Anyone have food dye sensitivities?

Set alerts

Updates

sunflower

I figured out that artificial food dyes trigger migraines for me (Red 40 and Yellow 5 actually do have negative effects especially). After consistently getting migraines and stomachaches right after eating a candy with Red 40 in it, I wonder if ingesting these dyes are a part of the reason I feel so crappy all the time? I've had other issues with feeling sick after eating "real meals" but feeling normal after I ate salad.

I looked at the food I have in my apartment and over half of it has artificial coloring.

I'm planning on cleaning out my pantry and only buying naturally colored foods from now on. Less processed foods. More fruits and vegetables too. Does anyone else have issues with food dyes? If so, any tips on buying groceries dye-free?

04/30/2013

All promotions

Gary

I have never heard of food coloring allergies before. But I guess it's like anything else, the possibilities for an allergy are there. This seems very unfortunate however as there is artificial coloring in so much of what we consume.

(I do know many people who have gotten allergies to certain colors of tattoo ink, and hair dye.)

05/01/2013

sunflower

Quote:

Originally posted by Gary

I have heard bad things about Red 40 and Yellow 5. There are groups that are petitioning to get it banned and controversy about the FDA approving it when there were studies that were linked to bad effects in children. I think I have more of a sensitivity than an allergy idk. My body has been weird and sick for the past year and I think that's why I'm more prone to being sensitive to it? I've heard that it isn't one of the top allergies like peanuts, tree nuts, soy, etc. but it's fairly prevalent. I think eating healthy probably will not hurt (maybe it will hurt my wallet though), so I'm going to give it a shot. No more Cheetos or candy

I also read that some places in Europe banned artificial dyes and nobody is complaining. I don't see the point of pumping peoples bodies full of chemicals just to make the food look pretty. I mean it all comes out brown anyway, who cares if it looks ugly tbh. Of course using chemical dye is cheaper for the food manufacturers.

I know that some of my family gets migraines from MSG and Splenda/sucralose.

05/01/2013

misskat

I have been allergic to Red 40 and Blue 1 since I was about 5 or 6...it was and still is very hard to find things that do not contain those dyes. It was harder as a child though, since most food for children is chockful of unnatural colors.

I watch what I eat as much as I can. Unfortunately, being allergic to two of the three primary colors rules out basically everything.

My reactions have gotten milder as I've gotten older and I can usually control the symptoms with Benadryl.

Ironically enough, I'm allergic to the dye in Benadryl. They make a dye-free version though, luckily.

It doesn't make much sense (to me anyway) that they would make allergy medicine one of the colors that people are allergic to.

05/10/2013

misskat

I also have a cousin that had red and blue dye allergies. His symptoms were much more severe, like throat-closing severe. He grew out of his allergies in his teen years.

I simply get hives.

05/10/2013

Kitka

My mother in law is allergic to Yellow 5, pretty severely, she'll get facial paralysis which is darn scary. My brother in law is also allergic to Yellow 5 but it puts him into grand mal seizures. Needless to say we try to avoid food dyes as much as possible but so far no one in my immediate family beyond those two are allergic to them.

05/10/2013

Total posts: 6 Unique posters: 4

Make a post