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To Dye For or Not to Dye For... That is the Question.

ryannshopeapotheca

With Halloween right around the corner and in the wake of Kelloggs' complete disregard for the American people's plea (over 417,000 signatures, the largest petition of its kind) to have  artificial dyes removed from their products , I couldn't think of a better time to go over some of the hype about these dyes.  Canada, Australia and the UK  have already banned over 1000 harmful chemicals from consumer products, including the dyes we’re discussing. So why is it so difficult for Kelloggs to give us what we're asking for here in the US, food free of dyes? It's quite simple: greed. It's cheaper and easier to make  cereal without using real food ingredients. And it's not just Kelloggs trying to kill us and keep us sick. These dyes are in our drinks, candies, baked goods and even medications.



Is it worth dying over?
To Dye for or Not to Dye for?

Do you want to feed something to your kids that an ex-FDA whistleblower spoke out against for causing cancer, calling it the worst cereal in the US? Would you want to eat it yourself? Me either. Yet millions do every day because they thought they could trust that there were SOME standards to uphold in this country. Alas, it seems there are not many. Beyond the harmful additives such as BHT (known to cause cancer and disrupt hormones) and natural and artificial flavors (catch-all terms for other inedible substances in their "proprietary blends"), lay these synthetic dyes made from petroleum. I don't think I need to touch much on why ingesting any kind of petroleum isn't healthy. But I will say this, if it is ingested in any other context, you're instructed to call 911. Yet, as long as it's sold in our food, especially marketed to our children, it's totally acceptable. If you make a habit of regularly ingesting something known to cause cancer, cause neurological symptoms (which can look an awful lot like ADD and ADHD) and acute toxicity, you can't expect a great outcome. The only uncertainty would really be just how long can your body, or your sweet little angel baby's body, fight to maintain homeostasis? Our bodies are incredible machines that fight like hell to maintain stability. And given the right tools, has the ability to heal itself from even the big C (cancer). (Check out my testimony HERE for a more personal account of how amazing the human body is when given what it needs [what a concept, right?] and how just learning a little bit about reading labels and what you're putting in your body can change your life.)


Now enter the all-stars of this discussion. Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3. Three of them contain a chemical called benzidine that is a known animal and human carcinogen. On top of that, they've been known to significantly disrupt the gut microbiome, disrupt hormones and have serious neurobehavioral impacts such as hyperactivity and inattention. With the rise of ADHD/ADD, this is an absolute recipe for disaster when it comes to how doctors choose to treat the people in their practice that present with hyperactivity and inattention. It really could be as simple as removing artificial dyes from their diet. And why wouldn't your doctor just tell you this? Because not one of them is required to take a single class on nutrition when obtaining their doctorate degree. They have no idea how to treat the body as a whole. This is part of the reason holistic medicine is shunned, it considers the body as a whole. They have no idea how much of an impact what these chemicals have on your entire system. These artificial dyes wreak havoc on your body, all in the name of vibrant foods, drinks and medications. Our poor children are fighting for their lives to have just a modicum of self control. I've witnessed it with my youngest child. He used to punch himself in the head, scream and destroy everything around him. He was out of control and violent. It saddens me to say this, but I was actually a little bit scared of my own flesh and blood. He would cry to me about how he didn't want to act that way and he didn't know why he did it. For hours his fits would last. It broke my heart to see him struggling so much. I even contemplated outside intervention. We learned about artificial dyes and immediately cut them out. We saw a TREMENDOUS difference. We had an entirely different child. And to this day, if he ever gets ahold of something with these dyes in them, no joke, you can almost count down the time till he implodes. This stuff is absolutely devastating to our nervous systems and our bodies in general.


Please do yourself and your kids a huge health favor, make reading the labels on what you eat a priority. Does it take a few extra seconds? Yes, but it could save you or your child from a lifetime of misery and ADHD/ADD medications when it was as simple as being a little bit more mindful next time you go shopping and especially when you pick up this year's Halloween candy. There are so many great companies that make a lot of dupes for the candies we love, such as Yum Earth, Unreal and Justin’s. Same goes for the food and drinks you frequently buy. Give these dupes a try and see if you can really say you notice a huge difference. I bet you won't. Which makes this discussion even more pointless when they could just get rid the artificial dyes altogether like they have in other modern countries around the world.


Keep an eye out for the "To Dye For: The Documentary", by Brandon and Whitney Cawood, coming soon!


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