Dangerous Impacts of Artificial Colours on Children
– Brain tumours
– Bladder tumours
– Thyroid tumours
– Chromosomal damage
– Lymphomas
– Neurochemical and behavioural effects
– Asthma
– Insomnia
– Hyperactivity
– Allergies
Colors commonly found in Indian Market
– E110 – yellow 6/ Sunset Yellow
– E 102 – tartrazine / yellow 5
– E 122 – carmoisine
– E 129 – allura red / Red 40
– E 104 – Quinoline yellow
– E 151 – Brilliant Black
– E 133 – Brilliant blue FCF
– E 132 – Indigotine / FD&C Blue No 2
– Rhodamine B
– Orange II
– Metanil yellow
Colours banned in Europe:
– E 129 – Red 40 /Allura red: baked goods like cakes, candies, cereals and juices
– E 110 -Yellow 6/ Sunset Yellow: Baked goods, candies, juices
– E 102 – Tartrazine / yellow 5: baked goods like cakes, candies, cereals and juices
– E 133 – Brilliant blue FCF: baked goods, candy, cereal, beverages
– E 143 – Green No.3/ Fast green: found in juices, candy and ice cream
– E 132 – Blue No.2/ Indigo Carmine: Beverages, candies
The following colours are considered as not recommended for consumption by children.
Alternatives to Artificial Colours:
– Beetroots, Carrots, Spinach, Pumpkin, Berries, Red cabbage, turmeric, Saffron.
– Natural dyes are more sensitive to heat, so there will be variation in colours
– Beware – Natural identical colours are chemically isolated to mimic the natural colours. Like artificial colours these are also made in the laboratory. Check the ingredients list on the food label thoroughly before making a decision
– On food labels artificial colours are often mentioned as chemical names or numbers
Children and artificial colours:
Researchers found that there is a link between artificial colours and hyperactivity and cancer1. In European countries these dangerous colours are banned but in India still it is used in many packed food items.
Indian studies state that over half of the colours used in market exceed the legal limits and there is usage of non-permitted colours like Rhodamine B, Orange II and metanil yellow.2
Researchers at Southampton University found that consuming certain synthetic dyes with preservative sodium benzoate increased hyperactivity in kids ages 3-9. Those studied had never been diagnosed with ADHD.
A US study published in Science found that children score worse on tests that measure after consuming a food-dye blend than when they drank a placebo
Studies:
1. http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/food-dye-adhd
2. https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2013/04/05/Food-colors-in-India-Most-foods-have-illegal-limits
Why is Organic Food Important for Babies and Toddlers?
Parenting is one of the toughest jobs there is. Starting from what we feed them to what we dress them in to what values they imbibe from us to what we teach them and so on, every little thing we do has an impact on their growth and development. We are often making difficult choices for our little munchkins that essentially shape the people they grow up to be.
The most difficult choice with respect to babies and toddlers, we believe, is food. We do not have a choice in the first 3-4 months where the baby must only be breastfed. The real stress begins after 4 months when parents start to introduce solid foods. The kind and quality of foods we choose in this crucial period in their formative years will undeniably impact not only the health and nourishment of your babies and toddlers but their overall growth and development and their perception of food (sometimes for their entire life).
Enter Organic Foods with Several Benefits
We strongly believe that organic food products are the best options for babies and toddlers in their formative years and beyond. There is a steady shift globally (even if slow in some regions) towards organic foods especially for the little ones. Let us see how organic foods are better.
1. Lower chemical exposure
Organic foods are grown without using hazardous chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other such harmful substances unlike conventional foods. These environment-friendly foods are grown using natural methods and naturally-derived pesticides and are GMO-free too. They
Why does it matter? Chemical and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are harmful, by definition, even to adult humans. So, it must not be surprising that they are harmful to our tender babies and toddlers. When babies and toddlers consume such food, the chemicals get absorbed very easily in their still-developing digestive tract. These chemicals block the absorption of vital nutrients (that make our little ones grow into a strong, immune and healthy children and adults). So, babies and toddlers with consistent chemical exposure through foods develop poor immunity.
Children who are exposed regularly and consistently to conventional foods full of pesticides have a lower IQ and are at a high risk of developing behavioural problems such as ADHD.
2. Rich in nourishment and better for physical health
By choosing organic foods for your little ones in the formative years, you are choosing health, nourishment, immunity and holistic development. This is because organic foods are richer in essential nutrients and provide better nourishment to babies and toddlers.
3. Better taste and exposure to natural flavour profiles
Organic foods are available not just in the form of cereals, fruits and vegetables but also in the form of snacks, packed foods and so on. In either case, they taste better.
That too, without using artificial preservatives and flavouring, unnecessary additives, taste enhancers, added sugars and food colouring, all of which are mindlessly thrown into processed foods to make it attractive to babies and children. These additives, synthetic flavours, added sugars, etc. are known to make children hyperactive apart from causing health complications.
By relying on natural flavours, organic foods enable us to train our little one’s taste buds to like and appreciate natural flavours and taste. Learning to appreciate natural taste and flavour profiles is one of the best things we can teach our little ones, a lesson that will help them throughout their lives.
Being parents ourselves, at Mimmo Organics, we understand how important our little munchkins are to us and how tough making food choices for them is. We want more parents to experience the benefits and positive effects organic foods have on our little ones. So, we offer a selection of 100% certified organic foods that are healthy, nourishing and crafted with the love and purity that our little ones deserve.
Priyanka Shetty Sridhar
Founder of Mimmo Organics
Simple things that dads can do in parenting
“Second Mother”; a term we normally associate with grand-mothers or aunties. But it is not often that we associate this term with a father. Probably because traditionally a father’s primary role is to earn and provide for his family expenses and mother’s primarily role is run the family.
It raises a million-dollar question about the role of a father in parenting and the answer is revealed in the answer the husband provides; “My wife is pregnant” as compared to “We are pregnant”. This one sentence sets the foundation of the roles and responsibilities for father and mother in parenting.
But not all can belong to the hyper-involved, hands-on category of fathers. However, most can at least do a few simple things such as:
Can be the nappy changer and the one who takes the responsibility of making bed for the little soul
Be ready to spend sleepless night right beside the feeding mother to comfort the lady and the new born
When the time is right, be the one who is in the fore front in the weaning process, to assure a smooth transition from mother’s milk to baby foods. Over-worked mothers deserve a break after couple of years of stress and mental trauma of pregnancy. That is when the fathers can play an important role making sure healthy meal for kids are served on timely basis
A father is the best person to undertake the endeavor of home schooling before the formal education kicks-off. Shapes, colors, textures, counting, poems are just a few of the educational bits which a father can present to the infant in a playful format
There are so many mothers (especially home makers) who feel they have been caged since the child only eats, sleeps and plays with the mother. By a father doing his bit he is conditioning the little one in believing there is a world outside his/her mom
Father can be the face of the parent in a child’s school. Not only it helps in building a bond with the kid but also free up the mother to concentrate on her work and more importantly her life. At this stage child is no longer dependent on the mother for feeding and a little presence of Dad can do wonders. And not to mention be the one who
designs the yummy lunch box recipes for kids even if it’s the mother who plays the role of the cook
Can take up the responsibility of those weekend showers for the child and turning the boring bath sessions into a playful event by being a bit innovative
They can handle the creative side of the child’s birthday celebration and research for various ways to make this important event exciting
A father can always be in the hunt of those weekends activities and workshops which can boost a child’s knowledge & confidence
Last but not the least act as a role model for the kid since how the father interacts with his world has a great impact of how kids will interact with their world