For more that 40 years Dr. Doris Rapp MD environmental medical specialist and pediatric allergist in Scottsdale AZ has diagnosed and treated children with ADD, ADHD, behavioral issues, learning delays and disabilities. She has illustrated the problem of foods, food colorants and additives on national tv showing videos of children having immediate and sometimes violent decline in behavior and/or learning, who then improve (almost immediately) by removing the food or chemical and treating with sublingual allergen therapy. Seeing the evidence and results of her work was formative in my early years of medical training.

As a parent you may have noticed behavior changes, meltdowns, physical symptoms and/or developmental issues when your child eats particular foods or food additives. Or you may not, as these ingredients eaten regularly down-regulate any sensitivity symptoms you might see. Unfortunately this physiologic process drives health problems deeper which may take more time to remedy.

A quick sweep of your kitchen shelves can make the difference between happy kids and good health and children who face challenges in their health, their social and academic life.
It’s time to read labels and pay attention to where you spend your food budget. Vote with your hard earned dollars to ensure the the best outcome for your family.

Natural Flavor– these added ingredients “enhance” foods that lack flavor due to poor quality or having lost flavor in processing. The name makes it seem so benign; natural flavor. Don’t be fooled by the word “natural” !
Natural flavor is food-derived but manipulated to stimulate taste buds to eat more. Natural beef flavor, for example, has no beef in it but is composed of wheat and milk solids, which have been processed and preserved. Even if you don’t eat beef or anything with natural beef flavor, what about fruit juice, fruit leathers or fruit gummies? Read the transcript below:

In a 2011 interview with Morley Safer of 60 Minutes, two flavor scientists from Givaudan said that one of their goals was making food addictive.

(Givaudan) Streich: In our fruit flavors we’re talking about, we want a burst in the beginning. And maybe a finish that doesn’t linger too much so that you want more of it.
(Givaudan) Hassel: And you don’t want a long linger, because you’re not going to eat more of it if it lingers.
(60 Minutes) Safer: Aha. So I see, it’s going to be a quick fix. And then–
(Givaudan) Hassel: Have more.
(60 Minutes) Safer: And then have more. But that suggests something else?
(Givaudan) Hassel: Exactly.
(60 Minutes) Safer: Which is called addiction?
(Givaudan) Hassel: Exactly.
(60 Minutes) Safer: You’re tryin’ to create an addictive taste?
(Givaudan) Hassel: That’s a good word.

Artificial Color-We don’t use only the sense of taste but also the senses of vision and smell when getting prepped to enjoy our food. Maybe the sense of hearing even plays a part when we hear popping, bubbling, sizzling or the cooking timer telling us that dinner in ready.

The rich beautiful colors of fresh vegetables and fruit are what we are programmed to be attracted to, when that is not available modern food chemists supply eye catching color to food. Visual enhancement of food in this way began in the 1500’s with imported spices and even heavy metals used to improve the appeal of the available food stuffs. For the most part toxic metals such white and red lead, mercury, arsenates and Prussian blue have been banned from foods. Beginning in the 1960’s the FDA began inspecting and approving artificial colorants for human consumption.

Unfortunately these approved artificial food colorants are a problem for many children and adults.
In your label reading session you may see FD&C Yellow #5 or FD&C Blue #2  and other colorants found in everything from gum to acetaminophen. Annatto colorant even though it is derived from a natural bean and used in crackers and chips to create a rich yellow-orange color causes symptoms in children that can range from eczema to asthma to behavioral issues.

Here’s Wired magazine’s take on Flaming Cheetos in all their glory and shame: https://www.wired.com/2016/04/whats-inside-flamin-hot-cheetos/

High Fructose Corn Syrup-HFCS is not “a simple corn sugar” but a chemically modified product that has been added to so many foods today. In the time of it’s first introduction to current day, obesity has increased 3 fold and diabetes 7 fold. Though HFCS may not be the only reason, it’s mechanism of action on the body is clear. BTW the average American now consumes 60 pounds of HFCS yearly.

Eating any sugar in excess causes obesity. Fructose from any source by-passes biochemical processes and goes straight to the liver to be transformed into fats like triglycerides and cholesterol. Blood glucose spikes caused by the ingestion of high sugar intake stresses your insulin deliver system until it fails causing insulin resistance and diabetes.

Bottom line, HFCS is one on those insidious engineered food additives that in no way supports good health. As a side note it often contains mercury from chlor-qlkli processing in it’s refinement. More on HFCS:

http://drhyman.com/blog/2011/05/13/5-reasons-high-fructose-corn-syrup-will-kill-you/

Food Preservatives–Sodium Nitrate and nitrate came to public awareness back in the 60’s when they became known to cause salad bar syndrome, i.e. allergic reactions to lettuce and food stuffs that had been treated with nitrate to keep them looking fresh and crisp. These are regularly added to lunch meats, bacon, canned meats, jerky and beef sticks.
MSG also came to the public’s attention because of the symptoms it may produce including migraine headaches and high blood pressure.
BHA/BHT were the next additives introduced in an effort to extend shelf life.
None of these are essential and the food industry especially the natural food industry is moving past any need for these chemicals. If you see them on a label look for other options. Or opt for foods that may spoil, which means that they are alive! Then eat them in their freshest state avoiding any need for artificial preservatives.
One more additive that you may not see on a label is Bromine. Th is infused as a gas into wheat flour products to improve elasticity in rising dough.  Potassium bromate is a level 28 carcinogen making it a possible cancer inducer in humans. It has been banned in Europe but still used here in the US. It can cause asthmatic and digestive symptoms. If you’ve been to Europe and happily eating pastries and wheat products without any problem only to come back home to the US and have problems when eating wheat products consider that brominated flour is the source of your symptoms.

Herbicides and Pesticides -these are hidden ingredients that you will not find labeled on your fresh or packaged foods. The agricultural industry and farmers in an effort to be consistent and profitable have used chemicals to kill weeds and pests for many years.
GMO is important to mention here as it identifies that a food has been genetically modified to have a desired trait whether it be more resistant to droughts or insects, last longer or grow larger. These traits may not seem to be dangerous but along with the GMO modification has come the use of herbicides with ingredients like glyphosphates, purported to be cancer causing.

Smarter Shopping, Better Health-Choosing organic vegetables and fruit when you shop for produce is one way to keep these chemicals out of your daily meals. When you can’t buy organic then buy fresh foods that was minimally exposed to pesticides and herbicides. This is easy using EWG’s Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists which are updated regularly:

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty_dozen_list.php
https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean_fifteen_list.php

You can get a free wallet card or phone app to use when shopping.

To close, today there are so many choices of foods and beverages in just about every grocery store. Read labels first before adding an item to your cart. Buy produce from the Clean 15 List and avoid the Dirty Dozen. Buy organic when you can. Plant a garden, learn organic gardening methods and get the kids involved. There’s nothing better that digging in the dirt and watching your garden grow.

For a free 10 minute consult to find the right fit for your healthcare needs go to: http://www.keepitvital.com or call 602-421-6237.