Food Dyes and ADHD

by Michael Greger M.D.  
There are currently thousands of additives in our food supply. Some are good—like supplementing foods with vitamin B12, for example (See Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health). Other additives involve weighing the risks and benefits. Take nitrites in processed meats. Yes, they may increase our risk of cancer but, as preservatives, they decrease our risk of dying from botulism (See When Nitrates Go Bad and Bacon and Botulism). Then there are additives used for purely cosmetic purposes, like food dyes, used to provide color to colorless and “fun” foods. According to the FDA, “Without color additives, colas wouldn’t be brown, margarine wouldn’t be yellow and mint ice cream wouldn’t be green.” Heavens forbid! Color additives are now recognized as an important part of practically all processed foods we eat.

Because we’re eating a lot more processed foods, we’re now getting five times more food dyes in our daily diet than we were 50 years ago. Fifteen million pounds of food dyes are used every year in foods, drugs, and cosmetics in the United States.

I always wondered why they called them, for example, Blue #1 instead of their actual chemical name in the list of ingredients. Then, after reading this report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, I realized why. Picture a box of Kraft mac and cheese. It has Yellow #5. Would people be as likely to buy this product if instead of Yellow #5 it listed Trisodium 1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-(4-sulfonatophenylazo)-5-(pyrazolone-3-carboxylate) on the label?

The list of food dyes used to be longer (See Artificial Food Colors and ADHD), but different dyes kept getting banned—including Violet #1, which, ironically, was the color used in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s meat inspection stamp, so they may have been actually further cancer-ing up the meat.
Years ago I featured a landmark study in my video Are Artificial Colors Bad for You?, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge in perhaps the most prestigious medical journal in the world. It showed that artificial colors increased “inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity among young children.” So what happened? Well, the British government said, OK, there’re no health benefits to these dyes, only health risks, so it’s a no-brainer. They mandated that food manufacturers remove most of the artificial food colors from products. In fact, the whole European Union said that if manufacturers want to keep using the dyes, then they have to put a warning label stating: “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” Many international food companies have taken them out of their products in Europe, but continue to use them in the same products here in the U.S. where similar regulations are not currently in place. Why did the U.S. government take steps to get rid of them as well?

The FDA put together a committee that looked at the landmark study and conceded that the food additives may have resulted in changes in behavior, but the “type of treatment effects reported in the study, even though the investigators referred to increases in levels of ‘hyperactivity,’ were not the disruptive excessive hyperactivity behaviors of ADHD but more likely the type of over-activity exhibited occasionally by the general population of preschool and school age children.” A distinguished toxicologist basically responded, “look, low level lead exposure may only shave off a few IQ points off of kids, but just because they’d still fall within a normal range, doesn’t mean it’s OK to expose it to our kids.” And looking back now, the lead in leaded gas may have been causing brain cancer and possibly even urban violence—the aggravated assault rate in cities around the U.S. seemed to closely follow the lead levels in the air.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest continues to call on the FDA to ban food dyes and for food companies to voluntarily stop using them. Good luck with that. In the meantime, some researchers recently suggested a way to see which food colors may be damaging our child’s brain, advising parents to test artificial colors by purchasing little bottles of food dyes at the grocery store. Then have their kid do some homework or something and then have them chug down an artificial color and see if it affects their handwriting/reading/math at 30 minutes, at 90 minutes, and 3 hours. They also see if they get irritable later, have problems sleeping, and so on. If that’s OK, they say you should try even more to see if more will mess with their mind. If I may offer an alternate suggestion, maybe we shouldn’t buy our kids processed junk in the first place.

This whole saga reminds me of the artificial flavor in my video Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing. It’s amazing what the food industry is able to get away with. There’s even sometimes Artificial Coloring in Fish.

There is a campaign to get Kraft to remove yellow #5 from their mac & cheese, but even if the stuff didn’t glow in the dark it’s still just a blob of sodium (750 mg), saturated fat (4.5 g), and trans fat (2.8 g). The food movement might better spend its time encouraging healthier fare altogether.
How can we get our kids to eat less processed junk? I review some practical tips in my videos Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at School and Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home.
-Michael Greger, M.D.

PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my free videos here and watch my live year-in-review presentations Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death and More Than an Apple a Day.

Image Credit: Asif Ali / Flickr

Garden update 6/18/14

 6/18/14 - Today's harvest - Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard, Red Russian kale, and a variety of lettuce

  6/18/14 - One of my favorite lettuces - so sweet, light and melts in your mouth!

  6/18/14 - Red Russian kale

 6/18/14 - Giant Fordhook Swiss Chard

9 Qualities Of People Who Are Great At Relationships

 

By Caroline Zwick 
Ever wonder how some people have amazing relationships without even really having to work for them? Well, there's more to it than just magic. In fact, it has very little to do with what they DO and much with who they let themselves BE. 

Here are 9 qualities of people who tend to have amazing relationships. The good news is that with some knowledge and effort, you can develop these traits and have a beautiful, effortless romance: 

1. They don’t let their past define them.
As long as you're worried that you could replicate your parents’ failed relationship OR never live up to your parents' perfect relationship, you won’t be free to create your own amazing bond. Regardless of what fear you have, work to release it. Start by acknowledging that it's there, and then reminding yourself that you're not doomed to any particular fate. You're the one running your life, and you have the power to create a thriving partnership. If you find yourself veering off course, you can correct that. If you've made mistakes in your past, you can learn from them. 

2. They're authentic.
People who are in deep, soulful relationships aren’t afraid to be themselves. They are not afraid of showing their edges and therefore they give their partner permission to do the same. 

3. They are confident on their own.
If you rely on your partner to make you feel confident or good enough, the relationship will be difficult to sustain. I'm not saying you can never doubt yourself (that’s impossible), but I am saying that self-doubt cannot be your default position, just as your partner’s #1 job cannot be to keep you feeling good about yourself. 

4. They try to inspire their partner, not change them.
There is a subtle difference between wanting to change someone and wanting to inspire someone to change. The difference is in the motivation: wanting to change someone serves you. Wanting to inspire someone to change for their own sake, serves you both. 

5. They can let themselves be vulnerable.
When we are vulnerable, we allow another person to see us and peek into our soul. This fosters a sense of trust that cannot be reached with a thousand words. 

6. They don’t sacrifice, they give willingly.
You can think of giving to your partner in two different ways: you're either making sacrifices for another person (which suggests that you're giving up something on your end) or you're giving generously (which suggests that you're freely giving something from a place of love to the one you love). This is a subtle yet powerful mindset switch that will help you feel fluid and light in your romance. 

7. They don’t hold grudges.
Holding a grudge basically means that you want the other person to continue to feel guilty or ashamed, which are extremely destructive emotions. Being in a relationship with someone who is in a guilty or shameful emotional state will never lead to a lasting, thriving, or trusting bond between two people. 

8. They allow their partner to be the expert on something.
There is nothing more toxic to a relationship than constant competition for who is better and who can handle more. People in great relationships can see their partner’s top qualities clearly and don’t feel the need to out-do each other all the time. The only way to celebrate your partner’s strengths is if you are aware and proud of your own strengths. (Need help finding your sweet spot? Read this.) 

9. They make their partner laugh.
Humor bonds two people together more than anything because it's a spontaneous and impulsive reaction. We're not guarded or protected when we laugh; we're allowing our true selves to show. Sharing laughter infuses a relationship with ease and playfulness. 

In the comments below, I’d love to hear from you: which of these points do you want to work on? I recommend choosing one point at a time and focusing on it for a little while.

20 Habits Of Highly Authentic People

 

By Simona Rich
Meeting someone living a uniquely crafted life is a breath of fresh air. These people are rare – it takes courage and self-confidence to be who you really are despite reactions from skeptics and attempts to bring you back to conformity and a false exterior. If you’re ready to show to the world the real you, this post might just be the beginning of your journey to authenticity.
 
Here are the 20 things that authentic people do differently:
 
1. They aren't afraid to express their opinions even though those opinions might be different than the opinions of the majority.
2. They never apply advice given without firstly consulting the guide within.
3. They are drive to action by the inner-motor rather than external triggers.
4. They’re proud of their unique traits that make them stand out from the crowd.
5. They have unique daily rituals, like making coffee in a special way or meditating in candlelight before going to bed.
6. They allow their friends and people they meet to show their true selves.
7. They search in conversations for depth, and not for gossip or emotional news.
8.They’re perfectly happy in their own company and they’re great friends with their own selves.
9. They value experiences over things.
10. They make the most out of the situations they find themselves in, be the situation bad or good.
11. They don’t judge others because they look beyond the external facade of words and appearances.
12. They talk less because they conserve energy for wording things that matter.
13. They listen closely because they’re fascinated with exploring the depths of other beings.
14. They don’t complain as they take full responsibility of their lives.
15. They have high self-esteem and appear confident because they have nothing to hide.
16. They don’t get upset when someone obviously dislikes them. They allow others to form whatever opinions they wish to have.
17. They see beauty and perfection in things that other people dismiss.
18. They try to support others and sincerely wish for people to grow and reveal their unlimited selves.
19. They let go of critical and ill-wishing people, although they don’t hold any bad feelings towards them.
20. They see the unity and interconnectedness of all life, and hear the harmonious symphony of the world in all life’s situations.

4 Food Cures

Eat asparagus, prevent a hangover.
The leaves and shoots of this super-veggie contain enzymes that break down alcohol after heavy drinking, preventing a hangover, and even eating it the day after can tame one that is already making you miserable, according to Korean scientists. The best way to prevent a hangover, of course, is to avoid overindulging. Munch on some stalks before you head out or during your bar visit, though, and not only will you get the beneficial enzymes but your stomach will be full of food, which slows down your body’s absorption of alcohol in the first place.
More: Grow Your Own Asparagus

Cure kidney stones with lemonade.

Kidney stones have become a more common health complaint than heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, according to figures released this year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of people suffering from them has doubled in the past 13 years. If you fall into that crowd, start downing lemonade. Lemon juice has the highest levels of citrate of any citrus juice, and that citrate helps dissolve any calcium deposits that will eventually turn into kidney stones. Squeeze your own fresh lemons to make lemonade, or buy a commercial mix. Doctors say that you can get as much citrate as you need from regular old lemonade, without having to make your teeth curl by sucking on a raw lemon.

Eat pomegranates to ward off sunburn.

Pomegranates are a rich source of ellagic acid, which can help protect your skin from UVA- and UVB-induced cell damage, according to research from the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Texas A&M University. Aim to get the health benefits of pomegranates from whole fruits, which are a more potent form of the skin-protecting acids than juices or supplements.

 Eat organic, heal…anything.

Diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, infertility, obesity—there seems to be no end to the ill health effects attributed to the synthetic pesticides used on nonorganic food. And that’s just on the adults who eat them. Pesticides have been linked to lower IQs and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, and there’s some suspicion that pesticides on food may play a role in the development of autism. Then there’s the planet: Organic farming sequesters more carbon from the atmosphere than chemical farming, and requires fewer greenhouse-gas-emitting petroleum-based fertilizers. So simply by looking for that telltale green-and-white USDA Organic seal, you’re doing yourself and the planet a world of good.

Food Cures You Can Grow at Home

Why burn a quarter-tank of gas running out to the drugstore for Pepto when you can pluck some relief from your windowsill herb garden?
Besides adding another dimension to your cooking, freshly harvested herbs can soothe dozens of common health problems, and it’s possible to grow a selection of home remedies in a couple of pots placed in a sunny spot. 
Look for seedlings of these plants and herbs at any garden store, or if you’re really ambitious, buy a packet of seeds and try sprouting your own.

Aloe Vera

Grow it: Plant in pots placed in full sunshine. Water well.
Use it: Break open the thick leaves and apply the gel that seeps out to your skin to soothe sunburn. “It’s 96 percent water and 4 percent active ingredients, including amino acids and enzymes that nourish damaged skin,” says pharmacist Margo Marrone, founder of The Organic Pharmacy in the United Kingdom.

Basil

Grow it: This sweet, fragrant annual is ideal for growing in pots. Pull off the white flowers as soon as they appear to keep it from going to seed and your herbs from tasting bitter.
Use it: Rub crushed leaves on your temples to relieve headaches. Pour boiling water over basil leaves for a pain-relieving footbath.
Read more: Check out our Basil Growing Guide.

Lavender

Grow it: This sun-loving plant needs good drainage. Use a small pot filled with gravel and a light soil.
Use it: It has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Crush a handful of the heads and add to a bowl of boiling water to use as a steam bath for your face. You can also dab the oil from the flowers on blemishes, says Marrone.

Lemon Balm

Grow it: Pot it, or it will colonize your garden.
Use it: Use for healing and preventing cold sores. Also, rub leaves directly onto skin as a natural insect repellent or to soothe bites.

Mint

Grow it: Use a sunken pot, because it grows vigorously.
Use it: Ideal for treating the collywobbles, which you might know as butterflies in the stomach. Sip tea made with fresh peppermint leaves to soothe stomach cramps, nausea, and flatulence. For a natural decongestant, place a fistful of mint leaves in a shallow bowl and cover with boiling water. Lean over it, drape a towel over your head, and breathe the steam.

Parsley

Grow it: Thrives in a pot in the sun as long as the soil is kept moist. Feed with organic fertilizer.
Use it: Immune-system booster. Eat one tablespoon of chopped flatleaf or curly parsley daily. Chewing parsley neutralizes mouth odors.

Rosemary

Grow it: This hardy perennial loves basking in sunshine.
Use it: Tea made from a thumb-sized piece has been known to lift spirits in people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and hangovers. Infuse warm red wine with rosemary, cinnamon, and cloves to soothe winter colds.

Sage

Grow it: Needs full sun and a dry sandy soil. Sage means “to be in good health.”
Use it: Gargle with a broth made from a quarter-cup of leaves (and cooled) to relieve sore throat.

Thyme

Grow it: Plant in dry, light soil. Needs sun.
Use it: A powerful antioxidant as well as an antiseptic. Drink a tea made from lemon thyme to treat colds before bed. Warning: Don’t use thyme when pregnant.

 

12 Fruits & Veggies With The Most Pesticides

(2014 Dirty Dozen)

 

By MindBodyGreen
Don't want to eat fruits coated with toxins? Neither do we! And neither does the Environmental Working Group, which thankfully tracks what's actually in and on our food. 

In April they released their annual Shopper's Guide to Pesticides, which breaks down which fruits and veggies have the most pesticides and which have the fewest. Their goal is to bring some transparency to our food supply and help you decide when it's worth shilling out extra for organic produce. Apples topped the toxic list for the fourth year in a row, which may not come as a surprise in the wake of news that they're often covered with a chemical that's banned in Europe. 

If it fits in your budget, the EWG recommends buying organic whenever possible. And if it's just not affordable right now, their guide can help you make more informed, healthy choices. The bottom line, says the EWG, is that it's always good to eat more fruits and vegetables, even if you're exposed to pesticides. Now you can be a little smarter about it.
Some highlights from the report:

• A single grape sample contained 15 pesticides.
• The average potato had more pesticides by weight than any other food.
• Single samples of celery, cherry tomatoes, imported snap peas and strawberries showed 13 different pesticides apiece.

The fruits and veggies with the most pesticides (the "Dirty Dozen Plus") are:

1. Apples
2. Strawberries
3. Grapes
4. Celery
5. Peaches
6. Spinach
7. Sweet bell peppers
8. Nectarines (imported)
9. Cucumbers
10. Cherry tomatoes
11. Snap peas (imported)
12. Potatoes

The "Dirty Dozen Plus" includes:

1. Hot peppers
2. Kale/collard greens

And the fruits and veggies with the least pesticides (the "Clean Fifteen") are:

1. Avocados
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapples
4. Cabbage
5. Sweet peas (frozen)
6. Onions
7. Asparagus
8. Mangos
9. Papayas
10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant
12. Grapefruit
13. Cantaloupe
14. Cauliflower
15. Sweet potatoes