I Gave Up Artificial Food Dyes for a Month—Here’s What Surprised Me Most

Most people who shop carefully assume they already avoid the worst additives. They buy organic when they can, cook at home, and read labels on obvious culprits like candy and soda.

Writer Amelia Edelman thought much the same before she took on a simple-sounding challenge: removing artificial food dyes from her household for a full month. What she uncovered in her own kitchen and medicine cabinet turned out to be far more eye-opening than she expected.

A Healthy Eater Takes on the Challenge

Edelman described herself as someone who already ate well. She had been vegetarian most of her life before becoming loosely pescatarian, shopped at farmers markets, and bought organic when possible.

But as a parent of two young kids, she quickly realized her family’s snacks and staples told a different story. Her first day of checking labels turned into a surprising audit of everything in the house.

Why She Wanted to Cut Dyes

Interest in synthetic food dyes has grown as regulators have moved to restrict them. The FDA announced a ban on Red No. 3, and federal health officials later outlined plans to phase out petroleum-based dyes from the U.S. food supply.

Edelman pointed to concerns that some dyes have been linked to behavioral issues in certain children, along with unease about the fact that many are derived from petroleum. Those worries pushed her to see how practical it really was to remove them.

Dyes Showed Up in Unexpected Places

As she went through her fridge, pantry, and medicine cabinet, Edelman was alarmed by how many products contained synthetic dyes. Many were treats, but others were everyday items she’d never suspected.

Pickles, sports drinks, fruit snacks, candy, and even a favorite green hot sauce all turned out to include artificial colors. She was especially surprised to find dyes in a sauce made from green peppers, which are already naturally green.

Some Bright Foods Were Already Dye-Free

The experiment also brought a pleasant surprise. Several brightly colored kid favorites she assumed would have to go, like boxed mac and cheese and Goldfish crackers, didn’t contain artificial dyes at all.

Many of these products get their color from natural sources like turmeric. That discovery made the challenge feel more manageable than she first feared.

Finding Swaps Took Extra Effort

Edelman found dye-free alternatives for many staples, but not always at her regular grocery store. Some swaps required a separate trip to a health food store.

She replaced her usual pickles with a dye-free brand and switched to naturally colored gummy bears and chocolate candies. Her kids also happily drank dye-free options, including a sparkling water colored with carrot juice concentrate.

Some Swaps Cost More

Price wasn’t always an issue, but sometimes it was. She noticed that one brand of naturally colored gummy bears cost far more per pouch than the conventional fruit snacks her kids usually ate.

For other products, like pickles, the price difference was minimal. In those cases, the main reason to stick with the dyed version was simply the bright color.

Travel Made It Harder

Avoiding dyes became much more challenging away from home. A family trip during the month meant navigating airports, gas stations, and convenience stores with limited options.

Favorite snacks her kids relied on while traveling weren’t available in dye-free versions at airports. Even a colorful local candy she found on the trip was off-limits.

Medicine Was the Toughest Swap

The hardest change came in the medicine cabinet. Her kids’ favorite grape-flavored children’s pain reliever contained artificial dyes, and switching to a dye-free version led to pushback.

That struggle led her to ask an expert how important it really was to eliminate every source of synthetic dye.

What an Expert Told Her

Jamie Alan, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, told Edelman that a small, limited amount of synthetic dye is unlikely to affect most children. She noted, however, that some kids are especially sensitive to certain dyes.

Alan recommended reading labels carefully and considering imported products, since some other countries have already restricted certain dyes. She also emphasized paying attention to your own child’s behavior and working with healthcare providers rather than following one-size-fits-all advice.

What She Decided to Keep

By the end of the month, Edelman planned to stick with most of her food swaps. She said many of the dye-free treats and pickles tasted just as good, or even better, than the originals.

The one exception was the children’s medicine, where convenience won out. Her experience shows that cutting back on artificial dyes is very doable for most foods, even if perfection isn’t always realistic.