Picture this. You are shopping in your local grocery store, two kids in tow, shopping cart full, and you’re ready to pay. An array of brightly wrapped colored candy at the register catches your three-year-old son’s eye, and I’m sure you can imagine what happens next. We’ve all been there. 

I am here to tell you that your child’s inescapable attraction to the brightly colored candy display has nothing to do with your cooking skills, parenting skills, or lack thereof. Unfortunately, most of the snacks, cakes, and cookies being sold to us are filled with preservatives, food dyes, and abominable amounts of added sugar, precisely for the purpose of enticing our kids. 

What’s Wrong with Food Dyes?

So what exactly is so terrible about food dyes? Well, food dyes, particularly red 40 has repeatedly been linked to hyperactivity, inattention, and ADHD in children. Several countries actually ban the use of food dyes for this reason. Other food dyes such as Blue 1 have been linked to sleeplessness, irritability, and aggression, especially in young children. These dyes are chemically altered and not made of any actual food, but they bring a vibrancy to snacks, cakes, and candy, making them a popular choice for food companies. Snacks containing food dyes are usually cheap, adding to their enticement, but to put it simply, they are just not appropriate foods for growing children.

Why I Went Dye-Free

I decided to go dye-free when I was expecting my first, wanting whatever I put into my body to be completely pure and only beneficial for the growing baby inside of me. I began educating myself about food dyes and their harmful side effects and just from what I read, it was pretty easy for me to stay away from them. It’s pretty easy to avoid something once you know how detrimental it can be to you and your kid’s mental and physical health.

These days, I notice a change in my kids’ behavior when they come home from a party or siyum, during Purim season and Simchas Torah. I cringe at the brightly colored concoctions and pekelach my kids bring home from school, already anticipating the meltdowns. I don’t really say much to the teachers and counselors, because who really wants to be THAT person? My goal is never to chastise but to teach and inform. As a community, we can all learn and understand how an overload of sugar and food dye can be detrimental to our precious children’s development. 

With a large bowl of multicolored fruit loops for breakfast before school, your kid may have a hard time concentrating, he may have trouble paying attention or playing nicely with his peers. Sweets and snacks served as incentives during school hours make matters worse. By the time your kid comes home he is ready to climb the walls, but in your small apartment, that’s just not possible. He wakes the baby, he pushes you angrily, he demands food, he stomps and tantrums and you doubt your parenting skills at least 3000 times before your husband comes home.

I must gently remind you, it’s not your fault; it’s not your parenting. Your child simply cannot regulate or function without proper nutrition! It’s that simple.

What can we do to alleviate some of these symptoms?

Cutting Out Food Dyes 

You start with a detox of some sorts, which of course will look different for each child. Include your child in the process, buy books about proper nutrition, explain to your child what food dye and sugar does in his body and how it might make him feel. These are some of our favorite books: Hashem’s Candy Store, Let’s Stay Healthy, Look Inside What Happens When You Eat, I Can Eat a Rainbow, Mrs. Peanuckle’s Vegetable Alphabet, Mrs. Peanuckle’s Fruit Alphabet.

Show him how to read the labels of food products and teach them one simple rule: if the ingredient is not a food they recognize, it doesn’t belong in their body. Identifying food dyes is pretty simple; they are listed in the ingredients section and can be written in a variety of ways. Most commonly; artificial colors, blue 1 or 2, green 3, red 3 or 40, yellow 5 or 6, FD&C lakes, citrus red 2 (used in franks). It’s a good thing to keep in mind while you’re grocery shopping because companies hide food coloring in the craziest places, like pickles and ketchup!

Cutting food dyes out of your and your kid’s diet is easier these days since there are many dye-free options around; you just need to look at the packaging and read the label. Teach your kids to get excited over packaging that says “no food dye” or “no artificial coloring added”! So many brands offer colorful candies, sprinkles, and lollipops with natural food coloring. There are brands that make dye-free food coloring from natural sources as well, all 100% kosher too! And I promise you, ice cream with dye-free sprinkles tastes exactly the same, and probably better than the alternative.

It’s also a matter of making fruits and veggies exciting. That’s where our innate creativity comes in. A carton of strawberries can become homemade fruit leather minus the dyes and minus the added sugar! A bag of grapes or cherries becomes a bowl of mini fruit ices that taste like little drops of happiness and don’t trigger a red 40 meltdown. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN throw an epic kid’s birthday bash without sugar or food dyes. I’ve done it many times, and you can do it too! Nobody missed the hyper, sticky kids, I’ll tell you that much.

Remember, your excitement and involvement in this new chapter is a huge factor. Your kids will be willing to try new foods if you’re eating them too. Scour the fruits and veggies aisle with your kid, explore the different shapes and textures, talk about Hashem’s creations and how He provided different vitamins and nutrients in each fruit and vegetable that we need for our bodies to work properly. When my kids and I last explored the grocery store, we discovered artichoke hearts from a can are delicious, and now my kids fight over who gets more at the supper table!

Tips When Going Out

Of course, being dye-free is easier said than done, as well as being easier at home where I can monitor what comes into the house. Going out to parties and simchas is a whole other ball game, though I generally do let my guard down a bit when it comes to parties and events. With older kids, setting guidelines before a party is a good idea. Let them know they can save whatever they want for the next day and there’s no need to finish everything at once. For younger kids, you can always carry around some dye-free candy options in your purse, so when Zaidy hovers with a lolly you can swap it discreetly without hurting any feelings. If you’re educating your kids about how the things that they put into their bodies makes them feel, but not being pushy about it, eventually they will know their limits and refuse foods on their own. To sum this all up, going dye-free is thankfully easier than it was 10 years ago, and hopefully one day, seeing red 40 on an ingredient list will be unheard of.

Watch this space for a part two with some ideas of foods you can make that are healthier options!