Kids and food colouringReader submitted

As a treat recently I was buying the kids an ice-block, I was coerced into buying one that had a competition offer although it was not normally one that I would allow my kids to eat as it had colouring in it.  What ensued was some unruly behaviour that reminded me why I choose not to buy food with unnatural colourings.

Anyhow, I was rather surprised to read recently that NZ has some of the most lax laws regarding the chemical colourings and flavours added to our food. Does anyone else struggle with this and their kids' behaviour and do you constantly find yourself checking for all the numbers and trying to remember all the various 'goods' and 'bads'?

 

07/11/2012  2:49 am by Jason

Yes I have to keep a close eye on the 'numbers' in anything I give my kids as some of them send them crazy, if I didn't have a trampoline for them to go nuts on I’m not sure what I'd do! I found a good article on the Huggies website on this topic.

 

08/02/2013  6:20 pm by Lyn

My littlies, 5 and 7 yos drink water, eat as fresh and wholesome as I can manage, and I don't buy them lollies. My 7yo if given lollies, eats one or two, then hands me the rest. My younger son has more of a sweet tooth, but I don't entertain it. I've researched extensively into the numbers, and have an older child with food allergies and ADHD. If at all possible avoid the additives. Chemical flavours are so much stronger than natural ones, and condition the taste buds so that children want the chemicals (think artificial orange, eg. Fanta, compared to a sweet naval orange). I make my children ice-blocks by juicing fruit and vegetables, and freezing them in ice-block moulds. They love them, there's no 'numbers' (as far as I'm aware) and they're healthy!