(hla) YOU may be ingesting petroleum without even knowing it! Did you know that most of your food contains food colouring that comes from unrefined fuel source - petroleum? Food manufacturers pour around 15 million pounds (680,388,555 kilograms) of artificial food colouring or dyes into U.S. foods annually.

As we all should already know, consuming petroleum in any amount can be dangerous and should be avoided at all cost. However, that is exactly what you are doing if you eat non-organic processed foods. Colourings are found in energy drinks, sweets, carbonated drinks, junk foods and more.

Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) reported that Red 40 and Yellow 5 & 6 contain a known carcinogen - benzene. However, these colourings were approved by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) are still widely available in the market. Despite the fact that there are plenty of evidences poiknting at their cancer-causing potential, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still remains on the fence and claims that little is known about the health effects of benzene.

While many other countries such as Norway, France and Austria have banned the use of artificial additives containing this compound, American companies still continue to include it in their commonly processed food products such as macaroni and cheese. The use of such additives tend to make the food appear brighter and perhaps even more appetising and appealing for customers, which can boost their profit.

Numerous studies have also established a significant link between artificial food colourings and hyperactivity in children. A research, "Food additives, essential nutrients and neurodevelopmental behavioural disorders in children: A brief review", published in the Paediatric Child Health journal, supports the idea that food colours promote hyperactivity in children. Another Australian study examined the effects of food dye on 200 children and found that 75% of parents noticed an increase in their children's attention and improvement in their behaviour once the food colourings were eliminated from their diet.

Although food colourings are usually called 'food enhancers', these substances may not be truly good in 'enhancing' one's health. Sunset Yellow (Yellow 6) and Tartrazine (Yellow 5) have been shown to behave like oestrogen in the human body. Excessive levels of oestrogen, regardless of the source, can contribute to breast cancer and may also decrease the male sex drive. These are only 2 among many other highly undesirable effects.

While it is quite inevitable that these food items are completely eliminated from one's diet, the dangers of being exposed to food colourings can be minimised if one consumes more of organic unprocessed whole-foods. If you are rushing for time and have no access to fresh organic foods and must purchase processed food items, ensure that it is organic because organic food products are prohibited from using artificial colourings, sweeteners or flavourings. Although they are not exactly the most nutrient-dense food as compared to fresh organic food, they are still a better option.



Author: Alex Chin
Edited by: Genevieve Tan Shu Thung

Alex Chin, a 14-year-old trainee under the guidance of Genevieve Tan at the Sandhya Maarga Holistic Living Academy to improve his literary and writing skills, is on a quest to pursue knowledge and making his voice count. He aspires to pen his thoughts and opinions to educate and inspire others.

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Holistic Living Annex (AUGUST 2015)