Which Food Additives Make Kids Behave Badly?

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Food For Thought

Sunday, December 25, 2011

by Margie Kelly, Communications Manager, Healthy Child Healthy World

Just like you limit the amount of sugar in your child’s diet, you should also keep an eye on their consumption of food additives. Chemical additives in food and drinks have been identified as culprits behind children’s temper tantrums and bad behavior.

Scientists in the United Kingdom found three year-old children were “more likely to lack concentration, lose their temper, interrupt others, and struggle to get to sleep” when they drank juice containing food colorings and preservatives, according to the Daily Mail.

The UK Food Commission, a “food watchdog,” responded to the study by announcing that it supports a ban on food additives and artificial colorings in children’s food and drink.

But in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency responsible for food safety, has taken very limited action on food additives, including dyes, such as Red 40 and Yellow 5, which are suspected to trigger hyperactivity in children.

Since it’s perfectly legal in the US to add chemicals that may cause behavior problems for children, it’s up to parents to be on the lookout for risky food additives.

Pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene developed a list of five additives you should avoid:

1. Artificial Colors – anything that begins with FD&C (e.g. FD&C Blue #1) 

2. Chemical Preservatives – Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Benzoate 

3. Artificial Sweeteners – Aspartame, Acesulfame-K, Saccharin

4. Added Sugar – High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Corn Syrup, Dextrose, etc .

5. Added Salt – Look at the sodium content and choose foods with the lowest amounts.

(You can watch Dr. Greene discuss food additives in this 2009 video of his interview with the ABC’s Good Morning America)

Additionally, you can refer to this Healthy Child checklist to guide you in limiting your child’s intake of food additives:

Identify what your child eats. Keep a food diary for a week, noting everything that is eaten – including at school. At the end of the week, you should have a good idea of your child’s exposure to food additives. Food additives are largely present in processed and packaged foods, candy, soda and other "junk" food, so if you limit those foods, you’ll cut down considerably.

Opt for whole and organic foods. Eating a balanced diet of fresh produce and whole grain foods will go a long way towards keeping additives out of your child’s system. Organic packaged foods have little or no added synthetic colors or preservatives.

Chose products that are labeled "preservative-free." Be wary of labels that claim "no added preservatives." These products may nevertheless contain ingredients that were already preserved prior to inclusion in the final product. For example, almost all lard, used in baked goods, is treated with BHA or BHT.

Read labels! Particularly keep an eye out for the following. Some of these cause allergy-like symptoms or are suspected carcinogens.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT).
Propyl Gallate
Sodium Nitrate/Nitrate
Sulfites (Sulfur Dioxide, Sodium Sulfite, Sodium And Potassium Bisulfite, Sodium and Potassium Metabisulfite)
Potassium Bromate
FD&C Blue No. 1
FD&C Blue No. 2
FD&C Green No. 3
FD&C Red No. 3 (Erythrosine)
FD&C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine)
FD&C Yellow No. 6
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Acesulfame-K

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has an extensive analysis of food additives, including those to avoid and others that are safe.

Do you watch your children’s intake of food additives? Which ones are of particular concern to you?

Photo courtesy Pedro Klien / CC BY 2.0

Posted by Anne Craig on 03/05/2012 at 08:57 PM

Some of these aren’t proven facts. And in general cases it depends on the child. I have twins who are completely opposite but they always get the same things and eat the same meals, snacks and drinks. The key is moderation. If you give anybody with too much of any thing of course it’s body/mind is going to react. We are not wealthy enough to completely avoid the above ingredients. Some of them are just inevitable specially if budget is a concern. So if a juice has HFCS, we just dilute it. Valentines or Halloween? We dont give them all the candies but instead keep the majority and spread it towards rewards or treats.

The twins have very different reactions. I do believe that genes play a big role and that its not just what you eat.

Posted by Rebecca on 02/27/2012 at 10:02 AM

I’m so glad I found this (pinterest)...my son had been out of control since Valentine’s Day and we threw all the candy away (most of it red) b/c I got freaked about about his behavior change. I attribute it to the red dyes mostly, but all of this is good information! Thanks!

BTW, we noticed a HUGE behavior change within 24 hours of no candy.

Posted by Tamara Rubin on 02/21/2012 at 02:01 PM

This post on my Kickstarter blog talks about my experience with artificial ingredients & their impact on my children: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leadsafeamerica/americas-secret-epidemic/posts/173864

Posted by Jennifer on 01/21/2012 at 09:56 AM

I notice everyday many young children have lunches filled with modified, pesticide, herbicide pre packed items. In terms of health they contain no real nutrients to sustain a child’s whole development.( get sick more often, non attentive in class,temper tandrums) I’ve been observing how I feel when I eat something that’s not a real living food, I feel irritable, drained etc. kids need dark greens, veggies. Life is busy to prepare your own food, but but not too busy for our children whom we love. Foods have direct effect on kids behavior.

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