When you've worked in the food industry for over twelve years, there's little you don't know. Or so I thought, until I read Robyn O'Brien's The Unhealthy Truth last year. Like you and me, Robyn was a mom of four kids, doing the best job she knew how.
Until her youngest had a terrible reaction to a humble egg. That day changed her life. She set out to better understand why this happened with a computer in her lap. She quickly realized that the more she uncovered, the more research there was to do. Our food industry is an interesting, confusing and often political web where corporations look out for themselves first, and customers, growers, and the environment last.
Unlike other books about the intricacies of our food system, The Unhealthy Truth offers practical, affordable and realistic solutions for families who want to improve the health of their children. She talks about the rise in food allergies, the benefits of buying organic, genetically modified soy, government-subsidized corn crops, and school lunches. Of most interest to me was her findings on artificial food colors.
Here's an excerpt from a recent interview:
But when I learned that Kraft, Coca Cola and Wal-Mart formulate their products differently for kids in other countries, so that the noodles, sodas and treats they put on grocery store shelves in places like the UK don’t contain artificial colors like yellow #5 because of the concern over its link to hyperactivity, I had to try to wean my kids off of those same synthetic ingredients.
She also shared some easy tips to help wean our children of artificial food dyes:
- Opt for white yogurt (instead of blue or pink) and let your kids color their own with colored sprinkles (it reduces the load of artificial colors, while preserving fun)
- Instead of the entire pack of yellow powder that comes with the box of mac and cheese, use half of the pack (and toss the rest), as again it reduces the load of chemicals without mutiny at the kitchen table (by kids who are accustomed to seeing fluorescent mac and cheese!)
- Instead of the multi-colored goldfish, switch to the pretzel version of goldfish as once again this goes a long way to reducing your child’s exposure to artificial colors.
- Instead of M&Ms, opt for a handful of chocolate chips (better yet, if you can get away with it, opt for raisins – or a mixture!) – no need to nix sweets, just the chemicals found in the artificial colors
- Instead of flavored conventional ice creams (like strawberry that can be loaded with artificial colors), offer vanilla ice cream and toppings (like chocolate chips)
- Instead of colored fruit punch, opt for juices free of artificial colors, like Kraft’s Capri Sun.
- Instead of bags of chips, colored and flavored with artificial orange, offer your kids pretzels or crackers to dip into things like ketchup, mustard or salad dressings.
I have a lot of respect for Robyn as a mother, and an activist trying to make the world a safer place for our kids. Her book opened the eyes of this food industry veteran to some new truths.
Want to read it? Make sure you're getting our updates because we're getting ready to announce the details on how you can win a free copy.
Our kids need to eat, whether we're prepared to feed them or not. Some days it would be great if meals just created themselves, but let's get real. At Feed Our Families we'll share new ideas, recipes and inspiration to help make meals happen in your home. 
Once again, we are linked Gina! I am working on a post (in my queue) on food dyes. I’ll link to this one for sure! Thanks
I know you took this information from her book, but I was excited to see that the colored Goldfish are now made with natural colors, not artificial dyes. My children were so excited to finally be able to get them. Now if only other companies would follow this path!
Thanks Michelle.
Adriana – I look forward to more manufacturers making the change also. They’ve proven they can do it in other countries, so we know they can!
Yes, most of the Goldfish products do not have artificial colors but I believe the Rainbow Fish still do – or at least the last time I checked.
Great post….so true, we think we know it all when there is always so much more to learn! Artificial food colors are so terrible and they are EVERYWHERE!
I’ll be intrigued to read her book, though I’ve got a backlog these days, so I’m not sure when. However, her incremental approach makes me a little uncomfortable. Use half a bag of the cheese mix? How about none of it. There are healthy, easy, and inexpensive alternatives to processed crap. I don’t know, it seems to me that if she’s really trying to make a change to the food system, continuing to support those who are upholding that system doesn’t seem like the wisest course.
Actually the rainbow Goldfish are naturally colored now. My husband brought a bag home and I nearly bit his head off till he quickly pointed out that they said “Now with natural colors!” on the bag. (Though they haven’t updated the pictures on their website, apparently.) I still prefer to buy Annie’s bunny crackers, but thought that was interesting that they’ve already made the switch. Hopefully the FDA hearings will inspire more companies to do the same.
And I’m with Melissa — some of those steps are a little too small, in my opinion. If your kids need mac ‘n cheese to be orange, make it with actual cheddar/butternut squash.
Thanks for letting us know that the Rainbow Goldfish are now artificial food dyes free. I’m sure that’s good news to many parents.
For some of us, these steps are huge leaps, and others might not have much food coloring at home to begin with. We’re all starting somewhere, and every improvement counts.
I really like your blog. I’m new to greening but as I try to green up I’ll checking back in here to your site as a resource. Thanks so much for sharing your info!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comment, Virginia. If I can be of any help, I’d love to! Feel free to pose questions for the group (and myself) at Feed Our Families on Facebook, or send me an email to ginarau(at)feedourfamilies(dot)com.
While I appreciate the effort put forth by this book, as a mom with a child who is very sensitive to food dyes, I feel like the suggestions don’t go far enough and in some cases are misinformed. As others have pointed out, none of the Goldfish products have any artificial dyes. Also, vanilla-flavored products (and many white products, such as marshmallows) are some of the worst food dye offenders. More often than not, chocolate is a better choice but you always have to read the label. Most yogurts are naturally colored, but again, you need to read the labels. Cheese, even so-called “natural” cheeses, have been a big stumbling block for us, so look out for those too. By eliminating ALL dyes, I have started to realize that many of the behaviors I attributed to my child just being a kid, or being in a “difficult” phase, or even my being a bad parent, were actually caused by the food dyes. I wonder how many more children like this are out there? The tricky part is that the effect, at least for us, last about 5 days, and is not only hyperactivity but also irritability, distractedness and aggressiveness. The worst days for behavior occurs on the 2nd and 3rd days after ingesting the dye, which makes it very difficult to detect if a child is eating these foods daily. I challenge any parent to go completely dye-free for 2 weeks, and see if your child is better behaved? IMO, it is the best thing I have ever done for my child.
Julie – Thanks so much for sharing! Your child’s symptoms are very similar to mine. His worst reaction was after clear energy water (like a Powerade) – it was clear, for goodness sake! Little did we know years ago that food dye was his issue, and that it hides in foods clear and white. As my son practically seizured in my arms, we thought we were on our way to the ER.
Boy, have we come a long way! I wish every parent would take the two week food dye elimination diet, but especially those with children who’ve been diagnosed with ADHD.
There’s too much science to ignore. Thanks again!
I’m glad I found your blog! Our latest stumbling blocks have been over-the-counter and prescription medication and shampoo. The medication is especially irritating. Not enough dye-free versions available, and honestly, what child needs a dose of this stuff when they are already feeling ill? After bringing up this issue with some of my friends, I am a firm believer that dyes affect all children to varying degrees. I am astounded every day about how much some people don’t believe that their health is directly affected by what they eat. Really, really??? How could it not be?
Julie – When you witness your child’s reaction to food dyes, you get it. And then it’s so easy to see the connection between what we put in our body and how we feel, behave, thing, etc. Of course!
Medications have been tough for us too. We’ve been able to find the dye free options until last summer when we were putting our first aid kit together for a camping trip. After last year’s recall, we couldn’t find the dye free products anywhere. Thankfully, our pediatrician informed us that my son could take the adult Tylenol (he was about 50+ lbs then). When we see the dye free stuff in the store for my younger daughter, we buy a few of them!
For personal care products like toothpaste & shampoo, we shop at Whole Foods where we know the products will be dye free. They’re expensive, but I know they’re safe.