The phrase “eat the rainbow” wasn’t referring to food dyes.

Have you noticed your child’s behavior changes after eating things, things like m&m’s, fruit snacks, or cheetos?

You’re not crazy. All the “approved” artificial dyes have been linked to many issues ranging from hyperactivity to asthma to thyroid, breast, adrenal, bladder, and testicular cancer! Good grief there’s many.

We live in a world with fake, over processed foods stuffed with hundreds of chemicals and dyes, we shouldn’t be shocked. These dyes are added so that foods look more satisfying to our senses…Yet at the same time it’s poisoning us. Given that food dyes are synthetically made from petroleum, it’s no surprise.

While the FDA has banned many dyes over the years, currently approved ones may have adverse effects.

What can you do?

Read labels! Look for the specific dyes, swapping for natural ones such as annatto, beet, carotenes, or capsanthin. Choose organic foods, they can’t contain synthetic dyes. Whenever possible, ditch the processed foods. Most prepackaged foods contain artificial colors and preservatives.

Empower and teach your kiddos how to read labels. If you’re not sure how, lmk!

Start small, one swap at a time! Voting with your dollar has power.