Thankfully today we are becoming more aware of the impact preservatives, additives, artificial colours and flavouring have on our health and more importantly our children’s health. We know that junk food is riddled with colouring to make it more appealing and this as a profound effect on children’s behaviour.
It’s understandable why. Did you know that synthetic dyes are created by burning coal tar and others are derived from petroleum by-products? Over the years many dyes have been banned because they were simply cancer-causing toxins. Today in Australia all additives undergo a thorough safety assessment before being approved for use in Australia and New Zealand, which is much better than what’s going on around the rest of the world.
But just because the synthetic dyes used aren’t going to kill us quickly, doesn’t mean they aren’t going to poison us slowly.
All too often dyes are used in products that you wouldn’t necessarily think, such as meat, sauces, salad dressings, cheese and much more. The safest option is to always read the label and buy the organic option if it’s available. Of course, the best option of all is fresh fruit and vegetables, they are rich in colour that is not only safe for us but necessary for survival.
Sometimes you do need a little colour in your food, how do you get the colour without the risk?
This week I made my scrumptious kid’s organic pancakes for breakfast. To make it a touch more fun and colourful I added a touch of food colouring. I used an all-natural food colouring that I purchased from my local health food shop. It is made with 100% natural fruit and vegetable concentrate and nothing else. This is a very easy way to add colour to cakes, cupcakes, well anything really. All the colours of the rainbow are available and they taste amazing.
You can also take it up a notch and make your own, there are amazing recipes and videos showing you how to make your own wonderful colouring. My favourite is this YouTube video.
It’s just awesome!
So if you’re looking to use colour in your cooking there are alternatives out there. Also keep in mind that colouring is added to numerous products you wouldn’t assume, so always check out that label!
Love THE HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE TO FOOD COLOURING? Or know someone who needs to read this? Please share away!
I don’t bake that often but it’s wonderful to know that there are organic food colouring options available if I wanted to use them. Very good point about checking labels – you never know unless you read them!
Hi Tamara, I’m so pleased that you liked my post, there are options out there and that’s so exciting!
Smurf pancakes! very colourful and fun for children 🙂
Its is amazing what toxic chemicals are put into food. We can avoid them though like you say checking the ingredient list but better still eating real unprocessed food – organic of course. Another way to add colour is to use a superfood powder (like you would add to a smoothie) that way you get more benefits not just colour.
Hi Gabirelle, the smurf pancakes were a huge hit! I have used superfood powder to add colour and as a vitamin hit in my kid’s smoothies, it’s a great option! Thanks for leaving me a comment. Have a fabulous day 🙂
I never would have thought to go to a health food shop to find food colouring so thats handy to know. Years ago I made my then 12 year old daughters birthday cake using beetroot juice to colour the icing! It turned out just the right shade of pink and no one knew the difference!
Yum! Beetroot juice, what a great idea! Local health food shops are always full of wonderful alternatives and food colouring is one of them. I find there is always a healthier alternative out there or options that you can make yourself. Thanks for sharing 🙂