artificial colorings-Feingold Assoc.

In a recent post, I wrote about the Gaps Diet, which can heal learning & behavior issues (and many more health problems) by first healing the immune system. There are many facets of the Gaps Diet (or other similar diets), and for some, one piece of the puzzle is the turning point. Often that piece is related to the additives in our food. I recently became aware of The Feingold Association – they specifically address the issue of food additives, and how they affect our kids.

The Feingold Association helps you learn how to avoid these additives:

• Artificial (synthetic) coloring
• Artificial (synthetic) flavoring
• Aspartame/Nutrasweet – artificial sweeteners
• Artificial (synthetic) preservatives BHA, BHT, TBHQ

Read more about the Feingold Association:

“Many learning & behavior issues begin in your grocery cart!”

Next, read a copy of this great letter I received from Jane Hersey, director of the Feingold Association.

Hi Kelly,

I just sent this letter to a Boston paper and wanted to share it with you as well. The school I mention at the end is described on the School Lunch site.

Jane

Subj: Better school foods for kids

Providing better school food really isn’t so difficult or complicated. Think back to the school food of the 1950s and if you’re too young to remember, I will tell you about it.

Each morning the ladies in the white uniforms and hairnets prepared meatloaf or spaghetti or mac & cheese, etc. They cooked real potatoes and mashed them, and sometimes they made cookies, cake or cupcakes.

Yes, it took more time than microwaving a frozen disk, and yes, in many cases they were not especially talented cooks. But it was food, and most children were able to sit still after lunch, to focus and learn. Some kids were a bit “slow,” some were chubby, and some didn’t behave so well, but we didn’t have a need for IEPs, body-mass index screens, and metal detectors at the doors.

Sometimes a child was sick, and there was an occasional bloody nose, but on most days the school nurse wasn’t very busy. She did not have to keep tabs on dozens of Ritalin prescriptions, asthma medications, drugs for diabetic children, and epi-pens.

Sadly, what is currently being served in most school cafeterias can no longer be called “food.” It is a collection of hard-to-pronounce chemicals that give the appearance of food. They fool our eyes and might even fool our taste buds, but there’s no fooling our bodies. Humans need food in order to thrive, and this is not food.

The good news is that we can combine the technology of the 21st century with the wholesomeness of the 20th century. One remarkable mom in a small town in Vermont has shown the way. She provides wonderful, healthy food that sounds like it came from an upscale bistro; but the astonishing thing is that she is doing this for far less money than the school previously spent on the usual foodless offerings. It is enjoyed by the children, teachers, staff, administrators, visiting parents, as well as an occasional grandparent. They all come to the cafeteria in this modest school to enjoy what is created in a dated kitchen by a small staff. You can read about it at www.School-Lunch.org.

Jane Hersey

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 11 comments }

The last thing we want is one more thing to worry about when feeding our kids. Parenting is tricky enough, without more warnings being thrown at us all the time. But if you have a child with behavior or attention issues, you may want to take a look at the following links.

First, have you read my other post on food dyes? Dangers of Artificial Coloring in Foods / Healthy Popsicle Alternatives

photo by Madaise

Here is an excerpt from an article in the LA Times on Food Dyes:

Almost every parent has a story about their kid bouncing off the walls after downing a package of jelly beans or eating a neon blue-frosted cupcake at school. Most blame the sugar.

But some new research suggests that the rainbow of artificial colors may have a bigger effect on children’s behavior. And in other parts of the world, some organizations are starting to take action on these ingredients.

Read the whole LA Times article.

For me, figuring out what to believe is a common sense issue again. Whenever we can avoid unnatural artificial colors, we will, and this is yet another reason that buying organic whenever possible is a good idea.

What about you? Have any of you seen adverse reactions in your kids?

• Did your doctor recommend low-fat milk for your children after age 2? PLEASE READ THIS POST ABOUT HEALTHY MILK FIRST!!!
• Know someone who is pregnant? Make sure they know the many benefits to a growing baby of the mother taking cod liver oil!!! Read about the many benefits and why everyone should be taking it (or the capsules), especially see the links at the bottom of the post with specific info for pregnant and nursing moms. Be aware: docs will probably advise against taking CLO because of the vitamin A, but they may not know about the WORLD of difference between synthetic vitamin A and NATURAL vitamin A when taken with the proper ratios of vitamin D! Read more about possible cod liver oil toxicity to put your mind at ease.
• Recently someone asked me if you could eat fast food every day as long as you work out a lot to burn off the calories. Answer: NO!!! Read about fast food dangers to find out why. Now read about some nutritious and easy fast food alternatives to help you avoid the temptation to hit the drive-thru.
• Need a good Christmas gift for your spouse? Read this post from a while back about exercise and why I love my Bowflex.
• Read about sugars and the best choices
• Many more topics & recipes along the right in the sidebar

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 4 comments }

With all the bright colored fruits and veggies packed with nutrition that God created, it’s good that our eyes are attracted to those enticing colors. But as always, food manufacturers know how to use that to draw our eyes (and especially our kids’ eyes), to processed/junk foods full of chemicals used in artificial colorings. Read the news story below on the danger of artificial colorings in food. Just the thought of how bad they must be for us, whether or not it’s “proven”, is disappointing: I really don’t need one MORE thing to make sure I’m not buying!

Artificial colorings (and flavorings) are in so many products

Whether it’s wine coolers for myself (thankfully there are alternatives), the many other processed foods you see at the store (we should be avoiding those anyway), or especially now that summer is here, those “freezer pops” that the kids love (full of artificial flavorings and colorings) – I just don’t want to risk it.

photo by Reenie-Just Reenie

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES?

But the freezer pops are something easy and cheap to give the kids when they come in with their friends, all hot and bugging you for a treat – does anyone have ideas for inexpensive, easy alternatives to freezer pops? One idea is the popsicles I make from our leftover smoothies. The kids love these, and I do too because they’re packed with nutrition, and they’re also very easy. But it’s not something I can just hand out to all the neighbor kids, in case their parents aren’t aware of the health benefits of raw dairy. It’s sad, but something I need to be careful about – many people are still misinformed on the safety of raw dairy, and I have to respect where they’re at.  Another great one (that I also couldn’t give to the neighbor kids), are these probiotic fudgesicles!

More ideas:

You could also use the same popsicle makers I use for smoothies (I found inexpensive Tupperware popsicle makers on e-bay) and make popsicles out of extra Kombucha (especially for the times it turns out really sweet) or with extra fermented lemonade! By the way, yes, I know these popsicle makers are made out of plastic, but foods frozen in plastic don’t worry me as much as hot foods do.

NOTE: See the great comments below full of ideas!

Let me know if you have more ideas for easy summer treats for the kids! (Check out more snack ideas below, too.)

***Here’s the news story: Consumer Group Asks FDA to Ban Artificial Coloring in Foods

(Many more topics & recipes along the right in the sidebar!)

Subscribe in a reader

Learn more from the COMMENTS BELOW - join the conversation!

{ 13 comments }