[Sca-cooks] The dangers of synthetic dyes

[Christine Seelye-King]

With all the discussion of food colorings, I felt the need to type in the
relevant sections from a bood by Dr. Andrew Weil I just recently finished
reading.
Christianna

>From "Natural Health, Natural Medicine" by Andrew Weil, MD.:
"A dangerous class of additives and one of the easiest to avoid are dyes.
Chemicals that create color by reflecting light are energetic molecules,
many of which are capable of interacting with and damaging DNA.  Anything
that damages DNA can injure our immune systems, speeding up aging, and push
us in the direction of cancer.  I advise you not to eat foods made with
artificial colors.  Watch out for labels that use any of the following
terms: "artificial color added", "U.S. certified color added", "FD&C red
no.3" (or green or blue or yellow followed by any number; these are food,
drug, and cosmetic dyes approved for use by the Food and Drug
Administration), or simply "color added" with no explanation.
	Many synthetic food dyes that were considered safe for years have turned
out to be carcinogenic.  Some dyes approved for use in Europe are considered
unsafe here and vice versa.  Dyes are added to foods for the convenience of
the manufacturer, not for the health of the consumer.  You do not add dyes
to food you make at home (at least I hope you don't), and you should not eat
them in foods you buy.  Try to convey to your children that garishly colored
snack foods are weird and unhealthy rather than attractive.  Simply stated:
do not buy or eat foods with artificial colors.  This is an easy rule to
follow.
	Some foods contain natural colors obtained from plants; I have no objection
to these.  The commonest is annatto, from the reddish seed of a tropical
tree.  Widely used in Latin American cooking to make yellow rice and breads,
annatto is universally added to cheese to make it orange and butter to make
it yellow.  A red pigment obtained from beets, a green one from chlorella
(freshwater algae), caramel and carotene from carrots are also safe."
	"Alcoholic beverages, which are exempt from labeling requirements, may
contain harmful additives....Liqueurs may be dyed with artificial colors."
	From the chapter "How Not To Get Cancer":
	"Beware of products containing dyes and colorings.  Dyes are also among the
chemicals most suspected as cancer causers.  I have already mentioned their
dangers as food additives.  Few people stop to think that blue, pink,
yellow, and green medications do not get that way by themselves.  Colored
pills, capsules, and liquids are dyed with the same suspect chemicals, and
if you consume a lot of them, you are adding to your risk of cancer.  Dyes
are also used in cosmetic products like shampoos, lotions, and makeup.  They
are less risky when applied topically but still may be absorbed through the
skin.  I recommend minimizing your use of all artificially colored products
intended for use in or on the body."