A distraught American mother has given vent to her frustration on social media after she found that a seemingly harmless food has caused her toddler’s skin to break out in rashes. Her story was covered by KFOR News Channel.
In the photographs she uploaded on Facebook, they show that the baby’s thighs were covered in red welts.
At first Misty Lynn didn’t know what had caused it.
“[I] had to take Harper to the doctors today. [I] had no clue what gave her this rash until Steve told me that she had Applejacks cereal for the first time this morning. Poor girl! [I] did more research on it and this is what I found.”
As it turns out, Apple Jacks contain controversial food dyes that are known to cause “behavioural problems” in children: yellow 6, blue 1, red 40 and BHT.
“These food dyes are now illegal in Europe, but perfectly acceptable in America,” Misty added.
“BHT is a common stabilizer in pesticides, gasoline, lubricants, and soaps, but are also found in Apple Jacks. Yellow 6 has been linked to tumors in lab mice and red 40 has been known to cause severe allergic reactions.”
There were those who thought Misty’s post—which has gone viral and been shared more than three thousand times—was just a product of a mother’s paranoia, but research has backed up her claims.
A research conducted by Why Dye revealed that some dyes in Apple Jacks are harmful.
“Reported side effects of FD&C Yellow #6 include gastric upset, hives, runny nose, allergies, hyperactivity, tumours in animals, mood swings, and headache. It is banned in Norway and Finland,” it said.
“Red Dye #40 is a highly refined petrochemical and based on potential ill-effects including headaches/migraines, hyperactivity, decreased concentration, sleep disturbances and a feeling of ‘crawling out of one’s skin,’ its use in foods has been reduced or banned from use in other countries.”
While not all dyes used in food have ill effects upon consumption, it doesn’t hurt to be more careful when feeding our children certain foods, especially if the are processed.
Particularly useful is taking time to check the ingredients list at the box of foods and doing your own research. It may be time consuming, but never when the health of the family may be compromised.
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