STOP KILLING MY KIDS: The Side Effects of Tartrazine

Certain food additives are dangerous to our children, but who would have thought that the dyes used would be dangerous? I grew up using food coloring in frosting, decorating cookies and cakes…I don’t even know what else my mother used it on. So the fact that artificial coloring is so dangerous to our health was a surprise.

Of course the food coloring that we all grew up using isn’t the same thing as the artificial colors used in processed foods. Tartrazine, also known as FD&C Yellow #5 or E102, is one of these artificial coloring additives. This is one we don’t want to give to our kids, so avoid it like it’s the plague!

Tartrazine doesn’t even sound appetizing when you learn what it’s made from! As with most artificial colors, it is manufactured from coal tar; hmmmmm, yummy! BLECH!

I keep mentioning the fact that ADHD is not a disease, it’s merely caused by a poor diet loaded with all kinds of nasty, dangerous additives. I’ve told you how pesticides, MSG, BHA & BHT and refined sugar are all contributing to the fact that our children are hyperactive. Well, guess what? Now there’s another additive causing hyperactivity in our children: Tartrazine.

Sadly, this isn’t the only side effect that FD&C Yellow #5 has…it has also been linked to asthma, migraines, thyroid cancer, anxiety, clinical depression, blurred vision, purple spots on your skin and unexplainable itchy skin.

Do I really have to tell you WHY it’s used when the food industries are aware of its side effects? OK…I will…Tartrazine is still used because it’s cheap. Beta Carotene could be used to achieve the same color results as Tartrazine, but it’s more expensive. Bottom line: as with all other harmful food additives, the food industry continues to use this harmful artificial coloring because it is CHEAP.

Tartrazine is found in a LOT of products…cereals, desserts, snack foods, shampoos and even cosmetics can all contain this harmful colorant. All you have to do is check the labels before you buy!

While checking the labels of everything at the grocery store may seem like a pain in the ass, think about how much of a pain in the ass it would be if your child were to end up sick and in the hospital…or, if you have a child that has “diagnosed” with ADHD, think about how nice it would be to have a less hyperactive child