Innocent until proven deadly: 8 colors that should make you run.

"Hey Matt, what's your favorite flavor of gummy snacks?"

"I dunno, I can't decide between the infertility flavor or the cancer flavor... they're both pretty good."

"Dude, I kind of like the A.D.H.D flavor."

"Oh, yeah! that is a good one!"

This is what a conversation about conventional food might sound like, if it were known to most people what those fun colors on your supermarket shelf are capable of. See, back in the day, the world of food was similar to the beginning of Pleasantville... that is, colorless and unexciting. Then, it was discovered that people like color. They want to buy things with coIor. Unfortunately, natural food dye "died" off in the effort to save money and maximize profits, and the age of artificial food coloring painted a money grubbing canvas of heaIth risks across the nation.

The eight most common artificial colors you find in food have been tested on animals, (I know, I know, cute fuzzy bunnies) and have been examined in various studies. The resuIts have shown everything from hyperactivity in little Billy, to cancer In Peter Rabbit. Here, in order of the coIor spectrum, is a list of different color-enhancing agents, and their possible side effects.

RED # 40- Hyperactivity and Allergic Reactions
RED # 3-Cancer, in high doses
CITRUS RED # 2- (used to color orange peels) Carcinogen, which means cancer.
YELLOW # 5- Cellular mutations, hyperactivity in children, and infertility.
YELLOW# 6- Gastric problems, diarrhea, swelling of the skin, vomiting, nettle rash, ADHD and cancer. YUMM MMEEEE!
GREEN # 3- Tumors, Mutations, Eye, Skin, Digestive tract, and Respriatory Tract irritation
BLUE # 1- Banned in several countries at one point, this shade can irritate asthma and, of course hyperactivity .
BLUE # 2- In the same family as blue the first and related to Indigo dyes in structure. Indigo dyes have a very low MlD (or median lethal dose) which means that it's pretty nasty.

So really, is it a big deal if your boy or girl has a candy here or there containing a couple of these sorta poisonous additives? Well, probably not. But the reality is that they aren't used casually. They're in TONS of packaged foods that you likely consume every day. Keep a look out, and DON'T feed them to your kids. We do all these crazy things to make a more efficient and prosperous society for our children and then we wonder why they pop out with three legs and ADHD.

Song of the day: "Roy G. Biv" by They Might Be Giants