Red, Red, Dye....

Love the title?!  I was trying to be witty and make it sound like the popular UB40 song Red, Red, Wine!  :)  Anyways, our family has gone dye-free and we're trying to eat all organic.  Once you start, the shopping is a little overwhelming.  Reading all of the labels and entertaining a 6 year old is not the easiest thing in the world, especially when the 6 year old has ADHD.  

He's the reason we started watching labels.  There are many studies that correlate ADHD behaviors to dyes and sugars.  The dyes of concern are Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.

" Researchers say the yellow dyes deplete zinc levels enough in some kids to cause hyperactivity. The Red 40 may lead to temper tantrums, aggressive behavior, fidgeting, anxiety, and inability to concentrate." 

And you would be amazed at how many products contain it, toothpaste and even canned pickles!  You can find it in some of kids favorite products.  His favorites were Kraft Mac N Cheese, Doritos, M&Ms, fruit snacks, granola bars and the list goes on.

So, now that we're aware of what to look for when we shop it has made shopping a little easier.  I've made it my mission to go through different grocery stores just to see what they carry that he can eat.

Today I went to Aldi, we buy some of our staple items here because it's SO much cheaper.  Today I wanted to see if there were organic, dye free products that I could buy at a fair price.  I was pleasantly surprised!

Strawberry Kiwi Juice Pouches (No artificial colors, preservatives or flavors)... $1.89

Simply Nature Organic Iced Fruit Bars... $2.69

Simply Nature Organic String Cheese... $2.99

Simply Nature Twisted Fruit Rope... $2.49

Danimals Smoothie (No artificial dyes or flavors and no corn syrup) ... $2.19

Simply Nature Shredded Wheat Cereal... $1.99

Crunchy Honey Granola Bars... $1.89

Not a HUGE variety, but good to know it's there if I'm in the area!  If you're dye free in your home, I'd love to hear some of your favorite snacks and treats!