how many toxic food dyes, preservatives, and additives are being snuck into the food your children eat everyday, you could be setting them up for serious health problems down the road and right now.
Kraft Mac and Cheese – Yellow 5 & Yellow 6 Health Dangers
Recently, North Carolina food bloggers’ Lisa Leake and Vani Hari discovered a disturbing fact about one of their children’s favorite foods. The Kraft Mac and Cheese they’d been serving for years contained two dangerous food dyes that have been noted to cause serious health problems in children.
Yellow 5 and 6 has been linked to the following:
- Behavioral Problems
One of the most frightening things about the addition of so many food dyes, preservatives, and additives is the effects they have on the developing young mind. Both Yellow 5 and yellow 6 have been directly linked to serious behavioral problems in children.
- Hyperactivity
Just about all children are hyperactive once in the while but when the hyperactivity begins to interfere with learning and social development, it becomes a real problem. The issue with these food dyes and preservatives is they act as neurotoxins in the brain, directly affecting development on a cellular level.
Not only has yellow 5 been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, it has also been noted to cause thyroid disease, which also affects behavior and learning.
It gets even scarier when you realize that Yellow 6 has been noted to contribute to the development of childhood obsessive compulsive disorder!
- Insomnia
Though it’s difficult to find clinical research to back up the connection between Yellow 5 and insomnia, many mothers have made a laboratory of their own kitchens by testing the effect the dyes have on their own children.
There are several reports you can find around the web from mothers who have noted startling changes in the behavior and mental health of their children once stopping food dyes.
Insomnia seems to be a common side effect of yellow food dyes especially. It seems to fall in line with the way the dye over-excites the brain.
- Migraine Headaches
According to a report put out by Texas Neurology, migraine sufferers are urged to avoid yellow food dyes as they have been connected to migraines.
- Learning Disabilities
Published reports have suggested that children who already struggle with learning disabilities or developmental disorders seem to be more susceptible to the effects of food dyes. The neurotoxic effects of these dyes seem to amplify the problems associated with dyslexia, ADHD, or Asperger’s syndrome and make learning and comprehension even more challenging.
- Allergies
Children who eat Kraft Mac and Cheese and other chemically-processed foods are more prone to allergies due to immune system response. Your child’s immune system is still developing and when it is constantly exposed to harmful dyes and additives, it can begin to malfunction and break down, leaving your son or daughter much more prone to allergic reactions such as sneezing, watery eyes, skin rashes, tongue swelling, and worse.
- Cancer
Since food dyes are petroleum-based, they have also been linked to the eventual development of cancer.
On account of the dangers of these food dyes, the UK version of Kraft Mac and Cheese does not contain the dyes. Instead, they use all-natural beta carotene and paprika to give the product its signature bright yellow color.
The two North Carolina moms decided this critical information needed to be brought to national attention. So they started a petition on Change.org to ask the company to permanently remove yellow 5 and yellow 6 food dyes from the US version of the popular household staple.
Food dyes and preservatives are used much more commonly in the United States than they in other countries for the simple fact that they are cheaper to produce and are highly addictive.
After all, the more addictive a food product, the bigger the profit for the company.
More Dangerous Dyes and Preservatives in Your Child’s Food
Speaking of additive and highly-dangerous food additives, Health Scams Exposed decided to go beyond the Kraft Mac and Cheese yellow dye controversy and also warn you of some other dangerous poisons your children may be eating every day.
1. Red 40
Child seeing red? According to reports found online by mothers experimenting with their children’s diets, Red Dye 40 seems to cause severe aggressive behavior in sensitive children.
2. Blue Lake
Lakes are a water insoluble form of a food dye and are considered a more stable form of the dye. Severe allergic reactions like eczema and anaphylaxis have been reported from the consumption of blue lakes.
3. BHT & BHA
Moving beyond the food dyes, it’s also important to take a look at some of the other additives in your child’s food. BHT & BHA are common preservatives found in breakfast cereals designed for children.
As if food dyes weren’t bad enough, these preservatives have also been heavily linked to hyperactivity and aggressive behavior in children.
It’s enough to make us here at Health Scams Exposed wonder if the large majority of the behavioral issues children are developing aren’t directly linked to the foods they eat everyday.
4. Polysorbate 80
This common emulsifier can be found in everything from ice cream to candy. It has been linked to allergic reactions, gastrointestinal problems, and the development of cancer.
It has also been shown to be highly addictive. The more of it your child eats, the more he wants. Cue the temper tantrums!
5. Benzoic Acid
This food preservative, designed to keep food “fresh” is anything but healthy for you or your child. Benzoic acid has been linked to nervous system damage when inhaling the product. Imagine what happens when your child eats them? Hyperactivity and asthma are just two of the health problems associated with this additive.
6. Propylparaben
All parabens are endocrine disruptors and propylparaben is no exception. Endocrine disruptors cause sexual development problems and have been linked to delayed puberty and infertility later in life.
7. Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium glutamate is used in foods because of its savory, mouth-pleasing flavor. This is part of what makes this additive so addictive.
MSG can be difficult to avoid because it is disguised under so many different names such as:
- Autolyzed yeast
- Calcium Caseinate
- Dry milk powder
- Dry milk protein
- Gelatin
- Glutamate
- Glutamic acid
- Hydrolyzed corn gluten
- Hydrolyzed soy protein
- Hydrolyzed wheat protein
- Monopotassium glutamate
- Monosodium glutamate
- Natrium glutamate
- Sodium Caseinate
- Soy Protein Isolate
- Textured protein
- Yeast food
- Yeast nutrient
MSG is an excitotoxin that has been linked to migraine headaches, swelling, spastic colon, vomiting, nausea, extreme thirst, bloating, stiffness, and aggressive behavior.
8. Aspartame
Aspartame is a deadly neurotoxin that has being snuck into food since the late 1970s. It has a startling 92 different symptoms associated with it. This neurotoxin has been linked to everything from behavioral problems to physical paralysis. Diet soda is one of the most common sources of this synthetic sweetener. However, Health Scams Expose has just discovered that there is a push to now begin adding this deadly flavoring to milk!
9. High Fructose Corn Syrup
Scientific studies have proven a direct link to high fructose corn syrup and childhood obesity. Do you serve your children soda or fruit juice on a regular basis? If so, they’re taking in gallons of this synthetic sugar each year! HFCS tricks the brain into believing the stomach is never full. This can lead to serious weight gain and development of diabetes.
10. Sodium Benzoate
Sodium benzoate may sound innocent enough but it can actually be quite deadly. Fruit juice and some of the more “natural” sodas often contain this preservative. This preservative has been linked to ADHD, hyperactivity, DNA damage, and cancer.
Avoid Poisoning Yourself and Your Family
The two best ways to avoid poisoning yourself and your family is to:
- Read Labels
Start reading food labels right now. It’s one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from the deadly chemicals in food. Familiarize yourself with these and other dangerous additives and when it doubt, don’t make the purchase.
- Eat Organic
Eating whole, organic food is the best thing you can do for yourself and your children. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store first, loading up on fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, hummus, organic meat, poultry, fish, and healthy dairy products. When choosing cereal, candies, and snack cakes, read ingredients and select natural and organic substitutes.
The problem with food dyes and additives goes way beyond the Kraft Mac and Cheese controversy. There are hundreds of dyes, additives, preservatives, and fillers that go into the food marketed specifically to children. The more you know, the more you can make informed decisions about your health.
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*****Recommended Research*****
Why “Yummy Healthy Tummy” Is Number 1 When It Comes to Teaching Kids How to Eat Healthy
Parents who stress about how to teach their kids to eat right, rejoice! Now, there’s a book written specifically on how to effectively build the healthy eating habit in our children.
It’s one thing to know healthy recipes (although this is covered in the book, too!) but it’s a whole new different thing to train our kids to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy food, and to CHOOSE healthy food. This, for me, is the trickier part.
While our kids are young and take their meals at home, we can pretty much monitor what they eat. We can prepare healthy meals for them – we can even hide the veggies they don’t like but sorely need!
The more difficult problem, and I’m sure you’ll agree with me here, is what happens when they’re not at home. Will they continue to make healthy food choices (despite peer pressure, despite the “limited” healthy choices available, despite the temptation of fast food)?
Kiera Campbell, the author of Yummy Healthy Tummy goes into the psychology of how habits are formed in children and gives tips and instructions on how we can start building the habit to eat healthy. This foundation is very important, because it sets our kids to choose healthy food now and much later on when they’re older.
She then goes on to define what healthy eating is for kids of different ages, what nutrients they need and what food (and in what portions) these food should be served. She’s very thorough in this area and clearly explains how you can use the kids’ food pyramid as a guide to teaching your kids to eat healthy – at home and outside the home. And to start you off, she provides an excitingly fresh and varied menu and recipes that your family (yes, not just your kids) will surely enjoy.
The inspiration behind this book is the startling health statistics that affect our kids. Did you know that 1 in 3 American kids are at risk for obesity? And it’s probably no surprise to learn that diabetes patients are getting younger and younger – due in large part to the diet our children are exposed to.
If there is an epidemic that’s affecting our kids today, it’s definitely the wave of unhealthy foods that are geared towards our children. This makes it a pressing need for us parents to make sure our children are raised equipped to choose food that will nourish their bodies and to shun those that actually do harm.
I highly recommend that you check it out for yourself.
You can find Ms. Campbell’s book here.
Sources:
http://www.cspinet.org/new/200806022.html
http://www.allergykids.com/blog/seeing-red/
http://www.texasneurology.com/attachments/wysiwyg/72/FoodAdditivesAndMigraines.pdf
http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/1760
http://home.allergicchild.com/less-common-allergies-food-dye/
http://www.msgmyth.com/symptoms.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/07/aspartame-milk_n_2828359.html
