Hidden Toxins in Your Macaroni and Cheese

Do you really how many toxic food dyes, preservatives, and additives are in the food your children eat everyday?  Have you ever read the ingredients label on a box of any conventional Mac & Cheese? Most of us haven’t, because we trust if it is on the shelves of the grocery store, it must be safe to eat.

Here’s the list of ingredients:

Enriched Macaroni Product (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate [Iron], Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid) Cheese Sauce Mix (Whey, Milkfat, Milk Protein Concentrate, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Contains less than 2% of Citric Acid, Sodium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Milk, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Enzymes, Cheese Culture).

If you were to read the ingredients label, you would find (the most concerning for me,) artificial colors Yellow #5 and #6. Let me explain why this is so concerning with examples of how these artificial colors are harmful to our health (especially our children’s):

Behavioral Problems
It’s scary the effects these colors have on the developing young mind. Yellow #5 and #6 are directly linked to serious behavioral problems in children.

These food dyes and preservatives act as neurotoxins in the brain, affecting nerve development.

It’s hard to clinically link insomnia to these two dyes. Although, there has been many studies that suggest these colors are the source of insomnia episodes in some children.

Migraine sufferers have been advised by a Texas Neurology report to avoid Yellow food dyes. Yellow dyes have been connected to migraine headaches.

Learning Disabilities
Children with learning disabilities and developmental disorders seem to be more susceptible to the side effects of food dye. The neurotoxicity effects seem to amplify the problems associated with: ADD, Asperger’s, dyslexia and make learning and understanding more difficult.

Due to the immune system responses, children who eat chemically produced foods and artificially colored foods, are more prone to allergies.

Petroleum-based food coloring have been linked to the eventual development of cancer.

Yellow #5 and #6 have been banned in European countries, yet they are still being added to our food here in the US. These two dyes are petroleum-based and offer no nutritional value.

In Europe, Yellow #5 and #6 have been replaced with natural sources, paprika extract and beta-carotene. Paprika and bet a-carotene give the cheese it’s known color with no health risks to children as the artificial dyes can supply.

Kraft was asked about their continued use of these harmful ingredients in their US products. Kraft’s response was, “safety is our highest concern, and since the dyes are approved by the FDA, we are following the required guidelines in the manufacturing of our products.” Kraft also said they “have products made with natural ingredients.” As consumers, we have to acknowledge the products (especially) marketed to children (animal, letters and cartoon shapes) contain Yellow #5 and #6 dye.

Michael Jacobson (holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is an American scientist and nutritional advocate), explains companies use artificial coloring because it’s the cheapest way to color food. He believes these dyes should be removed from our food but it is the FDA’s choice to allow or discontinue the use of these food dyes. Michael Jacobson also mentioned, the FDA has know for the past two years about the many studies showing Yellow #5 and #6 causing hyperactivity in children. Yet the FDA still allows these companies to manufacture their products with these food dyes.

In the US, food additives and preservatives are more commonly used than any other country. They are cheap and highly addictive. We all know, the more additive something is, the more we want it and the more we will continue to pay for it.

Synthetic Vitamins
Synthetic vitamins are useless in our bodies as they are often synthetic derivatives that aren’t readily broken down, absorbed and utilized by the body. Synthetic vitamins are super-processed. They are usually manufactured at high temperatures and contain artificial or toxic ingredients, such as dyes, preservatives, coal tars, sugars, starch, and other additives.

Organic Consumers ( warns people against these chemically produces vitamins as they can consist of petrochemical derivatives, nicotine and coal tars (by-products of coal). Additionally, some Vitamins such as A and E  are not water soluble (that means that your body cannot flush out the excess). Thus, taking more than needed is very dangerous for your health. It leads to toxic built up and consequently to health problems.  Synthetic Vitamins have been shown to leach nutrients like calcium and magnesium out of the bones.

Now, more than ever, as we become more aware of these food additives and their negative health affects, we need to read ingredient labels and make better choices for our children.