Fear for kids after colouring cancer link

[minnie]

from http://www.news.com.au/national/fear-fo ... 5893478638

AUSTRALIAN food authorities may ban artificial food colours from breakfast cereals and confectionery items following new scientific evidence that shows it may pose a cancer risk, as well as causing hyperactivity and allergic reactions in children.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/fear-fo ... z0tylqb5Sg

[Shadowgirlau]

I have been a long time believer in the risk to people including children of eating foods containing additives such as preservatives and colours. Even back in the days when I had young children I was careful about giving them foods which contained these additives or too much sugar of any description.

Actually I have to smile now when the kids say anything to me about their childhood - it is usually about how I wouldn't let them eat the type of cereals or other foods their friends were allowed to and how they always had to defend being "different". My daughter in particular would tell me how the kids would give her a hard time about her lunch, one because the rule was they were only allowed to buy their lunch once a week and secondly because of what she had in her lunch box. She would often eat by herself until one day another girl started at school, she was from an ethnic family and also came with "different" foods for lunch so they both used to go off together to sit on their own and eat. Kids can be so cruel. I digress though, my kids have both told me on various occasions how pleased they are that I persisted in bringing them up the way I did and didn't cave in to the pressure they were always exerting to be one of the crowd so to speak.

I have never understood why people are not more vocal about the food they buy and eat or why they don't seem to want to be more knowledgeable about either the process, the contents, or even the potential end results ?

Kathleen

[Heidi]

Ignorance is bliss! Once you do know about the "stuff" that goes into a lot foods, it just snowballs, and pretty soon, you are making most things from scratch! As you know, its time consuming, but very much worthwhile!
H

[Shadowgirlau]

Here here Heidi!

Actually there is no real excuse for ignorance really. I was watching the cook and the chef today and during this program they had a spiel about the use of "convenience" foods from back in the '70s which made several references to the amount of sugar and additives etc in these foods the increased risk of cancer and rising obesity etc which was attributed to this type of diet. Now if we have known about this for so long, why then have we turned a blind eye to it on the whole?

When one really thinks about, where to is the convenience ? as in the time it would take to drive down to the nearest takeaway queue and wait to be served, then wait for the meal to be cooked, drive back and dish up I could probably have made that same dish for less cost because on top of the food there is then the cost of fuel, wear and tear on the car and my time (if I am working then I would be getting paid say $28 an hour) add all that up and not such a cheap meal after all.



Kathleen

[Mojojo]

yep, I agree, simple quick meals can be so much quicker than nipping out for takeway.

I wonder, when I have kids, how long I can keep them from discovering all the 'junk'? hee hee. At least til school age I think, and McDonald's kids birthday parties (eek)

[Shadowgirlau]

Jo with a little imagination you can keep them from realizing that they are not eating "real junk food" for quite awhile.

I remember when my daughter first ate bought fish and chips. She was staying at a friends house and Dad bought home takeaway. Well when DD came home she told me all about it and said - "Mum they were awful, where do you get ours from and I'll tell Carrie so her Mum knows where to go to get the real good stuff" So with out batting an eye I told her - Mums kitchen.
I'm going to need an address for her Mum she told me, so I gave her ours.

Well I nearly wet my pants I laughed so much as the look on her face was priceless.

For hamburgers I bought a stack of takeaway hamburger trays and would make the burgers and pop them in the trays.

I think kids get used to what is normal at home. If you don't buy them they don't miss it that much. I never stopped them from buying it once they were older and had their own money but found that they didn't like it so didn't bother buying/eating it.

My motto has always been to start off they way you intend to continue.


Kathleen

[Mojojo]

Thats priceless Kathleen, I'm laughing out loud!
Kinda what I was thinking - give em the good stuff at home and they won't want the bought stuff. Hopefully.
Although the other half threatens to go get takeaway pizza, because he know that will make me make it instead! Its just his ploy to get homemade pizza.

[Shadowgirlau]

Thanks Jo,

I tried to make it interesting for the kids when they were younger (I kept it up through to their teens though why I don't know, just habit I guess) The thought was if it looked like takeaway then it was going to be more appealing to the kids than just the thought that "Mum was making" what ever.

Kathleen

[Mojojo]

There was a segment on food colouring and cancer and other illnesses on ... aca or today tonight last night, one of them.
Anyone see it?

I find it odd that the UK and other countries have banned many of these food colourings, and the EU strictly limit them, but Food Standards Australia say that there is not enough evidence to support a ban here.
And yet there is enough 'evidence' to support a ban on Raw milk products when most of the rest of the world allow it?
What, are we just trying to do the opposite to everyone else here?

[minnie]

Hi Jo,

We go with the US sadly.
Vicki

[Shadowgirlau]

Unfortunealtely we do seem to follow the US most of the time.

I think colour and in our milk is actually going to be the least of our worries when the report on WIN ACA last night told us that the government is close to giving the okay for dairy farmers to feed their cattle gentically modified grass/feed to increase their production +++ (did mention a few other things which escape me right now as I was too horrified to listen to all once I heard about the GE going into milk)

Having decided that I really couldn't handle having a couple of cows on our 5 acres along with everything else so, I had resigned myself to not having my own milk/cream etc however hearing this last night I told DH that we might just have to get a couple of goats and get used to drinking goats milk after all.

I swear, I'm sure it is getting worse in our food chain every day.

Kathleen

[minnie]

You know I could have a full time job just writing letters and signing petitions and protesting the things that go on these days... sometimes you get worn out because they just don't seem to listen or the majority couldn't give two hoots... not sure which.

Oh I am pleased to have my cows, Kathleen get the goats.

Vicki

[Shadowgirlau]

Vicki,
I was going to comment but am too worn out to do so

Kathleen

[Dinahmite]

yep, I agree, simple quick meals can be so much quicker than nipping out for takeway.

I wonder, when I have kids, how long I can keep them from discovering all the 'junk'? hee hee. At least til school age I think, and McDonald's kids birthday parties (eek)

You wont be nipping out anywhere for takeaway from Yabberup Jo.... sorry, couldnt help myself. We only have one tired old chinese restaurant in town and more recently Eagle Boys Pizza...Yuk on both accounts.

I am so glad of like minded people like all you ladies ( and guys). Someone has to take a stand. And it starts with people like us.

My eldest daughter had a hyperactive reaction to red food colouring. It was in the days before we put them on Ritilin and all I did was remove the cause and she was fine. Her symptoms were when putting her to bed as a four year old she would say " Mummy I'm tired but my legs wont stop" and she was fidgety and restless, especially after a day out with her grandparents who filled her up on everything they never had as kids thinking they were being good grandparents.
We had to put a stop to that and watch out for anything red. She was old enough to begin to understand herself and at birthday parties she knew to avoid anything red , or pink, even frankfurts. One day she came home from school (year one) as high as a kite and just couldnt stop. I asked her what she had eaten that day and she said nothing. Later when she was doing her reading for me, or trying too as she couldnt keep still, she gleefully told me that they had all been very good that day and her teacher had given them a jelly bean each. She even realized as she spoke... and I said "what colour was yours." You guessed it, red. One little jelly bean and she had the most dreadful disturbed night. The next day I went to see the teacher and said no more jelly beans. Why do doctors reach for the prescription pad when the answer is so simple.

Bring back the simpler life.

Di.

[Shadowgirlau]

Di,
Your a woman after my own heart had a similar problem with my son years ago when he was small. Wasn't going to happen and I chose to go down the food path first. Certain foods would set him off and once we knew which ones to avoid all was relatively well.

Pity more people weren't as willing to persevere with "acting to rectify" the problem rather than contributing to the problem

These days most people seem to be all about the "ease" of what ever it is, I still shake my head in disbelief every time I go past the vegetable shelf in the supermarket that contains bags of pre peeled and diced veggies, cut up sticks of celery and so on (though the celery I don't mind that much) as I don't use a lot of celery so would waste most of it if I had to buy a whole one.


Kathleen

[Mojojo]

That's interesting about the reaction to the colouring like that.
A friend with 5 yo twins says its the yellow that hers can't have, sets both of them off.

If one of the nieghbours gets his way, Yabberup/Lowden may in the future have an Italian gelato stall, right by the river, now that I think I may patronise!
Only problem is, his wife won't let him do it.

[Shadowgirlau]

Love Gelato myself so I would sure patronize it well I might have, as I no longer have any taste maybe not so much anymore

Kathleen

[Hayhay]

You can get natural food colours from the shops - limited colours but ingredients are things like turmeric, cabbage etc..... If the kids want a blue train for their birthday cake they get a purple or yellow one instead - no way I'd get other food colours!

Also can now get all natural paints for kids made of plant starch and natural food extracts.

Yep scary all the things that are in processed foods.......and sadly yes my kids do know what takeaway food is; but only about once a month and only fish n chips. They certainly don't know what evil arches are! (though we'd already have 2 invites to big M birthday parties by the time my eldest was 2.....both politely declined)