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Beware of the Colorful Halloween Candy!
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Food colorings can look attractive but are too dangerous for our diets.
Ask any adult what the best part of Halloween is and most will say seeing all of the little ones dressed up in their adorable or scary costumes. However, ask any child what the best part of Halloween is and hands down they will most likely tell you it's the candy. Admittedly, the candy is still appealing even as an adult, especially the colorful pieces. It is the colorful pieces though that just might be the cause for not only hyperactivity in children but cancer as well.
If you are a parent or have ever been around kids at a party or festival, you are most likely familiar with the hyperactivity, or "sugar high", kids develop after eating too much candy. The hyperactivity is not just from the sugar, but more likely caused from the artificial dyes used to make these candies.
Current clinical studies are linking artificial colorings to tumors of the brain, adrenal gland, and kidneys. Additionally, current studies indicate a possible link between chemical food additives and colorings and ADD, ADHD, and Autism. The most common and widely used artificial colorings are:
- Blue number 1 and Blue number 2
- Red number 40
- Yellow number 5 and Yellow number 6
Many of these artificial colorings can be found in bakery items, gelatin desserts, some fruit boxes, candy, and sodas. Usually the presence of colorings signals the absence of real fruit or other natural ingredients, therefore revealing the product's little nutritional value.
Ok, so most of us know candy does not have any nutritional value. Now, we can be enlightened to the fact that candy, along with many other foods colored with artificial flavorings, can cause cancer. So, help your children choose healthier desserts such as organic chocolate, popcorn, and pumpkin seeds in moderation this Halloween and know you are helping them live a longer and healthier life!
For a more detailed list of dangerous food additives and artificial colorings, please visit the
Center for Science in the Public Interest website at www.cpsinet.org.
While it is unlikely you or your child will develop cancer just from eating some Halloween candy, it is important to stop and think about how many other foods you eat that do have these artificial colorings in them. You might think its just in the candy, however when you start to add up the juice boxes, yogurts, gelatin desserts, sodas, and bakery items etc that you eat in a weeks time, you might just be shocked to learn how much all of that can add up to scary and dangerous amounts of the artificial colorings.
By all means, enjoy the adorable or scary Halloween costumes this year and when you are sorting through your child's loot bag, consider tossing out the colorful treats. Buy some scrumptious chocolate and tempt your child to "trade up" his/her colorful candy for a "special treat". With a little creativity and determination, you can change the traditional dessert into a healthier alternative!
And remember, Wellness is Where it's At!!
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