Food for Thought Friday

Ever read the labels of most of the snack foods and birthday treats your kids ingest on a weekly basis? I try to make a habit of buying things with ingredients I can pronounce, though I have little control over what the kids get at school, on playdates or at other extracurricular functions.

Hats off to the Los Angeles Unified School District food services division which recently banned sulfites, artificial red dye #40, and yellow dye #5. In case you are wondering, Yellow #5 is actually derived from coal tar. Yes, coal, as in the stuff mined in West Virginia that has been linked to all sorts of cancers. This particular food dye has been banned in other countries and numerous studies have linked it to hyperactivity. Yet, it and many others are still approved by the FDA. Go figure?

So, the next time you see those disgusting and ill-designed ads for Kool-Aid that show the kids with multi-colored tongues, perhaps you'll decide not to drink and dye. Your kids may gripe, but they may just thank you in the long run.