Anyone Have Experience with Allergies to Food Coloring

Hi D., We had issues with red food coloring for a while. Our middle daughter was sensitive to red food coloring until she was about 5. She eventually grew out of it and it doesn't bother her anymore. She would get red cheeks and hives (especially around her mouth). Red food coloring is in a lot of products! We even found it in vanilla frosting and some red meats. :) Just read the labels and avoid it for a while. It's good that you are still going to the allergist to rule out other things too. It is possible and I'm sure you'll do great!

I have a friend whose daughter is allergic to food coloring. I believe the most prevelent symptom with her is severe stomach pains. For her it is not considered a severe allergy as precautions in her school are not treated equally as say a peanut allergy is.

I had suspected my youngest to have red food coloring sensitivity as he would vomit consistantly after drinking anything red. He is 2 now and it seems to have stopped.

I have learned that not everything does have food coloring as I have reading labels carefully so I know what snacks to have when we get together. Also tylenol, along with many other children's meds, do come dye-free.

That's all I know. Try not to worry, but do keep track of what she eats around the time of any episodes. An anecdotal record to bring to the allergist is helpful. Good luck at the allergist. I hope you get answers easily.

A.

hi D. - my child does not have this problem but we have cut food dyes out of our diet for the most part as it's just not good for anyone! i work for a great company started by a single mom whose children could not eat food dyes, msg, preservatives, additives, peanuts and more(they had allergies, juvenile diabetes, adhd)!!! she was having such a hard time finding food to feed them - so she started making her own and it turned into a business!! check out www.jenwarr.mywildtree.com for more info or contact me if you like! it's amazing how much stuff is in our food and we don't even know it!!!
take care
J.

I have a cousin who is allergic to a lot of food dyes. He gets really sick having anything with certain dye colors in them. He says it's easier to just avoid anything that artificial colors in it.

Keep up the good work. I know it's hard to watch everything that goes in their mouth!

I have very fair skin and had an oddball allergy to a yellow dye in a drink mix a few years back. I ended up needing to go on cortisone ointment for a week or so to deal with the itching and blotchiness. I also had a student in class who had an allergy to red dye in candy. He said it made him hyper, but I never let him eat anything in my presence with red dye to test it out :)

My husband had an allergy to Red (dye) 40 when he was an infant/toddler, but grew out of it in later childhood. He would get a blotchy rash all over his body. I have not dealt with it personally, other than knowing his situation. I would recommend that snack-time consists of fresh fruits (no fruit juice) and vegetables, and plain yogurt. And try to prepare other meals from scratch so you know exactly what it contains. If that is not practical to do all of the time, just ensure you read all food labels.

It may be a little extra work at first (i.e. grocery shopping, cooking, etc), but once you get to know the foods she can or can not eat, it will come natural. I'm sure you already have some idea of what foods she has been okay with, and what she absolutely can not have, like goldfish and colored cereals... Poor babe!

Hopefully this is just a phase, and she will soon be able to enjoy other foods. I hope the allergist gives you some good insight.

We figured out my oldest son (now 7) had a sensitivity to artificial food dyes when he was about 1 1/2 years old. After ingesting it, his ears turn BRIGHT red , and has a blotchy neck, while acting like a poster child for ADHD. We initially thought it was the sugar in food, but, generally, most sugar laden treats have artificial colors. It is very hard to shop for "fun" treats that do not have the dyes in them. Hopefully, we will follow suit after Europe and make it mandatory to eliminate these horrible colors from our food. Keep up the good work, because if these dyes are apparent in people who are sensitive, what are these chemical doing to people with no sensitivities?