FDA Just Banned Red Dye No. 3 Due to Cancer Risk—See Which Drinks and Snacks Will Be Affected

  

Big changes are on the horizon for some of your favorite snack foods and drinks. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today1 that it is formally banning the use of Red No. 3—a synthetic dye that was previously barred from cosmetics due to a known cancer risk—in food and ingested drugs. This move is a response to a 2022 color additive petition filed by more than a dozen food safety and health advocates who requested that the agency ban the substance, sometimes known as FD&C Red No. 3, in food and other items due to its known health risks. 

 While the FDA noted that two studies showed cancer in male lab rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3, the agency clarified “the way that FD&C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans.” Additionally, the FDA pointed out that “relevant exposure levels to FD&C Red No. 3 for humans are typically much lower than those that cause the effects shown in male rats,” and that studies conducted in other animals and humans did not show these harmful effects.

Still, Red No. 3 is now being banned in food and ingested drugs due to something called the Delaney Clause, which “prohibits FDA authorization of a food additive or color additive if it has been found to induce cancer in humans or animals.” Europe, Australia, and New Zealand have already banned Red No. 3 in food, except for certain cherry varieties. 

Per this announcement from the FDA, food manufacturers who use Red No. 3 will have until January 15, 2027 to remove it from their products, while producers of ingested drugs must remove Red No. 3 from their medicines by January 18, 2028. Additionally, even though Red No. 3 is still permitted in other countries, all foods imported to the United States must be free of it by January 2027.

So, what does all of this mean for you and the food and medication you consume? Keep reading to find out.

What Is Red No. 3?

Red No. 3, which you may have seen listed on some nutrition labels, is a synthetic food dye that gives foods and drinks a bright, cherry-red color. It is similar, though not identical to Red No. 40—a dark red dye utilized in some sports drinks, candy, condiments, and cereal.

According to the FDA, Red No. 3 is not as widely used in food and drugs when compared to other certified colors, but it can be found in certain food products, such as candy, cakes and cupcakes, cookies, frozen desserts, and frostings and icings. Red No. 3 is also present in certain ingested drugs, such as gabapentin and certain cough syrups.

“Today’s action by the FDA marks a monumental victory for consumer health and safety,” Ken Cook, president and cofounder of the Environmental Working Group, said in a statement.2 “For years, Red 3 remained in food products, despite growing evidence linking it to health problems, particularly in kids.”

Foods and Household Items Made with Red No. 3

As noted above, Red No. 3 is currently found in a variety of foods and snacks, as well as certain ingested vitamins and medications. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest3 and Newsweek4, the following products contain Red No. 3:

• Candy corn
• Hot Tamales (some varieties)
• PEZ
• Fruit by the Foot
• Ring Pop (certain flavors)
• Dubble Bubble gum
• Jelly Belly candies
• Conversation heart candies
• Maraschino cherries (some varieties)
• Certain canned fruit varieties 
• Toaster pastries
• Entenmann's Little Bites Party Cake Mini Muffins
• Strawberry-flavored milk
• Ice pops and frozen fruit bars (some varieties)
• Some cough syrups
• Some ice cream and frozen yogurt flavors
• Some gummy vitamins
• Some sodas and fruit drinks

As always, check the ingredients label to see if Red No. 3 is in any foods you plan to consume.

 

 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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The best (and worst) beverages to sip when you’re dehydrated

With summer right around the corner and the thermostat ticking up, it can be tempting to reach for the coldest looking thing in sight to quench your thirst. But when it comes to hydration, not all drinks are created equal. 

Usually, when we’re feeling thirsty, we’re trying to combat symptoms like dry mouth, tiredness, headaches, and dizziness. But dehydration is not solely due to the loss of water in our system. It also means we’re low on  electrolytes—minerals that carry an electrical charge. These electrolytes, like sodium and potassium, are agents of balance. They help with bodily functions like regulating the pH levels of your blood, balancing fluid levels, and helping blood clot. 

“The human body as a whole is roughly anywhere from 60 to 65% made up of water. In order to have all of your normal metabolic functions, you have to have adequate fluids,” says Bailey Jones, a registered dietician and assistant director of performance nutrition at Indiana University. “Fluids are going to play a role in thermoregulation and the transport of nutrients and waste products, and also act as a cushion for your joints. If the body is dehydrated, it just can’t do any of those functions very well.”

Hydration isn’t a zero-sum game. It’s not that liquids are either hydrating or dehydrating—some things are less hydrating than we might assume, or their hydration properties might come at the cost of other effects on our bodies. Here’s a look at the usual suspects of dehydration. 

Coffee

Coffee has long been shamed as dehydrating. That’s because caffeine has a diuretic effect—it makes you feel like you need to pee, which gives you an opportunity to expel fluid and electrolytes. This may technically be true, but those effects aren’t powerful enough to offset coffee’s hydrating properties. 

“It’s still a liquid,” says Jones. “Any small dehydrating effect is essentially negated by the fact that you’re still consuming fluid.” 

If you added more water to your coffee, or even a splash of milk, you could even further offset the balance between liquid intake and the effects of caffeine. 

But that doesn’t mean that espresso and ice should form the bulk of your fluid intake. Though you might feel refreshed and hydrated, excessive amounts of coffee will send your heart racing—so you don’t want to rely on it for all your fluid needs.

Juices, sodas, energy drinks, and sports drinks

If you’re looking to hydrate with a soft drink, your main concern should be balancing how well the fluid can hydrate you with how negatively its additional sugar content will affect you. Sodas and most fruit juices weigh in somewhere in the middle. They’re good for hydration in the sense that there is liquid flowing into the body, but the high sugar content could have downsides.  The higher the concentration of sugar in your blood, the more water your cells will lose through osmosis to maintain equilibrium.

If you can get your hands on 100 percent natural juice, that can be an excellent source of water since you’re staying away from useless added sugars. You could also go straight to the source and eat fruit. Some fruits are heavier lifters than others: watermelon, grapefruit, and cantaloupe have particularly high water content. Fruits also have the added bonus of replenishing electrolytes and vitamins. 

 

Energy drinks like Redbull have few redeeming qualities. While they might perk you up with caffeine, their high concentration of sugar means that your kidneys work overtime to produce more urine to flush the sugar from your system, which isn’t going to help you stay hydrated. 

But what about sports drinks like Gatorade?

“Water and sports drinks are usually the go-to recommendation, especially during training,” Jones says. “They’re losing fluids through sweat, but they’re also losing electrolytes, and that’s where adding a sports drink is going to provide some of the sodium, potassium, and chloride— basically the electrolytes that you won’t find in plain water.”

Even if you’re not a high-performance athlete, the low-sugar, low-calorie option of sports drinks tips the scale in favor of more hydration at a lower cost to your other bodily functions. But unless you’re doing intense exercise and sweating profusely, water is likely to be just as helpful. 

Alcohol

Pints, cocktails, spritzes. It can be hard to refuse drinks that look so refreshing and put you in a tizzy. Like caffeine, alcohol has a diuretic effect. This causes you to lose more water and steadily get dehydrated as you continue imbibing—that’s why day-drinking in the sun can really do a number on you.

[Related: Why 8 glasses of water a day is a myth]

That said, it’s still just a game of proportions. A beer will have more water than a neat whiskey, and a margarita’s dehydrating properties will depend on just how strong the bartender makes it. Your best bet is to assume booze isn’t giving you the fluids your body needs, and to drink a whole glass of water for each alcoholic beverage. You’ll stay hydrated even after you ‘break the seal,’ and you’ll avoid a hangover to boot. 

Trade a drink for a snack

Liquids aren’t your only saviour in the heat. Certain foods will also help stave off dehydration. Before a football game at Indiana, Jones makes sure that the snack selection laid out for players is going to optimise hydration levels. That means plenty of carb-rich foods, and different salty snacks such as pretzels, granola bars, and pickles (which have the dual benefits of keeping sodium levels up and making you thirsty to fuel your fluid intake). Fresh fruit, fruit snacks, and applesauce also tend to make an appearance.

When in doubt, just drink water. The liquid in our body is mostly water, and that’s what we lose when we sweat, cry, and pee. If you really can’t stand the banality of plain H2O, try and have fun with it. A sprig of mint here, a slice of cucumber there. Throw in something green or a fruit or two—anything that might make you forget that you’re not sipping on something far worse for your mind, body and soul.

 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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7 Foods Kids With ADHD Should Avoid

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Although ADHD maybe is diagnosed in all ages, it is more common in children. If your kid has ADHD they might have trouble focusing on the task they are doing, have trouble organising, get distracted easily, and experience various other symptoms.

However, besides medication and counselling, what your kid eats can also influence the severity or diminishing of their symptoms. Certain foods can help reduce the severity of your kid's symptoms, promote better brain functions, and better the medication's efficiency. On the other hand, certain foods might increase and worsen your kid's ADHD symptoms.

Here are 7 foods that your kid should avoid if they have ADHD:

Sodas

Sodas and other sugary drinks like packed juices can worsen your kids' lack of focus and boost hyperactivity. As these foods are full of sugar and preservatives, they might cause your kid to get distracted easily and hinder their performance at various tasks.

Caffeine

Similar to sugar, caffeinated drinks can cause hyperactivity in your child. High caffeine boosts various happy hormones and energises the body and mind. This increase in energy may be a trouble if your child is often hyperactive and engages in multiple tasks at once.

Candies (Sugar)

As discussed under sodas, sugar increases energy levels in the body. This can lead to excessive hyperactivity. Candies and other sugary foods such as cakes, pastries, chocolates, etc. may not be fit for your kid if they have ADHD. Although, occasionally consuming these foods may not cause any significant changes but maybe worrisome if consumed regularly.

Processed frozen foods

Processed frozen foods even frozen vegetables and fruits may not be fit for kids and people with ADHD. Highly processed foods have various preservatives that might affect your kid's symptoms. Along with this, artificial colouring may also cause behavioural problems in your kid.

Energy drinks

Energy drinks are high in sugar and caffeine. As the name suggests, energy drinks can cause a sudden and significant increase in our energy levels. This may worsen symptoms such as lack of focus, hyperactivity, and so on.

Look for food sensitivity

Studies have shown, that some foods may affect some people that have ADHD. Some people might be more sensitive to these foods than other people with ADHD. Foods such as chocolate, soy, milk products, etc. may cause symptoms to worsen in some children. Hence, if your kid is experiencing more difficulty than usual, the food they are eating may have a role to play in it.

Dairy products

Some kids with ADHD might experience an increase in ADHD symptoms post-consumption of dairy products, especially sourced by cows. Foods such as cheese, yogurt, milk, ice creams, etc. may reduce focus and other brain functions.

In conclusion, keeping a close eye on what your kid is eating can help better their ADHD symptoms. We advise you to seek professional guidance to help map out a meal that is fit for your child. Along with this, we also encourage you to enroll your kids in physical activities and they might also reduce symptoms.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement