Eliminating Toxic Food Dyes

I recently read an article titled, 13 Banned Foods Still Allowed in the US. This article is written by the authors of the soon to be published book titled, Rich Food, Poor Food. This book outlines foods that have been banned in other countries because of their toxic nature, but not banned in the US. The article, from Shape magazine mentions 13 items you should eliminate from your diet. I am pinning this article on Pinterest and writing the list in the notebook that stays in my purse. To be honest, I know I do not consume some of these items, and I can tell how to easily eliminate some others, but the food dyes caught my attention.

According to the article, you should not eat anything with the coloring agents: blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6. Of  course I know that eating all natural foods that do not contain any artificial colors is the best bet, but that is not a realistic goal for me and my family at this time. BUT, I do think I can eliminate a few things.

I went to my pantry and pulled out the 2 brands of macaroni and cheese that we typically buy. Again, I realize the nutritional pitfalls of these foods, but they are not all we eat, so I don't mind them being in the rotation for our family's foods.

     

It turns out that the blue box, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese contains yellow 5 and yellow 6 while Velveeta Shells & Cheese does not. My family is saying good-bye to the blue box. It is a small step, but it is a step in the right directions and every significant journey starts with one step. 

I have known about Annie's Organic Mac & Cheese for quite a while, but I live on a budget and have passed it over because of the cost. It's time to make a change. I can not feed my girls foods that can be dangerous simply because they are cheeper. 

I have talked with the girls and we will purchase Annie's Organic Mac & Cheese to fill our mac & cheese need and perhaps indulge in the Velveeta Shells & Cheese once in a while. As a mom, I realize that what I need to do is offer a better rotation of side dishes that do not come from a box. Perhaps a homemade mac & cheese, potatoes, pasta with parmesan cheese (the real stuff). We'll get there, one step at a time.