Why Is My Food Yellow?

Have you ever noticed that the food you made for dinner smells and looks amazing?  I started to ask myself "why is my food yellow?"  I knew from growing up that artificial red and yellow dyes were unhealthy for children with epilepsy. Then when my grandson was diagnosed with epilepsy, I paid a lot more attention.

Did you know that red and yellow dyes have been linked to an increases in hyperactivity? Even 30 years ago my doctor knew of a link between red and yellow dyes and epilepsy.

I will not aim my rant at specific companies because they know who they are and why they do it. But what we as parents and grandparents need to do is provide a little education to our children. The juice they drink does not need to be red, green, blue, purple, or orange. The noodles on the table do not need to be so bright that they appear to glow in the dark.The cheese they eat does not need to be dyed to make it more appealing.

I spent the last couple of years looking at labels on the food that I buy. Nearly every major product on the market has some form of color added to make the product more visually appealing to the consumer. That really bothers me when I have a family member with neurological issues that are exacerbated by artificial red and yellow dyes.

Then I learned that Europe banned the use of artificial colors I was thrilled. So why are major US based companies removing dye for products sold in Europe but not in the USA? Isn't it cheaper to produce all of your products the same way? Does it make you more money to add colors to my children's food? Does Europe know something that the USA is ignoring or avoiding?


I have found a few companies out there that have started to change their dyes to natural forms and I am very grateful for those few companies. In fact, I wish there were more of them! The hard part is making the food that is sold in the USA as safe and natural as possible.

No one is dying my asparagus, my lettuce, or my green beans, so keep the dye out of my pasta, cookies, and cheese. Until some of these large companies get a clue, I will only but natural products and naturally dyed products for my table......end of rant