Are Food Dyes Really That Bad?
Someone asked: “Are food dyes really that bad, or is it just health anxiety?”
Here’s what I wish I’d known thirty years ago. When I was seven, my mum tracked what I ate after teachers flagged my hyperactive behaviour. She discovered something the GP had missed. Every time I had Refreshers — those fizzy sweets — I’d be bouncing off walls within an hour. Remove them, I’d calm down.
It wasn’t the sugar. It was E102. Tartrazine. A bright yellow food dye.
She removed it. Behaviour normalised. No medication needed. She’d just stopped feeding me petroleum derivatives.
Here’s the scandal. Only six synthetic food dyes have been tested for behavioural effects. The rest? Never tested. Perfectly legal to put in children’s food. No warnings required.
My Mum Figured It Out in 1980 (No Studies Required)
My mum had no studies to reference. Just parental observation and a notebook. Twenty-seven years later, researchers finally tested what she’d already proved.
The 2007 Southampton study tested six food dyes on children. Red 40 (E129), Yellow 5 (E110), Tartrazine (E102) — the same dye that triggered my hyperactivity — plus three others.
The findings? One in six children experienced behavioural issues when consuming these additives. Remove the additives, behaviour improved.
My mum had been right all along. She just didn’t have a peer-reviewed paper to prove it.
Europe introduced mandatory warning labels in 2010. “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” The UK kept that rule after Brexit.
But here’s what makes me furious.
Only Six Dyes Were Ever Tested — The Rest? No One Knows
Those six dyes were tested because researchers suspected problems. They found problems. Europe required warnings.
But only six dyes were tested. There are dozens of synthetic food dyes approved for use in the UK and EU.
If a manufacturer uses one of the six tested dyes — E102, E110, E129, E122, E104, E124 — they must warn you.
If they use any of the others — E127, E131, E132, E133 — no warning needed. Not because they’re safer. Because no one’s bothered to test them.
The food industry says “correlation isn’t causation” and “more research needed.” But when research showed problems, Europe required warning labels. Many UK manufacturers removed the dyes entirely rather than warn parents.
Smarties in the UK? Natural colours now — beetroot, spirulina.
Smarties in the US? Still petroleum dyes.
Same brand. Different rules.
What These Dyes Actually Are (And Why That Matters)
Professor Marion Nestle, one of the world’s leading food policy experts, explains what these dyes actually are.
Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1 — petroleum-based. Coal tar derivatives. Not extracted from berries or beetroot. Industrial chemicals developed for textiles and printing, then applied to food because they produce vivid colours cheaply.
They don’t make food taste better. They don’t add nutrition. They trick your brain.
Orange juice looks more orange? Brain says it tastes more orange-y. It’s perception manipulation.
Not every coloured food is dangerous. Red cabbage has natural anthocyanins. Beetroot has betalains. Turmeric has curcumin. Those are plant pigments your body recognises.
The issue is synthetic petroleum-based dyes that your body treats as foreign chemicals.
What Happened When I Cut Them Out
When I switched to real food in 2023 — meat, veg, eggs, fermented foods — I noticed I was eating beige and brown and green. Natural colours. No bright orange cereals. No neon fizzy drinks. No radioactive-looking sweets.
And I felt completely different.
Skin flare-ups I used to get three to four times per week? Gone within six weeks.
Brain fog that hit me every afternoon at 2–3pm? Vanished.
Energy stable all day. I’d been eating those same additives my whole adult life without connecting them to how I felt.
If you’re shopping the perimeter — meat, veg, eggs, dairy — you’re not encountering them. They live in the middle aisles. Breakfast cereals. Sweets. Fizzy drinks. Ice cream. Cakes.
If 90% of your food is real, that 10% with a bit of food dye isn’t going to kill you. But if your baseline is brightly coloured ultra-processed foods? You’re eating petroleum derivatives daily. That’s not the 10%. That’s your diet.
How to Spot Them on Ingredient Lists
Bottom line: food dyes aren’t food. They’re industrial chemicals that happen to be legal. And only six have been tested enough to require warnings.
Read ingredient lists.
If it says E102, E110, E129, E122, E104, E124 — that’s one of the six with mandatory warnings. Put it back.
If it says E127, E131, E132, E133 — that’s one of the untested ones. Also put it back.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Only six synthetic food dyes have been tested for behavioural effects — the rest are legal but untested
- E102 (Tartrazine) triggered hyperactivity in Neil aged 7 — removed from diet, behaviour normalised without medication
- These dyes are petroleum-based industrial chemicals — developed for textiles, not food, and they don’t add nutrition or taste
Ready to Start Your Own Rhythm Reset?
If 90% of your food comes from the perimeter of the supermarket — meat, veg, eggs, dairy — you’re already avoiding most of these additives. The 14-Day Rhythm Reset Guide shows you how to swap ultra-processed foods for real food without losing your mind.
👉 Get the 14-Day Rhythm Reset Guide (free)
💪 Want ongoing support? Join Rhythm Club for £30/month (includes FREE app access, community, and weekly accountability calls)
🔽 Read the Video Transcript
Someone asked: “Are food dyes really that bad, or is it just health anxiety?”
- I was seven years old. Hyperactive. Off-the-wall behaviour that my mum couldn’t understand. Teachers flagged it. GP said “boys will be boys.”
Then my mum did something no one else bothered to do. She tracked what I ate.
Refreshers. Those fizzy sweets. Every time I had them, within an hour I’d be bouncing off the walls. Remove them, I’d calm down. It wasn’t the sugar. It was E102. Tartrazine. A bright yellow food dye.
She removed it from my diet. Behaviour normalised. No medication. Just stopped feeding me petroleum derivatives.
Here’s what shocked me when I looked into this years later. My mum figured this out in 1980. No studies. No clinical trials. Just parental observation and a notebook.
Twenty-seven years later, 2007, the Southampton study (WMTWL-XXXX) tested six food dyes on children. Red 40 (E129), Yellow 5 (E110), Tartrazine (E102) — the same dye that triggered my hyperactivity — plus three others.
The findings? One in six children appeared to experience behavioural issues when consuming these additives. Remove the additives, behaviour improved. My mum had been right all along. She just didn’t have a peer-reviewed paper to prove it.
Now here’s the scandal. Those six dyes were tested because researchers suspected they caused problems. They found problems. Europe introduced mandatory warning labels in 2010: “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” The UK kept that rule after Brexit.
But here’s what makes me furious. Only six dyes were tested. Six. There are dozens of synthetic food dyes approved for use in the UK and EU. The rest? Never tested for behavioural effects. No warnings required. Perfectly legal to put in children’s food without any label.
So if a manufacturer uses one of the six tested dyes — E102, E110, E129, E122, E104, E124 — they have to warn you. If they use any of the others — E127, E131, E132, E133 — no warning needed. Not because they’re safer. Because no one’s bothered to test them.
Professor Marion Nestle, one of the world’s leading food policy experts, explains what these dyes actually are (WMTWL-YYYY). Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1 — petroleum-based. Coal tar derivatives. Not extracted from berries or beetroot. Industrial chemicals developed for textiles and printing, then applied to food because they produce vivid colours cheaply.
They don’t make food taste better. They don’t add nutrition. They trick your brain. Orange juice looks more orange? Brain says it tastes more orange-y. It’s perception manipulation.
The food industry says “correlation isn’t causation” and “more research needed.” But when the research showed problems, Europe required warning labels. Many UK manufacturers removed the dyes entirely rather than warn parents. Smarties in the UK? Natural colours now — beetroot, spirulina. Smarties in the US? Still petroleum dyes. Same brand, different rules.
When I switched to real food in 2023 — meat, veg, eggs, fermented foods — I noticed I was eating beige and brown and green. Natural colours. No bright orange cereals. No neon fizzy drinks. No radioactive-looking sweets.
And I felt completely different. Skin flare-ups I used to get three to four times per week? Gone within six weeks. Brain fog that hit me every afternoon at 2–3pm? Vanished. Energy stable all day. I’d been eating those same additives my whole adult life without connecting them to how I felt.
Not every coloured food is dangerous. Red cabbage has natural anthocyanins. Beetroot has betalains. Turmeric has curcumin. Those are plant pigments your body recognises. The issue is synthetic petroleum-based dyes that your body treats as foreign chemicals.
If you’re shopping the perimeter — meat, veg, eggs, dairy — you’re not encountering them. They live in the middle aisles. Breakfast cereals. Sweets. Fizzy drinks. Ice cream. Cakes.
If 90% of your food is real, that 10% with a bit of food dye isn’t going to kill you. But if your baseline is brightly coloured ultra-processed foods? You’re eating petroleum derivatives daily. That’s not the 10%. That’s your diet.
Bottom line: food dyes aren’t food. They’re industrial chemicals that happen to be legal. And only six have been tested enough to require warnings.
Read ingredient lists. If it says E102, E110, E129, E122, E104, E124 — that’s one of the six with mandatory warnings. Put it back. If it says E127, E131, E132, E133 — that’s one of the untested ones. Also put it back.
Free 14-Day Rhythm Reset Guide in the description walks you through swapping ultra-processed foods for real food without losing your mind.
This is educational content based on research and my experience. Not medical advice. Speak to your GP before major dietary changes, especially if you have health conditions or take medication.
⚠️ Important: This is educational content based on evidence and personal experience. It is not medical advice. Speak to your GP before making changes to your fasting pattern, diet, or medication.
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