Food dyes to avoid: the ultimate guide

Web Admin 0 233 Article rating: No rating

Sharing my thoughts on food dyes and which ones to avoid, if that’s one of your goals. 

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you had an amazing weekend. Ours was a good one – three soccer games, dinner with friends, some swimming, and some chill time. I also got some work stuff done since I’d been behind for a couple of weeks.

Today, I wanted to talk about a beefy topic: food dye!

When you’re browsing the aisles of your local grocery store, it’s easy to be drawn to the vibrant, colorful packaging that lines the shelves. The bright hues in your favorite candies, baked goods, and even some beverages are often due to food dyes. These additives are used to enhance the appearance of food and drinks, making them more visually appealing. Unfortunately, some food dyes can have potentially harmful effects on your body. Here’s a roundup of food dyes with some info, so you can make more informed choices about what you and your family consume.

I’m not dogmatic about anything in our diet – I don’t want our kids to be afraid of any foods, and while they know that some foods are more nutritious than others, nothing is off limits. We focus on whole, mostly unprocessed foods here at home, but when we’re out with friends, at a party, or traveling, they order and eat whatever they’re feeling. I’ll typically encourage them to have a fruit or vegetable with whatever they’re eating, but that’s pretty much it.

At the same time, I do have a pretty strong feelings about food dye. The kids know if they’re choosing a candy or drink, I typically will ask them to pick something else if it’s red, because I’ve seen the effects of food dye (especially red!!) on the kids. It makes them hyperactive and extremely cranky. Not worth it to me.

6 Food Dyes To Avoid

The growing awareness of the potential risks associated with certain food dyes has prompted many consumers to take a closer look at the ingredients in their favorite products. While food dyes may make food look more attractive, the trade-off in health risks is often not worth it. (Also, I find this debatable. I think that brightly colored food looks way less appetizing that foods that are their normal colors. Who decided that everything needs to be bright and rainbow colored to eat it?? It’s a mystery to me.) There are so many great alternatives out there!

Today, I wanted to share some potential effects of common food dyes, the conditions they’ve been linked to, and how avoiding them can positively impact your health. I’ve also linked to various studies below.

Is Food Dye Bad For You?

The short answer? It can be. Food dyes are synthetic chemicals that are added to foods to enhance their color. While they’re approved for use by food safety authorities in many countries, there’s a growing body of research suggesting that these additives can have adverse effects on health.

When you ingest food dyes, your body has to process these synthetic chemicals, which can sometimes lead to side effects. Studies have linked certain food dyes to hyperactivity in children, allergic reactions, and even an increased risk of certain cancers in animal studies. The amount of food dye that is considered harmful can vary, but for some in

9.7 Friday Faves (and a giveaway)

Web Admin 0 218 Article rating: No rating

Hi friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! I’m popping in with a little belated Friday Faves this week. Some happy news: Maisey is 100% better! (I shared more about her mysterious jaw issue in this post) We saw enormous improvement by Monday, and thankfully, she’s back to her ball-chasing, happy little self.

I talked to the vet about her fetch obsession and she said it’s actually good for her jaw, and could be part of the reason why she was able to restore function so quickly.

This week was a busy one and I’m still trying to figure out how to do the club basketball + dance + homework + dinner scramble. It feels like each day is two full days: the work day, and then the after-school/evening *day*. If you have any favorite quick dinner recipes, please send them my way!! I’ve been making a lot of the same things lately and want to switch it up. Meal prep has been a gamechanger, too!

I’m definitely looking forward to a chill weekend, a dinner with friends, a Sculpt Society workout, and catching up on work stuff.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

9.7 Friday Faves (and a giveaway)

Fashion + beauty + random:

I’d been looking for a new go-to everyday lipstick and decided to try Lawless, since it has cleaner ingredients. I LOVE it. It has a smooth texture and lasts for quite a while. The color I chose is Posey.

Oliveda has seen enormous growth in the past 18 months – it’s really exciting to see and be a part of it! If you’re interested in joining as an affiliate, here is my link!

Just got this Amazon set to wear when I’m working at home and it’s super cute and comfy!

Read, watch, listen:

I can’t wait for this memoir. 

The Little Things Newsletter #433 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Web Admin 0 170 Article rating: No rating

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Good morning, good morning, GOOD morning!! This weather has me in a glorious mood today. I’m headed to yoga now and planning a lovely long walk or hike for this afternoon. Bring on all the fall weather!

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: French toast is always a fun weekend treat and you’re going to love this cheesecake stuffed french toast topped with a warm berry sauce. Even though this looks fancy, all the components are simple and you can have it on the table in about 30 minutes.

Try a fun seafood twist on classic chicken piccata with this Shrimp Piccata. It’s a bright, savory dish full of zesty flavors in a buttery lemon wine sauce! This recipe is a solid gold keeper. Straight out of Holly Nilsson’s fantastic new cookbook, Everyday Comfort, this dish called my name as soon as I laid eyes on the recipe – and it did not disappoint.

Plump, juicy blackberries are muddled with fragrant fresh mint to form the base of this irresistibly beautiful and refreshing Blackberry Bourbon Smash. This is a cocktail so gorgeous it’s hard to believe it’s so easy to make!

One of the most popular party snacks we make is Spinach Artichoke Dip. It’s a classic appetizer that pretty much everyone enjoys, and depending on the crowd, you’ll be lucky if you have a single bite left over.

This Garden Vegetable Soup is absolutely exploding with all sorts of fabulously fresh taste. Every spoonful is brimming with wonderful veggies!

Glazed, delicately almond-scented, cake-like Cherry Cookies are pretty darned irresistible. These fluffy, chewy cookies are a sweet treat that goes great with a cup of tea or coffee.

If you love Whoppers or chocolate malted milk balls, you’re going to go wild for this Chocolate Malted Crunch Ice Cream. This old-fashioned chocolate malt ice cream gets a little extra boost of fun from chopped malted milk balls.

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are my wireless earbuds. My whole family has these earbuds and they’re the best ever for road trips, for every day, for exercise, for everything. (I just looked up our first purchase and these have been going strong for 3 years now.) It still impresses me just how inexpensive they are considering how well they perf

Chocolate Malted Crunch Ice Cream

Web Admin 0 156 Article rating: No rating

If you love Whoppers or chocolate malted milk balls, you’re going to go wild for this Chocolate Malted Crunch Ice Cream. This old-fashioned chocolate malt ice cream gets a little extra boost of fun from chopped malted milk balls.

takeout container full of chocolate malted crunch ice cream with a scoop and a red and white towel and a bag of whoppers candy

Chocolate Malted Crunch Ice Cream

For all those who are completely hooked on Thrifty’s chocolate malted crunch ice cream, we present this fantastic copycat recipe. This creamy, deeply chocolatey ice cream has a distinct toasted malt flavor. The crunch comes courtesy of a generous amount of crushed chocolate-covered malted milk ball candy.

The end result is an indulgent, intensely chocolatey ice cream with subtle caramel flavor and old school charm. The chocolate candy stirred into the extra special finished ice cream brings it a little modern flair.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

takeout container full of chocolate malted crunch ice cream with a scoop and a red and white towel and a bag of whoppers candy

Whopper Ice Cream

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

10 of the most useful things I’ve bought from Amazon

Web Admin 0 259 Article rating: No rating

Sharing 10 of the most useful things I’ve bought from Amazon.

Hi friends! How are ya? I hope that you’re having a lovely week! I have a day full of client calls but am going to sneak in a lunchtime Peloton ride. Also, I’m so pumped that so many of you have signed up for Detox and Thrive! Join us here. We start Sunday and it’s freeeeeee.

For today’s post, I wanted to share some of the most useful things I’ve purchased from Amazon. These are definitely more functional finds, but they’re things that constantly bring me joy because they work well, I use them constantly, and they make life a little bit easier. I always love hearing about the best of the best, so if you’ve found something you love lately, please share the goods in the comments section!

10 of the most useful things I’ve bought from Amazon

1. Retainer cleaner

Why did I wait so long to get a retainer cleaner? I initially was going to ge the Zima one, but it’s $100, and this one was $40 and works incredibly well. It makes me so grossed out to think that I used to simply brush my retainers. They’re SO much more clean when I use this!

2. Tineco vaccum/mop

The hype is real, friends. I never thought I’d love a mop, but I do. It works extremely well, and even though I’m not supposed to (you’re supposed to only use their clenaing product), I add a tiny bit of Branch Basics or Method spray and mop to the water. The floors are sparkling clean. I didn’t get the self-cleaning version, so it’s a little bit of a pain to clean each time, but worth it.

3. Weighted vest

I added this to my morning walking routine because it’s an easy way to add extra resistance and core stabilzation to walks. I ordered the 8-lb vest and love wearing it while I walk Maisey, for hikes, and while I’m using my walking pad. 

4. Walking pad and standing desk

Some days, this is the only way I can hit 10,000 steps. I’m at my desk a LOT throughout the day, so I use the walking pad for phone calls, Zoom/conference calls (where I don’t have to present or take a ton of notes), and to sneak in little movement vitamins throughout the day. I also have this standing desk, and this TV mounted to the wall so I can Airplay videos from my computer, or watch a movie. Worth mentioning

RSS
First34568101112Last