FTSF – It’s Not Easy Eating Green
When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, I don’t have much to say on the topic.
My Daughter, however, has a bit of an opinion – YUCK!
It’s not the holiday she has a problem with. It’s the green.
When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, all the food is green. Green milkshakes. Green candy. Green cupcakes with greener sprinkles. Green eggs and ham. OK, that’s Dr. Seuss week, not St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s also in March so there’s one more green food of worry.
It’s fun, right? A little green food dye and leprechaun’s magic and you’ve got yourself a party.
Not so much when you are a person who can’t consume food coloring. Like my Daughter.
About eighteen months ago, we discovered that Kidzilla can not tolerate food dyes. Over a period of time, we realized that particular physical reactions and behaviors were directly related to her consumption of dyes.
We blamed it on sugar at first. Not that sugar wins any popularity contests, but it wasn’t the culprit. We chalked it up to the terrible twos…and threes…and fours. Eventually, we figured we’d have to quit at some age. We flirted with the idea that our child was just loud and annoying. When we confirmed that she had ADHD, we figured that settled the issue.
But through observation and a whole lot of trial and error, we came to the conclusion that it must be the evil Red 40. And it was. Until it wasn’t. There came a day when the reaction happened and no Red 40 lurked anywhere. The villain that time? Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. After some intentional experimentation, it became clear that all artificial food coloring produced undesirable results.
So what does all of this have to do with St. Patrick’s Day?
Well, nothing, really. And everything.
On a day-to-day basis, when I and my Daughter are in control of her food choices, things work well. When we hit exceptions – parties, holidays, restaurants – it’s more of a challenge. But it’s not impossible.
Our Daughter is not doomed to suffer in the corner and watch while the rest of the world eats whatever they like. She does not have to feel left out because she has a particular dietary issue. First of all, lots of kids do – there are allergies and issues related to dairy, nuts, gluten and more. Having a food allergy or sensitivity doesn’t have to be negative. There are options.
We have successfully managed to find very suitable alternatives for the standard holiday-hued fare – green or otherwise. We found delicious red gummy hearts for Valentine’s Day, colored with beet juice. (The Hub just chimed in, “ooh, those were good.”) We have found yogurt and frozen fruit bars that are dye free and colored naturally with fruit or vegetable juices. Clementines and Mandarin oranges make great Halloween jack o’lanterns without having to dye any marshmallow cereal treats. Fresh fruit comes in every color of the rainbow – arrange fruit in the shape of a holiday item and you’re all set. We have found macaroni and cheese that is Yellow 5 free. And those green eggs and ham? Spinach or parsley puree mixed into the eggs before scrambling. Trust me – they’ll never know.
Something else we’ve found to be very helpful is full disclosure. If your child has a food issue, tell people. Because Zilla’s teachers and the lunchroom staff – and even her friends – are aware of her food issues, they can help. Our classroom teacher and the class moms have reached out to us before party days with menu items and ingredients lists so we could make sure items were “safe” or provide a substitute. We’ve even had friends’ moms provide dye-free cupcakes at parties. It’s nice.
Finally, one of our greatest assets is that Zilla is aware of how horrible she feels after eating dye, and she wants to prevent that. Help your child to be aware of their body and how it reacts and teach them to make good choices. Zilla knows how to read a food label and she knows the ingredients to look for that are problematic for her. Armed with this knowledge, she owns the situation and can make choices for herself and that is empowering.
So when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, or any other special occasion, or even everyday life, a food allergy or sensitivity doesn’t have to sideline your child from the celebration. You just have find a different way to color that rainbow so you can enjoy the pot of gold at the end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday prompt, where writers and bloggers come together in community to share thoughts on a single sentence. This weeks is “When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, I…”
Your co-hosts, along with me, your always-host (Kristi at Finding Ninee) are:
Kelly from Just Typikel and
Lisa from The Meaning of Me
Are you a writer or blogger who would like info on upcoming sentences or want to co-host a linkup? Join our Facebook group!
Love this? Share the love and tell someone!
40 Comments
Comments are closed.
Really great, thought-provoking article. And I love that Fab Hub chimed in.
You’ve found some inventive ways around the issue of food colourings for Zilla, and how wonderful that you’re all working together as a team to make sure she doesn’t feel left out 🙂
He was very funny inserting his opinion of the candy hearts. And they really were delicious.
Inventive is a good word for how we operate, but it works. It’s worth the effort to make sure she feels included and that she doesn’t feel miserable because of what the stuff does to her body. Teamwork is exactly what we have going on – it takes a Village! 🙂
Hi Lisa! I’m a sporadic FTSF, so glad to be here. I love your positive outlook on the food dye allergy. Really, you make it sound manageable and just part of your life, while I’m sure there was stress involved in there. Your daughter sounds like a champ, embracing it, listening to her body, and being supported by so many.
Hi, Katy! Glad you’re here this week!
The dye thing IS manageable and, for better or worse, is a part of our life. It does take some legwork and planning to make it work some days, but once you get to know the products you can trust, have alternatives in place, and get people on board, it works pretty well. Our Daughter really is a champ. She’s always been very sensitive to what her body does, even when she was very young and it’s been a blessing. She understands that this is part of who she is and eating thing that trigger a problem can make her miserable. She gets it. She knows how to read food labels – a great life skill, anyway – and generally just accepts and owns that this is how we live. She’s actually said she feels special on several occasions. At Bible School this summer, we packed our own substitute for all the foods they used for “snack crafts” and such and she was delighted that what she had was similar to the other kids and also her very own unique thing. On one occasion, we had dinner at a nice restaurant and she wanted the macaroni and cheese (a favorite from the kids’ menu) but it had dyes, so the chef whipped up a very special version for her with shell macaroni, gruyere and cheddar cheeses, and she was delighted. We’re thankful she’s so great about it.
Loved how you incorporated this here and so glad that you have indeed been able to find ways around her allergy to food dyes. I have to admit that I never knew that there was such a thing, but after going to a seminar with BlogHer on food allergies, I have learned that there are truly so many different kids out there and you just never know.
You’re exactly right, Janine – you just never know. There are SO many things that can be an issue so what I try to always remember, and teach others to be aware of, is that we should err on the side of caution and try to go with healthy, whole foods for things like parties, etc. so that all kids can be included. The good news is that there are so many options today. When my Husband (also sensitive to dyes) was a child, the choices for alternatives were few and far between.
I know the dye issue is so hard. Although really – the fact that more of us aren’t sensitive to it is crazy. I have a friend who’s son has horrible reactions to it. I remember she used to order candy form Europe for holidays – because they ban the crap from their food!
I suspect more people are sensitive to dyes and additives than realize it, Allie. Some are just more noticeable and bothersome than others. The candy from Europe doesn’t surprise me at all. That’s very true about what they allow over there. For example, we found that Kraft makes a yellow dye free mac and cheese available in the UK, but not here. Seriously??? If you can do it there, why not here? Do not even get me started on that one…
[…] Lisa Listwa of The Meaning of Me […]
Wow, you did a great job connecting this post to the prompt. And I’ve wondered about this sensitivity you’ve mentioned before. All my ideas seem so lame. Im just skipping.
Well, I definitely struggled to connect this one because St. Patrick’s Day is really not a thing here. I’m happy with how this turned out, though. Ask me anything you want to know about the food dye thing. We’re pros now!
I thought about skipping, really, because I couldn’t come up with a thing. But I told Kristi I’d co-host, so…yeah. 😀
Sarah don’t skip! It’s FUN!
That is very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I participated in a bake sale fundraiser and made a pound cake that I do from scratch because it isn’t very expensive to make and doesn’t have nuts so I figured that would be good. I did however put yellow dye it it to make it look more “lemony” and that was totally unnecessary. I never thought about being allergic to dye. Thought when my son was a baby I did not want him to have red drink and grape juices because it was no coincidence that from either he would get a rash.
Our first realization about yellow dye was with a cake, Kenya – there was yellow in a pound cake dessert at a restaurant, as well as the custard in that dessert. Some people have very specific reactions like you mentioned such as rashes. And no two people’s reactions are alike, either. It’s worth thinking about when making or eating things.
Oh and I think I’d much rather have eggs with parsley than dyed green. I agree YUCK.
Yes, the greens work pretty well. Spinach is my first choice because much like it does in a green smoothie, the spinach taste virtually disappears. It’s very mild. Parsley is a pretty good option, too, because the flavor is not very intense.
We have also come across vegetable-based food coloring. India Tree makes dyes that are from beet, carrot, cabbage, turmeric, for example and you can mix them to make other colors.
So, Zilla and I have something in common. Just that in 1976 they simply called it “Hyperactivity” and I was lucky, like Zilla, that my parents chose to treat me with diet instead of medication. Have you heard of the Feingold Diet? It’s pretty much what you are already doing, but it restricts artificial flavorings as well as color (it did back then anyway). The crazy thing is, I went off the diet as an adult and recently put myself back on it inadvertently when I went plant based, and I notice SUCH a difference. It’s great Zilla is aware of how food makes her feel already at such a young age! Kudos to you Mom (and Dad) for sticking with what’s best for Zilla even though it’s not always what’s easy.
Jen, in the 1970s, we knew a lot less about hperactivity and ADHD and a few other things. We didn’t talk about ADHD as a diagnosis back then, particularly not in girls, which is a whole other discussion.
I have heard of the Feingold Diet and we are well-versed in the topic. My Husband was actually on it as a child. We do avoid artificial flavoring as well as a few other things as well as the coloring. It’s pretty rare if we aren’t eating whole, organic foods as a general rule. If you have a sensitivity to particular food ingredients, it certainly makes sense to modify. At this point, we do not have Zilla on medication and it is our goal to hopefully avoid that if at all possible. So far, we’re doing well and the way we eat benefits all of us where things like ADHD and my RA are concerned. Food is very powerful, in both positive and negative ways.
I love how your daughter’s school supports her needs outside the home too, so she can feel included and safe.
This is a good reminder for me to not make assumptions about sending in food for large groups without first checking about allergies or sensitivities. Thank you!
Jessica, it’s one of the reasons we love her school. It eases my mind a great deal to know that if I miss something, the staff is likely to catch it. And getting a heads-up about party food is so helpful.
I feel like years ago we didn’t have to think about things like that – or maybe we did and it’s just that we’re more aware of the potential dangers involved. It’s always a good idea to err on the side of caution and at the very least provide others in the group with info about what’s in the food.
My three girls are already so picky I cannot imagine having to deal with food allergies. However, you have certainly made it seem very manageable.
Hi, Lisa. We’ve tried to make it as manageable as possible so it doesn’t have to be a huge obstacle. So far, it’s working pretty well! I am also blessed with a pretty non-picky eater, so that is very helpful!
It sounds like you are giving your daughter the tools she needs to eventually handle her own food allergies without letting them negatively impact her life. And the bonus is that she stays away from food dyes that I’m sure are horrible for us, regardless of whether they make us feel bad or not. Thanks for co-hosting today!
Thanks, Dana. As easy as it would be to make all her decisions for her, that isn’t realistic. In this and other things, we have to teach her how to choose and advocate for herself because we simply can’t be with her every minute of her life. Kind of sad from the mommy perspective, but also exciting and comforting because we don’t have to worry how she’ll handle things. Giving kids tools for success is important, no matter what the issue.
See? And here you are with utter brilliance and helpful information and fun facts and humor and awesomeness even though you thought you had nothing. Awesome job! I don’t understand why food manufacturers are allowed to use so much artificial junk – it’s not necessary and so many people have issues with it. Tucker is allergic to nuts and peanuts (total bummer) and while he’s not reading food labels yet, he does tell people about his allergies which is awesome. I want to know which gummy hearts were colored with beet juice because I’m a gummy addict.
Thanks mucho for co-hosting with me this week. I appreciate it!
I have no idea where this post came from at all. But suddenly, there it was.
Your question is one that many people ask – if it’s possible to make things without the extra junk, why not just do it? Like the very popular mac and cheese brand we all love? In the UK, they aren’t allowed to use the yellow dyes and so there is a version without it. Some of their brand’s product line is made without the dyes, so why not all? Their lame answer? Something about how customers expect it to look and taste a certain way. OK, sure, that’s fair. But it can be achieved without the dyes.
Nut allergies are a particularly tough one – such serious reactions. That one scares me. Good for him for knowing to tell people – that’s big. Does he wear a bracelet? I know some people with nut allergies do.
The heart gummies that we got for Valentine’s Day were from our local store, but it’s a chain so there may be one by you. I also can tell you lots of brands that are good. I’ll send you a message later.
Thanks for having me co-host! I’m happy to be on board!
And you said you had nothing. Brilliant work – an enteraining, educational and thoughtful piece. My son is allergic to red dye. Never forget the day he came pounding out of the Valentine’s Day party at preschool. Swollen lip and covered in hives. Yikes. As he got older he luckily grew to be able to tolerate it. And then I got the phone call from college. “Mom, I’m covered in hives.” The culprit? We narrowed it down to copious amounts of Skittles mainlined during exam time.
Love that your daughter has been taught to read the labels. Good job of empowerment Mom.
I shouldn’t laugh, but I did a little – copious amounts of Skittles during exams. Only in college. Poor guy! The reactions to this stuff – whether physical or behavioral – are awful. That red stuff is a particular baddie. And of course, all the good stuff is red, right? My husband seems to have outgrown his dye issues for the most part, but I do see slight differences in him when he’s had some of it.
Teaching Zilla to read the labels has been a huge thing for us. Empowerment is exactly what it is and it’s good for more than food issues. We want her to be able to speak for herself and find out what she needs to know about things. So far, it’s working really well.
Thanks very much for the praise. I appreciate it. I swear I didn’t have this in my head when we were chatting with Kristi. I truly do not know what sparked it – maybe because I was in the midst of researching substitute items for the classroom teacher to make leprechaun punch without green sherbet (all FULL of dyes). That’s probably it.
I’m always impressed with parents that deal with their kids food allergies in a positive way. I don’t have kids, but I always joke that if I had a kid with food allergies I’d probably have to put them up for adoption, because I like my food way too much. Yeah, that’s probably part of the reason why I don’t have kids.
Hi, Marty. Well, thanks, I think. 😀 It’s amazing what you figure out and just do when you have to.
Thanks for coming over! Happy Friday!
What a great post! I never used to think about food allergies or kids that just couldn’t eat the same things as everyone else, until my son became friends with a little girl who is basically allergic to everything. Her mother is so amazing about providing treats for class parties — not just for her own little girl, but enough for all of the kids to taste the different foods. Having friends with special food requirements has helped teach kids and me to make better choices about the foods we eat.
Well, okay … it’s helped us THINK about making better choices while we still make the bad choices, but at least we’re on the right path. 🙂
Thanks, A.J. That’s pretty much how we were. I was allergic to shellfish, so we avoided that, but we got really careful when we discovered Zilla’s issues with the dyes and HFCS. I would say that is the best thing we’ve gained from the whole situation – making better food choices overall for the whole family. We don’t always get it right and we are far from perfect in the eating department. Case in point: Chuck E. Cheese birthday party today so the Kidzilla had pizza and a cupcake at 11AM. They served RED punch, but luckily we found some Sprite. Was that my number one choice for her? No way. But clear soda is a better choice than the red stuff. And the employee helping with the party was very sweet and kindly helped scrape the colored decorations off the cupcakes for us. Sweet.
So glad we found each other again! Looking forward to reading more!
I have been blissfully spoiled to have been able to cook or bake whatever the heck triggered my fancy because no one in the house has any sort of allergies. But at Thanksgiving I am always trying to come up with something my nephews can eat. Without fail just when I think I have eliminated all offenders, I discover some ingredient within an ingredient that will make them react. It is so hard!
I look at finding foods with special requirements as a fun challenge. If you need any ideas, holler my way – I probably have loads of suggestions.
Great points about food dyes, and kudos to you for figuring out what was causing your daughter’s problems. Doing the work to winnow out the non-issues and truly understand what is the root cause takes a ton of effort. I salute you!
Thanks, Anna. It was a fairly lengthy process of experimentation and trial-and-error, Anna, but we really wanted to figure out what was going on. It’s been well worth it because armed with the knowledge, we can help her make smart choices. And we all eat a little healthier and smarter as a result, so that’s a benefit for the whole family!
You have the BEST perspective Lisa!! I’m so glad that you can figure things out so your little sweetie can still embrace and celebrate the holidays!! I love your ending… just perfect!!
Chris, I have to tell you that my Husband has a lot to do with Zilla being able to enjoy treats for holidays. Last night he stood in the kitchen and used organic non-dye food coloring to dye mini marshmallows so she could have them in school while the other kids used Lucky Charms. We really do try to help her find alternatives. And a big factor in our success is that Zilla understands how lousy she feels when she has the dyes and it’s just not worth it to her. Smart girl.
Very interesting post. I have seen a lot about food allergies in the news lately. This is a good one to be aware of and I have to give you high-fives for your great outlook!
I’ll take that high-five, Lisa, because we do a lot of work on this. The other day, my Husband stood in the kitchen dying mini-marshmallows by hand with all natural vegetable coloring so Kidzilla could have St. Patrick’s Day marshmallows with the rest of her class – they had Lucky Charms. He gets a gold star for that – or whatever color they are in that cereal!