I have a hard time saying "no" to gummy candy. But I won't eat just any variety (bring on the bear-shaped gummies or anything sour-flavored, hold the gumdrops) and I'm choosy about my brands too. So particular, actually, that when my husband travels overseas my only request is that he bring back a special sour gummy candy because I can't find it here at home.
My particularity, however, had never taken me into the organic category. In fact, I've scoffed at the idea of organic gummies in the past. Candy is candy--there's nothing about it that's healthy, so what does it matter if it's organic?
Related: 15 foods you don't need to buy organic
Well, I changed my tune when I read what Milton Stokes, M.P.H., R.D., wrote in the November/December issue of EatingWell Magazine about the potential health risks of synthetic food dyes--which are in everything from candy and ice cream to breakfast cereals. While natural colorants made from foods like beets are available, many manufacturers opt for synthetic dyes--which appear in ingredient lists as a name of a color with a number following it: Blue 1 and 2, Citrus Red 2, Green 3, Red 3 and 40, Yellow 5 and 6.
According to a recent report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, these man-made food dyes may have dangerous health consequences when it comes to hyperactivity in children and cancer. This is why the nonprofit Washington, D.C.-based consumer-watchdog group has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban them. And in July 2010, the European Parliament's mandate that foods and beverages containing food dyes must be labeled as such went into effect for the entire European Union.
So before you go out and buy your Halloween candy or colorful food dyes and sprinkles for your cupcakes and other holiday treats, take a look at the highlights of what Stokes found:
Related: Find healthy Halloween treats and party recipes here.
Related: Do pesticides on nonorganic produce cause ADHD in kids?
Bottom Line: The research isn't necessarily the most compelling reason to give up food dyes: "Foods with dyes are often riddled with other nutritional problems, like excess calories and fat," says Schab, who points out that childhood obesity is a far greater public health concern.
But if you're concerned, ditch the potentially dangerous synthetic dyes. Look for foods bearing the green-and-white USDA certified organic label, but be aware that foods labeled "made with organic ingredients" may still contain synthetic dyes. You can also check product ingredient lists for beet, carotenes, annatto, capsanthin (a paprika extract)--as all are natural colorants. Counterintuitively, the terms "artificial color," "artificial color added" or "color added" also indicate that nature-derived pigments were used, since synthetic dyes must be listed by their names.
For a DIY solution at home to make your cakes, cupcakes and cookies look festive, use food dyes and sprinkles that use natural colorants from concentrated vegetable pigments. Get product suggestions here.
Personally, I'm not going to eat all organic candy all the time--some of my favorites just aren't organic. But I'll probably spring for the organic candy to hand out to the kids in the neighborhood on Halloween.
Do you avoid synthetic--or man-made--food dyes?
By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.
Brierley's interest in nutrition and food come together in her position as nutrition editor at EatingWell. Brierley holds a master's degree in Nutrition Communication from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. A Registered Dietitian, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont.
Related Links from EatingWell:
Follow EatingWell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/eatingwell
Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., R.D., L.D.: 13 Ways To Shave Off Excess Calories
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D.: Childhood Obesity: Are Overweight Children a Product of Poor Parenting?
Have you tried Annie's fruit snacks? We never use artificial colors, flavors or high fructose corn syrup. And, we have treat-sized pouches for Halloween! Check them out at http://annies.com/fruit_snacks or http://annies.com/bunny-fruit.
built upon whole grain ingredients. In my 20 years of authoring case studies
based on personally ingesting large quantities of harmful additives I have
concluded...I have concluded...I have concluded...I have concluded...
lol
Ranveig Elvebakk, MD is a bariatric physician in the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in weight loss and metabolic lllness. Her prgram, The Food Tree is available in book form on Amazon.com. She is also the author of several columns and papers. Become a fan on Facebook, follow Dr. Elvebakk on Twitter, and check out her blog at www.foodtreemd.com/blog.
.....Hey, will somebody tell me what we're talking about here. Oh, wait a moment, gotta go.
Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Skim Milk, Lactose, Milkfat, Peanuts, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Artificial Flavors), Sugar, Peanuts, Cornstarch, Less than 1% - Corn Syrup, Gum Acacia, Red 40 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Dextrin, titanium oxide.
Not safe in your mouth, nor in your hand-
gives me symptons of Arthritis and is quite painful.Sizzlers for example full of it.
R40 not good.
Now the only problem is the powder molecules get everywhere, so when my counter gets wet, it looks like a bloody crime scene (if cops ever visit, I'll have to explain).
If I can find an affordable sugar-free mix, sans dye, I'm stocking up. Such a thing?