I know I am a nutrition nerd but I love reading nutritional labels. This week we are all going to focus on the nutritional label and scan the list of ingredients to make sure there are no artificial colors or dyes as we increase natural food colors in our diet. When I first became aware of the negative affects of dyes, I was surprised by how many foods contain them. It might be obvious that brightly colored candies and sodas have artificial colors but they are also found in mac and cheese, pickles, pizza crust, nutritional bars, medication, oatmeal, yogurt and cereal; just to name a few. Artificial dyes do not have any health benefits and are in fact hazardous to your health causing cancer, obesity and ADHD in children. The only purpose for artificial colors is to trick us into eating and buying more food because it overrides our natural instincts. People are not only eating more processed foods but they are choosing them over natural whole foods. Starting on April 13th, I challenge you to enjoy a variety of naturally colorful food while reaping many health benefits and avoid artificial and natural dyes.
Before this challenge starts, take inventory of your food and bring awareness to the different colors you consume. Explore the ingredients list to make sure there are no artificial dyes or colors. During this challenge, you'll begin to notice how much artificial dyes are in processed foods. These dyes are made in a lab with the same petroleum-based chemicals we use to fuel our vehicles and should not be in foods we use to fuel ourselves. It is not a new discovery that artificial dyes have been linked to ADHD in children, researchers have known this since the 70's. They have also known that these chemicals are a carcinogen (causes cancer) since the 80's. Yet, they are showing up more and more in processed foods, every day in the US.
Other Countries have banned foods with artificial colors, yet companies such as Pepsi, Coke, Kraft and Mars Industries (maker of M&M's) still sell their products to these countries. How is that possible? They have a different recipe using natural food coloring such as beet juice and beta carotene when exporting. A package of M&Ms in the US is a lot brighter than a package of M&Ms in the UK. I am trying not to get too political but feel that it is important to show you how dangerous these chemicals are. Not only that but supply and demand can control how our foods are prepared. By voting with our forks, we are not only making healthy choices for ourselves but we are building a better future for generations to come.
A tip I used to tell people was to shop the perimeter of the grocery store because wholesome foods are found there but foods with artificial dyes are slowly finding their way there too. You'll still need to look at the ingredients list when shopping the perimeter. However, if you buy foods without a list of ingredients such as bulk foods (nuts, beans, and grains), vegetables, and fruit, you will save time, increase your daily colors and consume natural wholesome foods.
There are no health benefits when it comes to artificial colors but there are a ton of health benefits when it comes to natural colors. Here is a list of a few from an article titled "Eat Colors Not Calories" written by Courtney Carver.
Simple Color Nutritional Chart
Red for Lycopene, a cancer fighter
White/Green for antioxident flavinoids and Allicin, which has anti-tumor properties.
Yellow/Orange for vitamin C to support the immune system and Carotene for heart and vision health.
Blue/Purple for antioxidants to help protect cells from free radicals within the body. Antioxidants also helps to fight off aging, improves memory function, and can reduce the risks of some cancers.
Green for cancer-fighting chemicals that can block carcinogens and promotes stronger bones and teeth.
How to get more colors into your diet:
Make Smoothies (If you make a "green" smoothie, you can count the colors of each ingredient!!)
Make Soups and salads (another great way to get a lot of colors in one meal)
Add fruit and nuts to your cereals/oatmeal
Add berries to your pancakes
Add vegetables to sandwiches
Add vegetables to pasta dishes
Add fruits or veggies to your favorite recipes!
Scramble your eggs or tofu with fresh veggies
So continue to drink water, not sit for prolong periods of time, get a good night's sleep and have fun enjoying colorful foods while watching out for the impostors! Share recipes and the number of colors you consume each day.
Before this challenge starts, take inventory of your food and bring awareness to the different colors you consume. Explore the ingredients list to make sure there are no artificial dyes or colors. During this challenge, you'll begin to notice how much artificial dyes are in processed foods. These dyes are made in a lab with the same petroleum-based chemicals we use to fuel our vehicles and should not be in foods we use to fuel ourselves. It is not a new discovery that artificial dyes have been linked to ADHD in children, researchers have known this since the 70's. They have also known that these chemicals are a carcinogen (causes cancer) since the 80's. Yet, they are showing up more and more in processed foods, every day in the US.
Other Countries have banned foods with artificial colors, yet companies such as Pepsi, Coke, Kraft and Mars Industries (maker of M&M's) still sell their products to these countries. How is that possible? They have a different recipe using natural food coloring such as beet juice and beta carotene when exporting. A package of M&Ms in the US is a lot brighter than a package of M&Ms in the UK. I am trying not to get too political but feel that it is important to show you how dangerous these chemicals are. Not only that but supply and demand can control how our foods are prepared. By voting with our forks, we are not only making healthy choices for ourselves but we are building a better future for generations to come.
A tip I used to tell people was to shop the perimeter of the grocery store because wholesome foods are found there but foods with artificial dyes are slowly finding their way there too. You'll still need to look at the ingredients list when shopping the perimeter. However, if you buy foods without a list of ingredients such as bulk foods (nuts, beans, and grains), vegetables, and fruit, you will save time, increase your daily colors and consume natural wholesome foods.
There are no health benefits when it comes to artificial colors but there are a ton of health benefits when it comes to natural colors. Here is a list of a few from an article titled "Eat Colors Not Calories" written by Courtney Carver.
Simple Color Nutritional Chart
Red for Lycopene, a cancer fighter
White/Green for antioxident flavinoids and Allicin, which has anti-tumor properties.
Yellow/Orange for vitamin C to support the immune system and Carotene for heart and vision health.
Blue/Purple for antioxidants to help protect cells from free radicals within the body. Antioxidants also helps to fight off aging, improves memory function, and can reduce the risks of some cancers.
Green for cancer-fighting chemicals that can block carcinogens and promotes stronger bones and teeth.
How to get more colors into your diet:
Make Smoothies (If you make a "green" smoothie, you can count the colors of each ingredient!!)
Make Soups and salads (another great way to get a lot of colors in one meal)
Add fruit and nuts to your cereals/oatmeal
Add berries to your pancakes
Add vegetables to sandwiches
Add vegetables to pasta dishes
Add fruits or veggies to your favorite recipes!
Scramble your eggs or tofu with fresh veggies
So continue to drink water, not sit for prolong periods of time, get a good night's sleep and have fun enjoying colorful foods while watching out for the impostors! Share recipes and the number of colors you consume each day.