It’s easy to feel at a loss when your child is continually having meltdowns, especially if you’ve tried EVERYTHING! Maybe you’ve tried therapy, meeting sensory needs, medication, behavior plans…the list never seems to end. It can feel so overwhelming!

I’ve been there and I’m excited to share with you one key aspect that made a HUGE change in my children’s behavior… reducing artificial food dyes! I have seen a sharp decrease in hyperactivity, tantrums, and meltdowns since we identified the problem. It all started with thinking about holistic nutrition.

In this blog post, I’m sharing how I removed artificial dyes to reduce hyperactivity and meltdowns. I’ll be covering:

How I discovered the impact of artificial dyes
What are artificial food dyes
How do artificial food dyes affect children’s behavior
How to remove these hidden toxic ingredients
What alternatives are there to artificial food dyes

So, if you’re ready to try a holistic method to reducing meltdown, emotional outburst, and anger, then you’re in the right place! I hope you will have the same quick success as my family!

How are artificial food dyes affecting your child?

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1.How I Discovered the Impact of Artificial Dyes

Several years ago, artificial dyes never crossed my mind. I often checked nutrition labels for sugar, however. I was concerned with limiting the amount of sugar my children had, as they always seemed to be more hyperactive and emotional after consuming it. Consequently, I thought sugar was the problem.

One day I sent my children to school as they were recovering from a cold. I gave both of them children’s Sudafed that morning. Several hours later I recieved two emails, both form the boys teachers. They both stated about the same thing - noting my children were uncontrollable and emotional. I thought it was simply the Sudafed, and never gave that to them again. Over the next several months I also noticed increased meldowns and emotional outburts each time they ate school food. I knew there had to be a correlation there, but couldn’t access the school food ingredients to identify the culprit.

Fast forward several months later and through a web search I stumbled upon the idea that artificial dyes could affect children’s behavior and mood. Low and behold… the Sudafed I had given my children had Red-40. I scoured the medicine cabinet, and nearly EVERY children’s medication included RED-40 to give it a red, pink, or purple hue. I was shocked! I quickly threw out every Red-40 product and told my children we were going to try “an experiment”.

We avoided all Red-40 foods, and within a week my children were not having huge meltdowns anymore…all because one 1 ingredient!

2.What are Artificial Dyes

Each artificial dye can affect the body a bit differently, AND each person reacts uniquely. Some are not affected at all, while others are extremely sensitive. This is why thinking holistically is so important, because a persons’ mind and body works together based on the nutrition we provide it. It’s important to note that most other countries outside the United States have banned artificial dyes. So why are they still readily used in the US?

Red 40 & Yellow 5: Synthetic food dyes made from petroleum or coal tar. Interestingly, coal tar is considered toxic and potentially carcinogenic. Yet, the US FDA considers Red-40 safe.
Yellow 6: A synthetic food dye produced through numerous chemical reactions from a petroleum base. It’s interesting to note that pure petroleum contains compounds such as benzene, toluene, xylene which that are all toxic. Do the chemical reaction completely eliminate these health risks? Hmmm…
Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3: These are not used as frequently, but again they are petroleum based.

Artificial dyes are found in many foods marketed to children, such as:
Fruit snacks, snack foods like Doritos or Cheetos, mac and cheese, M&Ms, cereals like Foot Loops, licorice, gummy bears, lollipops, jelly beans, popcorn, fruit juices, sports drinks, soda, sherbet, ice pops, frosting, Jell-O, pudding cups, canned fruit, breakfast bars, and gum.

3.How do artificial food dyes affect children’s behavior

From personal experience I have seen the emotional and behavioral affects of Red 40 and Yellow 6 on my kids. The other dyes don’t affect them as significantly. However, each child is different. So if you don’t see a change in your child’s behavior, try removing another dye as well.

Red 40: Red 40 can result in hyperactivity as well as behavioral and mood disturbances. This may look like irritability, frequent emotional outbursts, or restlessness. The possible mechanism for this may involve how Red 40 affect neurtransmitters, which affect our mood.
Yellow 6: Yellow 6 has been found to increase hyperactivity and reduce the ability to focus. This can look like a child who cannot stay still and is constantly running about. Or they may have difficulty containing impulses to remain quiet when needing to do so.
Blue 1: Blue 1 is also known to affect hyperactivity, particularly in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Red 3: Red 3 is another dye known to increase hyperactivity and affect children’s behavior. There has also been research linking it to causing tumors and respiratory issues.
Blue 2 & Green 3: Are used less often and do not have as many research studies, but they may also affect behavior and mood.

4.How to remove these hidden toxic ingredients

It’s important to note that all behavior is communication. If your child is constantly melting down there is something going on. The hard part is determien if it’s something external affecting them, such as their diet or something internal such as the way their brain is wired. All that to say, if your child is having meltodowns or emotional outbursts due to trauma or other underlying issues this may not have as big of an impact as you desire. However, removing dyes will ultimately affect your long-term health, so it’s worth trying to reduce or eliminate them if possible.

As a reminder, these toxic food dyes are often found in common children’s foods like mac and cheese, cereals, and popcorn.

If taking dyes out of your diet sounds overwhelming, try starting with just one at a time. I suggest taking out all Red 40 first as this dye is most connected to emotional outbursts, anger, and meltdowns. Yellow 6 is often a culprit of hyperactivity. So if that’s your main concern, consider cutting out Yellow 6 first.
If age appropriate, tell your child you’re going to try an experiment for 1 or 2 weeks. Explain to them about food dyes and how they can make us food upset or hyper easily. You won’t be eating them for one week and you’ll see how you feel after that time. You may notice withdrawal symptoms at first. Stick with it and then note how/if behavior and mood start to improve.
Go through your cabinets and if feasible throw out any food containing the dye you won’t be eating. If it’s not in the house it won’t be accidentally eaten.
Read the nutrition label BEFORE you buy an item. Sometimes dyes are hidden amongst dozens of ingredients. You will usually find them toward the end of the list. The less “triggering” food you have in the house the easier it’ll be to not eat these dyes.
Note how your child acts, reacts, and behaves during this time. If their mood and bahvior improve there’s a good chance artificial food dyes have been the culprit to your “behavior challenges”.

Look for foods that use natural dyes such as beta-carotene, annato, paprika, beet juice, tumeric, spirulina, purple sweet potatoes, or black carrots. Notice how all of these are actual foods and herbs. ;)

5.What alternatives are there to artificial food dyes

Changing a child’s diet can be difficult, as they’re not typically adventurous when it comes to food. Consequently, I’ve found it helpful to find alternatives to my kids favorites. As mentioned above, look for natural dyes such as Look for foods that use natural dyes such as beta-carotene, annato, paprika, beet juice, tumeric, spirulina, purple sweet potatoes, or black carrots.

Here are some of our favorite alternatives:

Entrees:

Cereals

Sweets:

Snacks:

Instead of Cheetos, try Annie’s Organic Cheddar Cheesy Smiles (https://thrivemarket.com/p/annies-organic-cheddar-cheesy-puffs)
Graham crackers, “Cheez-its”, and goldfish alternatives , Annie's Organic Variety Pack
Annie’s Snack Mix (like Chex)

Medicine:

Do you know that you can make the switch to a specific dietary need quickly by using Thrive Market for yuor grocery needs? You can search for dairy-free, gluten-free and EVEN dye-free foods all with the click of a button! Check it out: https://thrivemarket.com/

Once I discovered that artificial dyes in my kids’ food as causing a lot of my kids’ emotional outbursts and hyperactivity, taking them out of their diet was a no brainer. It has made our home more peaceful, school easier, and my mama heart glad.

It gave me hope for the future, and I wish the same for you!!!

Holistic Healing for Kids: How Removing Dyes Can Improve Behavior