Parenting News of the Week
Is Eating Cartoon-Colored Food Bad for Kids’ Health?
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/25619
That’s what an FDA’s Food Advisory Committee will decide. The panel is holding a two-day meeting this week at the request of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which is requesting that the FDA revoke approval for eight synthetic dyes that are used as color additives in food.
An FDA review of the literature released ahead of the advisory panel meeting included this study that found three year-old children fed drink mixtures containing common food dyes and the preservative sodium benzoate were significantly more hyper thank kids who drank a placebo.
But FDA reviewers wrote that the effects of artificial coloring on kids’ behavior are far from conclusive, and said dyes have not been definitively linked to hyperactivity. The reviewers basically likened dyes to allergens that might affect some kids who are already hyperactive. But they said additives other than dyes might have the same effect.
Speakers from CSPI argued Wednesday morning that dyes should be banned from all foods because they offer no benefit, other than attempting to fool people into thinking they are eating fruit, or something else that is healthy.
Website of the Week
In keeping with our topic about kids being compassionate, I love this website and the advice it gives for raising charitable kids. Don’t get me wrong, our daughter begs for every new toy just like every other kid, but in those moments that she does offer up the quarter she finds on the ground and says we should donate it to the Tsunami relief, my heart swells with pride. It makes me want to do everything I can to encourage that behavior. Here are some ideas that we’ve used and friends have used to try to encourage charity and compassion in our kids:
http://www.5minutesformom.com/3878/service-to-others-raising-charitable-kids/
Parent Loser of the Week
This story makes me so angry, I cannot even believe these people have children:
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