Last year, when we were in the throes of all kinds of behavioral problems with Rachel and were just about to start seeking medical help from a specialist, I started reading up on red dye 40 and how it affected many children with ADHD. Not only were there countless stories of those with ADHD displaying increased emotional reactions, anger and physical aggression (check, check and check) after ingesting red dye 40, but there were even parents who said that their non-ADHD children would display these kinds of behaviors after having something with the dye.
I had fought against modifying our diets because it seemed overwhelming to take that on when we were just struggling parentally some days to keep our heads above the water. But with story after story of people seeing the same behaviors in their children that we were seeing in Rachel, and seeing them dramatically improve after removing red dye 40 from their diets, I decided I needed to give it a try.
Red dye 40 hides in some sneaky places. It's in obvious things, like Jolly Ranchers and jelly beans and drink mixes like Kool Aid and Strawberry Quik. But it's also in things like some canned vanilla frostings (yes, vanilla), many chocolate cake mixes, some instant puddings, Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch Doritos, Flamin' Hot Cheetos and other places that might not be so obvious to someone looking to eliminate it. All M&Ms have red dye 40, too, and not just the red ones.
The change in her seemed somewhat gradual, but our behavioral pediatrician told us recently that chemical dyes can take up to 6 weeks to leave the body, so that is probably why it seemed to be a gradual improvement in her. We also started to have regular appointments with the behavioral pediatrician that helped us to understand how Rachel ticked and how we could be the best parents we could be, and we noticed improvements in our own behavior as well! Eventually, the doctor recommended that we put her on a low dosage of ADHD medication to enable her to have more self-control and improve her focus for school and at home, and that was another piece of the puzzle that together has helped Rachel to be so much more successful than she was capable of being before.
At first, it was a pain in the rear to have to start reading all the labels so carefully. And it was no picnic to have to tell Rachel that there were a number of things she couldn't have any more. She had to miss out on some treats at school, and I've provided things for holiday parties to make sure that there were items she could eat no matter what others brought. She would still have things with the dye in it when she was at school or at birthday parties, or sometimes at church, and I could instantly tell that she'd had it.
Just before Valentine's Day this year, I decided to go completely dye-free for the kids, and nearly completely for James and me. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that the removal of dyes benefits kids with ADHD and autism, and having one of each in the house makes this a step that seems quite logical. Now that I've been reading labels for the better part of a year, it's a lot less overwhelming to read them for other dyes, too, and not just red dye 40.
Valentine's Day ended up being rough. When she got home from school and found out she had to surrender most of the candy she'd received in the class Valentine exchange, it hit the fan. She was so upset, and it just kept getting worse and worse to the point that she had some consequences applied and still could not reign it in. It got so bad that it was obvious her behavior was no longer within her own control, and it definitely seemed like a red dye 40 response. But when I asked her what she ate at school, she said it was all healthy stuff. They had a Heart Healthy Breakfast instead of a sugar-themed party, and she had fruit and yogurt and a muffin. Seems harmless, right?
A week later, she showed me the wrapper from the GoGurt that she had ferreted away in her jacket pocket. I looked up the ingredients online, and that flavor? Had red dye 40 in it. In freaking yogurt. Because yogurt *must* be pink to taste good, right? All of a sudden, that afternoon and evening made much more sense to me.
Oh, and even though I've been reading labels for the past 11 months, I still screw up. I found out a few weeks ago that the Welch's White Grape Cherry Juice that I'd been giving Rachel every morning for several weeks with her medication had red dye 40 in it. So while the medication was trying to help even her out and focus better, the red dye was winding her up and making it hard for her to control herself and to concentrate on what she was doing. Poor girl! We're back on track now and are so relieved we figured out why her behavior issues seemed to be worsening again.
All that to say that I am a believer in the effects that chemical dyes can have on people, children in particular. The dyes are unnecessary, and I wish that companies would remove them from the products they sell in the U.S., just as they have done for those they sell in Europe. Rachel asked me tonight if she can write letters to some of the companies that make things she likes and can no longer have, asking them to start using natural colors in their products so that she can have them again. I told her absolutely and that we could make a list and start writing to them. They need to hear from consumers and understand that their choices for ingredients make a difference to people.
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