Monday, April 11, 2011

Artificial food dye free foods!

So I scanned the world, or at least my immediate part of it for food that is still "approved" for our house. I never thought I would be one of those food snobs but alas I am, and I am not ashamed. So here is some short lists of what I have found. I will try to categorize it. These will be short lists for now I don't want to put it on here if I am not 100% sure. Keep in mind they change labels often so ALWAYS double check before you buy.

Disclaimer: The food dyes that I am talking about here are FD&C Blue #1 etc. They sometimes just say Red 40 or something like that. They will always have a color and number. There are other food additives or preservatives, but right now I am just focusing on artificial food dyes, they are the ones that makes my kids crazy! Just because it is a white or light color doesn't mean it is safe, read, read, read!
Cereal-Everything below is dye free, other labels will be GF= gluten free, HFCF= High Fructose Corn Syrup Free
Kix (HFCF)
Cheerios (HFCF)
Corn Chex (HFCF), GF
Honey Nut chex (HFCF), GF
Rice Krispies (HFCF)
Cocoa Krispies (HFCF)
Cocoa pebbles
Cocoa Puffs
Frosted Flakes
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Honey Nut Cheerios
Chocolate Cheerios
Alpha-bits
Cookie Crisp
Mom's Best Naturals (Below) are the most like Lucky Charms and are on sale often at QFC for $1.00

A general rule of thumb for cereal, if it is colored it has food dye. If the box is bright it has food dye, think Trix, Lucky Charms, Apple Jacks etc.

Candy-
*Mentos (only the candy, not the gum)
*Mamba
*Fred Meyer carries bulk "Sun Drops" that are natural colored M&M type candies. They also have "gummy slice" type things in the bulk section that are dye free
*Treetop fruit snacks (big box at Costco)
*Yummy Earth Organic candy (lollipops, gummy bears, gummy worms, hard candy pieces)
*Haribo Fruity-Frutti (I found these at World Market)

*Haribo Fizzy Colas (remember those?!)

Yogurt-You have to be very careful with yogurt!
Tillamook yogurt is all food dye free to the best of my knowledge.
Yoplait you have to read every label, the Orange Creme one has no food dye but the Key Lime Pie does.
Simply gogurt (sold in bulk at Costco or at any grocery store)

Mac and Cheese
Annie's Organic makes a dye free mac and cheese.
Kraft has a "home style" mac and cheese that is dye free, but be careful with Kraft they are tricky at times so read the label.

My brain is tapped for the night on this. However I want to give you a short list of foods to watch that you would probably never guess it is in. Again this is not an exhaustive list but just what is on the top of my head.

FOOD DYE IN FOODS YOU WOULDN'T GUESS
White marshmallows
Nature Valley sweet & salty bars (Grrr...still mad about that one!)
Pillsbury Crescent rolls
Cinnamon Chex
Pickles
Dressings and BBQ sauces (not all but some)
Canned fruit (some)
Fruit Juice (a lot of them have it)
Toothpaste
Mouth wash
Chili (especially "Cheddar" flavors)
Cake mixes
Butterscotch chips
Processed items you should ALWAYS check

If there is a category missing that you want info on please let me know!

The best stores for dye free and more natural stuff that I frequent are...
Whole foods
Trader Joe's
Janell's Gluten Free Market
Sno-Isle Food Co-op
Fred Meyer/QFC
Top Foods and Safeway are getting better about their natural food section also.

5 comments:

  1. Thank You Sarah!!! This all helps alot! Picked up the Mallow-Oats for Kayla today at lunch...

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  2. Food Should Taste Good multi-grain chips make an excellent gluten free, dye free snack.

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  3. FYI - you can get dye-free marshmallows at Walmart - their generic "Great Value" brand. My daughter has never been sooo happy!

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  4. Thanks Anonymous! I went and got some and my girls are in heaven!

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