The snack foods which are produced for children contain very harmful compounds from cancer causing artificial colors to petroleum products! Just to be clear, petroleum is the same ingredient used to make up oil and gas. Commonly used food dyes as Red 40 and Yellow 5 are made of petroleum and can be linked with some serious health conditions.
Among those health problems are: hyperactivity in children, allergic reactions and cancer ( in animal studies). Artificial colors are also linked with: headaches, bed –wetting, obesity, ear infections, hypersensitivity, diabetes, asthma, hyperactivity, sleep disorders, eczema, ADD/ADHD, hives, increased risky behavior, chromosomal damage and sometimes with hypoglycemia.
Because these substances are so toxic, the British government and European Union have banned the use of dyes all over Europe:
- Pop tarts
Pop tarts are toaster pastries and were produced in 1964. The Frosted Strawberry flavor contains dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup and sugar! All these belong to the group of harmful sugar. But there are also other harmful ingredients as TBHQ which is derived from petroleum and is related to butane which is partially hydrogenated soybean oil. This oil is proven to cause cellular dysfunction.
- Fruit snacks
You can find them in various fruit flavors and characters and they are hard to resist. But they are mostly made of colors and artificial additives. Among them is Red 3 which is widely used for food coloring. It is also known as E127 or Erythrosine, a petroleum product.
- M&M’s
These fun chocolate candies are tasty and melt in your mouth but they are made of artificial colors which are very harmful when ingested. They also contain: Blue #2(contains petroleum and causes brain tumors in lab mice, abnormal cell development and hyperactivity in children), Blue #1 (linked with malignant tumors), Red #40 (Damages DNA), Yellow #6 ( causes cancer) and Yellow #5. All of this colors as mentioned above are made of petroleum and can trigger allergic reaction, cancer and hyperactivity.
- Cheetos.
Cheetos are orange, cheesy snacks. The artificial color responsible for the “cheese” color is made from Yellow 6, which we know is derived from petroleum. And the “cheese” flavoring is due to the methyl benzoate and ethyl methylphenidate.
- Teddy grams
These candies are firstly produced in 1988 and can be found in 5 different flavors. Although these cute teddy bears are as small as the small finger, they are full with dreaded TBHQ. TBHQ can be toxic and can cause ringing in the ear, nausea, delirium, collapse and vomiting. It is proven to cause stomach cancer in lab rats, fragment DNA and cause damage to humane lung and umbilical cells. It can also cause restlessness, intensify the symptoms of ADHD and anxiety in children.
Source: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/