Anyone else have a love for Skittles, Swedish Fish and all things gummy, or is it just me? If you have a love for candy, you'll want to read this. It's obvious that candy isn't healthy. It's loaded with sugar, high fructose corn syrup and something else equally terrifying...dyes.
What's so bad about food dyes? For starters, they are made from petroleum. (yuck) Red 40,Yellow 5 and 6, contain benzene - a cancer causing carcinogen. While most of the world has been banned from using these dyes, it's still legal in the US (thank you, FDA). Numerous studies have also shown that food coloring has been linked to hyperactivity in children. Yellow 6 and Yellow 5 have been known to enhance estrogen levels, which may not sound so bad, but can cause breast cancer and decrease male sex drive.
Food coloring isn't just in candy, although that's one of the most obvious places it's found. It's also in other foods and beverages. Need I mention Koolaid? It also hides in not so common places, like macaroni and cheese and even Cola sodas. Caramel coloring has made its way into lots of unsuspecting places.
How do we fight it? Start with the obvious places. (This step was hard for me, because I love my colored candy) Always read the ingredients, even if it doesn't appear to be unnaturally colored. Even Florida oranges are now being injected with orange dye in order to appear more appealing to shoppers. Unfortunately, we can no longer assume that any foods are safe without reading the ingredients.
All hope is not lost. There are still places to find naturally dyed candies and foods. Whole Foods has a policy that only allows naturally dyed foods and candies to be sold. You can safely shop there with the guarantee that your food is not tainted. If you're like me and don't live anywhere near a Whole Foods, Amazon is a great place. They carry organic candies that are naturally colored with fruit.
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