With Easter just a couple weeks away it's time to start thinking about dye free egg decorating. Did you know that the typical Easter egg dye kits you buy in the store are chock full of red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1? You usually add some vinegar to the concoction for more vivid coloring. The problem? Well, the dye leaches into the egg. You definitely don't want to eat these eggs. But there is more, you really don't want this dye to be absorbed through your skin. These kinds of dyes have shown to have effects on children with adhd tendencies. Artificial food dye is made from petroleum, a crude oil product. This is the stuff that is also used to make gasoline, diesel, tar, and asphalt. Yuck.
Click here to read my post about the ADD/adhd and artificial food coloring connection.
Look at the eggs we color with natural dyes. They may not have that artificial vivid color look, but to me, they are even more beautiful.
Here are some simple recipes to color your Easter eggs naturally. Do you color your eggs with natural ingredients? What do you use?
PINK~ Mix 1 cup strained juice from canned beets, 1/2 teaspoon vinegar and 3 cups water. Soak cooled eggs for about 1/2 hr, less or more to your desired color.
ORANGE~ In a pot, mix 1 cup yellow onion skin (about 2 onions' worth), packed loosely, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water. Boil mixture for 1/2 hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the onion skins, then add cooled eggs and soak them in the dye for 1/2 hour.
PURPLE~Mix 1 cup purple grape juice, 1/2 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water. Soak cooled eggs in the dye for 1/2 hour.
YELLOW~In a pot, mix 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water. Boil mixture for 1/2 hour, cool to room temperature, strain out stray turmeric grains, then add cooled eggs and soak them in
the dye for 1/2 hour.
LIGHT BLUE~In a pot, mix 1 cup red cabbage leaves, torn and loosely packed, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water. Boil mixture for 1/2 hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the cabbage leaves, then add cooled eggs and soak them in the dye for 1/2 hour.
http://www.feingoldmemberinfo.com/aprilpartyplus2014.html
This is such a great visual article about red 40, yellow 5 and 6, blue 1, etc. Click artificial colors to learn how they may be effecting you or your kids?
Did you know that Kellogg's and Kraft don't use artificial colors in their products in Great Britain?... that yellow 6 is banned in Norway and Sweden?.. that Red 40 can cause hyperactivity?
We have been a dye free family for several years now. I don't buy or offer anything to my kids without first reading the ingredient label. It's easier than it used to be but I can't assume anything is safe because companies can change manufacturers who may in turn use cheaper ingredients.
Arm yourself with information. Know what you and your kids are eating. You might be surprised by what's really in that breakfast cereal. You might wonder why your son or daughter has sleep problems, focus issues, keeps chewing on his collar...any of which could be due to a food color sensitivity.
Try an easy experiment. Remove artificial colors from your diet for a couple days and see if you notice a difference.
