Artificial food coloring is in everything. From baked goods to packaged products, artificial food coloring has made its way into everything in our food supply chain. What’s scary is that artificial food coloring causes serious health problems in adults and children. The regulations around artificial food color labeling on foods is also very weak, which makes it difficult for any of us to decipher what is natural/safe and what’s unnatural/detrimental to our health.
Artificial food coloring (or artificial food dyes) is prevalent in many things that we eat and drink. The synthetic or unnatural ingredients used in food coloring is often unsafe for both children and adults. These artificial food dyes have been linked directly to multiple forms of cancer in adults in addition to behavioural problems and hyperactivity disorder in children.
In addition, the typical consumer, like you and I, are not properly educated on the health risks associated with artificial food coloring. In most cases, the names of the artificial dyes are meaningless (like yellow 5 which is derived for the tar of coal and blue 2). In other cases, packaged and processed foods just list colors without telling the consumer whether they are artificial or natural (in most cases, they are artificial). Blue 1 and 2 dyes are linked to cancer in many new studies and Red 3 dye causes thyroid tumors in rats. As well, it’s been proven that Green 3 dye causes bladder cancer and Yellow 6 dye causes kidney and adrenal gland tumors. All of these artificial food dyes are typical in both children and adult processed/packaged foods.
Artificial food coloring is found in so many things including:
Concentrated fruit juice
Condiments/sauces
Candy
Cheese
Fast food
Baked goods like bread, muffins, cookies
Gelatin esserts
Soft drinks
Low nutrient foods
How to make Natural Food Coloring Safe for Ourselves
We’ve got great news! If you are looking to ‘color’ your food, there are many natural alternatives to artificial dyes and artificial food coloring. All of these natural food colors come from plant based fruits and vegetables, so they are completely healthy, nutritious and organic (if possible). The natural food colors are safe for both children and adults, and likely, will not alter the taste of your food or dish (unless you want it to). The safe and natural food colors can be mixed to create new colors and in most cases, should not cause any allergies. These food coloring alternatives can be easily prepared at home too!
Here are some of the natural food colors from organic vegetables and fruits that you can experiment with:
Natural YELLOW Food Coloring > turmeric powder, yellow carrots, lemon zest, saffron flowers, bee pollen
Natural ORANGE Food Coloring > orange carrots, orange zest, carrot juice, pumpkin, papaya, cumin powder
Natural RED Food Coloring > red beets, chilli powder, strawberries and pomegranate
Natural PINK Food Coloring > beetroot, pomegranate powder and raspberries
Natural PURPLE Food Coloring > red grapes, organic red wine, red cabbage, purple carrots, purple potatoes, acai berry powder
Natural GREEN Food Coloring > spinach juice, wheatgrass, kale, swiss chard leaves, lime zest
Natural BLUE Food Coloring > blueberries and blackberries
* Images from Food Matters. Thank you!
