Getting Through Halloween - Making it Teal

Launched as a national campaign by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) in 2014, the Teal Pumpkin Project™ raises awareness of food allergies and promotes inclusion of all trick-or-treaters throughout the Halloween season. Teal is the color of food allergy awareness and has been used to raise awareness about this serious medical condition for nearly 20 years. Food allergies are a life-altering and potentially life-threatening disease, and a growing public health issue. In the U.S., one in 13 children has a food allergy – that’s roughly two in every classroom. For these children, even a tiny amount of their allergen has the potential to cause a severe reaction.  

Join me! I’ve pledged to support FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project to create a safer, happier Halloween by offering non-food treats as well for trick-or-treaters.   tealpumpkinproject.org 

Halloween can also be a nightmare if you or your kids have ADD/ADHD tendancies and have an intolerance to artificial colors like red 40, yellow 5/6, blue 1, artificial flavor, vanillin, or preservatives like BHT or TBHQ. These chemicals are found in many candies and gum. Try a trade in policy with your kids. I've heard it called the "switch witch".   After trick or treating help your kids go through their candy and have them trade in all the yucky chemical candy for approved candies without the chemicals, stickers, a special toy or game, maybe even a little money! In my area there are schools and dentists who will take donated candy and arrange to send it to the Troops.  Do you have a trade in policy?

We follow the Feingold Diet removing all artificial colors, artificial flavors, vanillin, and preservatives.  Check the label on your next candy bar, m&m, skittles, etc and you will see these treats are made up of dangerous chemicals. Click here to read my post about the Feingold elimination diet and symptoms commonly helped.  

Last year, households from 50 states and 7 countries participated in the Teal Pumpkin Project™.  Raise awareness by becoming part of the teal pumpkin project. We did this last year for the launch and it was very well received. Tons of parents of the little trick or treaters asked about it and some even asked questions about how we started out with Feingold. Everyone liked seeing the options of treats and non food treats.  I purchased a can of teal spray paint at Home Depot and wola!  Such a beautiful color!

As you trick or treat this year, take notice. For more information about the Teal Pumpkin Project, click here. Take the pledge to join the 100,000 households who are raising awareness for a safer, happier Halloween experience for all those who struggle with serious food allergies and side effects and interactions from unsafe chemical additives found in most US candy.

Dye Free Easter Eggs - Yes!

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

Mars Inc. Ditch the Red 40 Petition Alert

Change.org petition.
www.change.org/MMsDyes

My children have an intolerance to chemical additives including artificial colors, red 40, yellow 5/6, blue 1, artificial flavor, vanillin, BHT, BPA and TBHQ.  I do not buy products containing these additives.

Several years ago it all started with an itchy tongue.  We were also having problems with focus in school, impulsivity, behavior, self esteem in my then 5 year old.  My other kids had problems falling asleep, staying asleep, night terrors, gait problems, migraines.  I started researching and thankfully learned about an elimination diet called the Feingold diet.  We have not looked back. Today my kids are honor roll students and involved in many extra curricular activities.  They demonstrate self control, and have confidence in their abilities.

There is a petition on change.org that is asking Mars Inc., makers of M&M's, to replace artificial dyes with natural coloring.  They already do this in Europe. Why is the US so far behind?  More signatures are needed.  Please sign and share with your groups and blogs.  Together, we can make a difference.
www.change.org/MMsDyes

Fooducate : Do you know your ingredient list?

As I continue to learn and grow I come upon things that make me pause.  We avoid harmful additives as much as we can, my kids have a direct reaction to foods and products that contain artificial colors like red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1.  We avoid artificial flavors, especially vanillin,  high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and preservatives like sodium benzoate, TBHQ, BHT, and BPA.  We also cut foods that contain high levels of salycilates.  Salycilates are chemicals that are found naturally in some plants.  Strawberries, grapes, and cherries are just a few fruits that are high in salycilates.  Tomato, peppers, and water chestnuts are some of the vegetables that are high in salycilates.  I've recently cut foods that are GMO.

Many children with ADHD/ADD react poorly to food that contain any of the above.  

To learn what's in your food while you are at the grocery store check out fooducate.  Fooducate is available in the ap store.  They also have a blog here.. http://blog.fooducate.com/  

And, remember to always check labels.  Just because it says "100% juice" does not mean it actually is "100 juice".

Food Dyes like Red 40, ADHD and More

Could it be possible?  If you are wondering if your child's anger outbursts, temper tantrums, impulsiveness or aggression could be linked to what he eats, keep reading.  If you child has been diagnosed with ADHD or has tendencies you may want to look at what they are eating both at home and school lunch.


If you live in America and eat or serve your kids "snacks" it is most likely you are being subjected to artificial food dyes.  If you are drinking enhanced or flavored water, it is likely you are being subjected to artificial food dyes.   If you are eating soft serve ice cream or going to fast food restaurants...well dyes are in many of those foods too.

What are artificial food dyes?  Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1 are the top 4 in the US.  These are additives the FDA does not restrict from our nations food supply.  Those pretty colors that make the "fruit punch" red, the gelatin green and the oatmeal blue are made from petroleum (crude oil) which is also the source for gasoline.

You will find them on the ingredient labels, listed as "Yellow No. 5," "Red 40," "Blue #1," etc. The label may say "FD&C" before the number. That means "Food, Drug & Cosmetics." When you see a number listed as "D&C" in a product, such as "D&C Red #33" it means that this coloring is considered safe for medicine (drugs) and cosmetics, but not for food.

Kids today eat differently than their parents and grandparents.  30 years ago a lollipop was a special treat for sitting during a haircut.  A trip to a fast food restaurant was an occasion.  Today, kids are bombarded by food with artificial colors.  Take a look in your pantry and fridge this week.  I bet you'll find some red 40, blue 1, yellow 5 and 6 lurking in there.

If your child has ADHD or tendencies like hyperactivity, aggression, rage, self esteem issues, impulsiveness, take a look at what they are eating.  Try an experiment and remove these artificial dyes for a week or 2.  You may be re-introduced to a brand new kid!

Cereal Bar Comparison

The news that the Food and Drug Administration, in response to CSPI’s 2008 petition will convene an advisory committee meeting to discuss the link between food dyes and children’s behavior is welcome and overdue. Yellow 5, Red 40, and other commonly used food dyes have long been shown in numerous clinical studies to impair children’s behavior. But for years, FDA—which actually commissioned one of the first controlled studies—dismissed the mounting evidence against the dyes.  Fast forward ahead to 2011 and the FDA finally held their hearing.  In a close vote of 4 to 3, warning labels were shot down but there is agreement that more research needs to be done.

I love visuals.  This is one of the first visuals I saw when I started to research artificial colors like Red 40 and how they can effect you. 
You see two packages for Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain cereal bars. One is made here for us. The other is made in the UK for Europeans. Both use food coloring.  In the UK, the coloring is achieved using beet root. But in the US, the coloring is Red No. 40, a dye that has been associated with hyperactivity, and some types of cancer.
Why not use the beet root? The answer is that Kellogg’s probably saves half a penny on each bar using an artificial dye rather than using a natural one.
So why does Kellogg’s use the beets in Europe? Because in Europe the regulator has required WARNING LABELS on products with Red 40. Just like cigarettes. Kellogg’s did the bottom line calculation and decided the loss in sales would cause much more damage than the savings on the food dye.

C'mon US.  Why are we so behind on this issue?

Here is the U.S. ingredient list:

Filling (High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Strawberry Puree Concentrate, Glycerin, Sugar, Water, Sodium Alginate, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Methylcellulose, Caramel Color, Malic Acid, Red No. 40), Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Whole Wheat Flour, Sunflower and/or Soybean Oil with TBHQ for Freshness, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Contains Two Percent or Less of Honey, Dextrose, Calcium Carbonate, Soluble Corn Fiber, Nonfat Dry Milk, Wheat Bran, Salt, Cellulose, Potassium Bicarbonate (Leavening), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Mono- and Diglycerides, Propylene Glycol Esters of Fatty Acids, Soy Lecithin, Wheat Gluten, Niacinamide, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Carrageenan, Zinc Oxide, Reduced Iron, Guar Gum, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid.