Why Our Family Chooses to Avoid Artificial Food Dyes

Sometimes the smallest ingredients can have the biggest impact. For our family, choosing to avoid artificial food dyes is not about fear. It is about understanding how these chemicals interact with our bodies and making thoughtful choices.

When our oldest was first born and battling food sensitivities, I drastically changed my diet. For a season, it consisted mostly of meats, vegetables, and fruits. A natural byproduct of eating this way was that processed foods became very limited.

As we learned more about processed foods, the kinds of ingredients they often contain, and how little nutrition they offer, it became easier to step away from them.

Over time, we discovered enough through both research and experience to decide that artificial food dyes were not something we wanted to include in our diets.

Even though our children have never had them, I understand why many parents may choose to minimize their use or eliminate food dyes altogether. For us, the potential side effects were enough that we did not want to experiment and find out firsthand.

In this post, we will take a closer look at what artificial food dyes are, how they can affect the body, and how to talk about them with your kids in a way they can understand.

*This blog post contains various health information. Nothing is intended to be, nor should it be construed as, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any supplement(s) and/or treatment(s) discussed and/or listed should be reviewed by your health professional before using. If you have a medical concern, please consult with an appropriately-licensed physician. If you think you have a medical emergency, contact your doctor immediately. Full medical disclosure here.

What are Artificial Food Dyes, Really?

Artificial food dyes are synthetic chemicals, most commonly made from petroleum (crude oil). In the lab, they are transformed through a chemical process called aromatic sulfonation, which attaches special chemical groups to molecules so they dissolve in water, bind to foods, and stay bright even after cooking or long storage. This makes candy, cereals, snacks, and even some medications vividly colored, but it also means these dyes are highly processed chemical compounds that never existed in nature and provide no nutrition.

Even though the FDA has approved nine synthetic food dyes for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics, for our family, the potential side effects outweigh any benefit. Simply knowing that these colors start as petroleum and go through chemical transformations before ending up in foods helped us decide to avoid artificial food dyes entirely.

Here are the nine FDA-approved synthetic food dyes in the U.S., with the most common first:

• Red 3 and Red 40
• Yellow 5 and Yellow 6
• Blue 1 and Blue 2
• Citrus Red 2
• Orange B

These dyes are found in candy, cereals, snacks, frosting, juices, sodas, flavored waters, and other brightly colored processed foods. They can also sneak into items you might not expect, like packaged sauces, fruit snacks, gelatin desserts, and even some breakfast bars.

How Artificial Food Dyes Affect the Body

There are a few adverse effects on the body that make it worth avoiding artificial food dyes. A couple of friends saw real changes in their children’s behavior after removing red dyes from their diets, so it truly does matter.

A review published in the National Library of Medicine explains that: “The molecules of synthetic colorants are small, and the immune system finds it difficult to defend the body against them. They can also bond to food or body proteins and, thus, are able to act in stealth mode to circumvent and disrupt the immune system. The consumption of synthetic food colors, and their ability to bind with body proteins, can have significant immunological consequences. This consumption can activate the inflammatory cascade, can result in the induction of intestinal permeability to large antigenic molecules, and could lead to cross-reactivities, autoimmunities, and even neurobehavioral disorders.”

Let’s break this down a little!

The nervous system and behavior

Multiple studies suggest that artificial dyes may influence brain chemistry and nervous system activity, especially in sensitive children. Red 40 has been associated with histamine-related reactions and changes in brain signaling in some studies. This could contribute to:

• Restlessness or impulsivity
• Hyperactivity
• Difficulty focusing
• Mood swings
  

Even in adults, some people report heightened anxiety or irritability after consuming artificial dyes. 

When someone eats a brightly dyed snack, their brain and body may react like they’ve been given a chemical stimulant – even though it’s not caffeine. 

Gut and immune system impact

The gut and brain are closely connected. Artificial food dyes can interact with the gut microbiome, the community of bacteria in our digestive system.

 In other words, emerging research suggests that synthetic dyes may:

• Alter the balance of gut bacteria, favoring strains linked to inflammation
• Trigger low-level immune responses in sensitive individuals
• Contribute to digestive discomfort

Physically, this may look like:

• stomachaches or nausea
• skin reactions (rashes, eczema, hives)
• headaches or migraines
• worsened symptoms in kids with sensitivities

This gut-immune-brain connection helps explain why some children experience mood changes or hyperactivity after consuming dyes. When the gut is irritated, for any reason, overall health is affected. For children especially, these small things can cause bigger disruptions.

Metabolism and Detox Pathways

Our liver and kidneys work to filter chemicals from our bodies. Artificial food dyes are foreign compounds that the body has to metabolize and excrete. Repeated exposure can:

• Add stress to detox pathways
• Create byproducts that may increase oxidative stress
• Increase overall inflammatory signaling
  

While occasional exposure may be handled well by most adults, children and sensitive individuals or those with weakened immune systems may respond more noticeably.

If you’re curious what each individual food dye has been linked to, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has put together this easy-to-read list of the nine most common artificial food dyes.

Nutritional Value of Artificial Food Dyes

This one is pretty easy to answer. There is no nutritional value in artificial food dyes. They don’t nourish the body and exist purely for appearance.

Foods with synthetic dyes are often:

• highly processed
• high in sugar
• low in vitamins and minerals

By avoiding artificially dyed foods, we naturally move toward:

• simpler ingredients
• whole foods
• colors that come from fruits, vegetables, and spices

If a food needs chemicals to look appealing, it’s probably not something our bodies truly need.

Safety Concerns & Global Differences in Regulation

While artificial dyes are legal in the United States, several of them are restricted or require warning labels in other countries.

For example:

• In parts of Europe, foods with certain dyes must carry warnings about possible effects on children’s behavior.
• Some dyes used in the U.S. are banned or limited elsewhere.
• Certain artificial food dyes have been linked to genotoxic effects in lab studies, meaning they can potentially affect DNA at high doses.

Research within the U.S. has also raised some concerns. The Environmental Working Group, a consumer advocacy organization, notes:

“These chemicals were last reviewed by the FDA decades ago, some as early as 1969. Other dyes linked to health harms have not been reviewed in more than 40 years. Reevaluation by the FDA is not required, even when new evidence points to potential health hazards.”

A review published in the National Library of Medicine reported that the amount of artificial food colors certified by the FDA increased more than 5-fold from 1950 (12 mg/capita/day) to 2012 (68 mg/capita/day).

California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) also found that:

“All of the FDA’s Acceptable Daily Intake levels (ADIs) for synthetic food dyes are based on 35- to 70-year-old studies that were not designed to detect the types of behavioral effects that have been observed in children. Comparisons with newer studies indicate that the current ADIs may not adequately protect children from behavioral effects. For some of the dyes, these comparisons indicate that updated levels would be much lower.”

When you put all of this together, it’s hard not pause. For us, it felt wise to lean toward caution and choose simpler, more natural foods.

How We Explain This to Our Kids

Our choices should never be based out of fear. Is this information alarming? Yes. But instead of letting it disarm us, we should let it arm us to make informed decisions.

When talking with our kiddos, I’ve found simple is best. 

• “We like to focus on ingredients God created and this food doesn’t have those.”
• “These ingredients aren’t found in nature and might make your body not feel good.”
• “Remember how you didn’t feel good after eating that? It could be because of the ingredients.”

You could also try these:

• “God made colors in fruits and vegetables. People made colors in factories.”
• “We choose foods that help your body feel calm, strong, and happy.”
• “Sometimes bright colors can make your body feel too jumpy.”

If you have a child who is naturally curious and wants more information, explain how artificial food dyes affect the body in kid-friendly terms. 

Making Change Feel Fun, Not Restrictive

If you decide to reduce or avoid artificial food dyes, the goal is not perfection. It’s progress that feels doable for your family.

Maybe that looks like: removing sweetened drinks or brightly colored snacks or alluring cereals or sourcing different supplements.

One simple way to start is by turning the process into a game rather than a strict rule. Invite your kids to become “ingredient detectives” and look at labels together. You might point out words like Red 40, Yellow 5, or Blue 1 and ask, “Do you think this color came from a plant or a factory?”  This can help turn the moment into curiosity.

It also helps to bring kids into the conversation. Rather than just taking foods away, talk about why you are making changes. You might share that some foods help our bodies feel calm and steady, while others can make them feel a little too jumpy. When kids understand the why, they are often more open to the change.

For many families, it helps to think of this as a trial season, not a forever decision. You can simply say, “Let’s try this for a few weeks and see how we feel.” That kind of language takes the pressure off everyone.

If your kids enjoy visuals, a simple chart can be encouraging. Rather than tracking rules, track effort. A sticker or checkmark for each day on the calendar can help kids feel proud of their participation. Keep it light and celebratory.

When you put all of this together, the picture becomes clearer. Artificial food dyes are not just harmless colors. They are chemical compounds that interact with the brain, gut, and immune system in ways we are still learning to fully understand. For some children, the effects are subtle. For others, they are noticeable. For our family, that uncertainty alone was enough to choose a different path and avoid artificial food dyes.

Have you noticed any effects from artificial food dyes in your family? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments.