summer camp guide - Orlando Family Magazine

Health & WELLNESSCreate an Awesome, Treat-Filled Easter BasketParents, only you and the Easter Bunny will know it’s healthyButylated Hydroxytoluene, Blue #2, Isoamyl Acetate, Yellow #6, Tertiary Butylhydroquinone, Dimethyl Sulphide, and Red#40…Would you feed your children foods containing chemicals like these? That may be exactly what you’re doing if yougive them a typical Easter basket! Are you aware that certain dyes have been linked to many health problems in children,including hyperactivity and inattention?What Every Parent Should Know“Many parents do not realize that the pretty candies in theirchildren’s Easter baskets are often loaded with artificial additives likesynthetic dyes, which can actually harm your children,” says JaneHersey, National Director of the nonprofit Feingold Association,which helps special needs children. “If you notice that your childrenact up after eating brightly colored candies, synthetic dyes are mostlikely the culprit. Even the Easter Bunny would be bouncing off thewalls if he ate these sweets!” Hersey has first-hand experience with thishealth issue as her daughter was affected by these additives herself.Concerns over the adverse effects of synthetic food dyes onchildren’s behavior and attention has led the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) to schedule a public hearing about this topicon March 30-31, 2011. Hersey hopes that this meeting, which willinclude presentations by several prominent scientists, will be the firststep in the eventual banning of these additives from the Americanfood supply. “The FDA should prohibit these dyes and requirewarning labels in the meantime,” she says.The American Academy of Pediatrics has acknowledged in its journalthat “a trial of a preservative/food coloring-free diet is a reasonableintervention” for hyperactive children. The American Academyof Family Physicians has also added this statement to its web site:“Studies have shown that certain food colorings and preservatives maycause or worsen hyperactive behavior in some children.”Preparing a Healthy Easter BasketYou might think that avoiding the many synthetic dyes,preservatives, and other additives found in typical Easter candies isa daunting challenge. “Actually, parents have a wide range of Eastertreats they can use to prepare an Easter basket that most kids wouldlove to receive,” says Hersey. Many of these natural candies are listedin The Feingold Association’s Foodlist & Shopping Guide and MailOrder Guide. “The Feingold Association also shows parents how tofind low-additive versions of Easter candies (such as chocolate mintpatties, peanut butter kisses, jelly beans, and chocolate bunnies)at health food stores, healthy markets, specialty stores, and evensupermarkets.”To help the Easter Bunny put together a basket thatkids will love, Hersey recommends the following tips:Avoid buying Easter candies containing synthetic food dyes(such as Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1), artificial flavorings, or thepreservatives BHA, BHT, and TBHQ.Replace some of the candy with dried pineapples, figs, raisins,or dates, which are naturally sweet and much more nourishing.Add 100 percent fruit roll-ups or homemade trail mix.Put a stuffed animal, such as a bunny or chick, in the basket tohelp take the emphasis off sweets.Include educational toys, books, or disposable cameras inthe basket.Tuck a coupon from the Easter Bunny, good for an outing at atheatre or amusement park, in among the cellophane grass.Consider using brightly colored plastic Easter eggs, orcoloring your boiled eggs with natural dyes.Feed your children a healthy breakfast before letting themindulge in Easter sweets in order to reduce the amount of candythey eat.Plan an Easter egg hunt to help children work off excessenergy and get some exercise.28ORLANDO O FAMILY MAGAZINE AZIAPRIL 2011