Red Dye in Food Allergy

I babysit from my home and one of the boys I babysat for was allergic to red dye, mostly in kool-aid and juices. He didn't break out in hives but he got very hyper, it was a nightmare! His parents decided to cut all red dye out of his diet and it seemed to work and he has since grown out of it for the most part. I agree with the other ladies and suggest just cutting out all red dye, let it get out of his system then slowly add, one at a time, the foods back in to see what exactly is making him break out.

As for the Dr's office not calling back, I would SWITCH Dr's! My Dr gets very upset if we have a problem at 1AM Saturday morning, or anytime after hours, and wait until office hours to call. I am so thankful for our pediatrician he is a godsend!!

Good Luck!!

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Hi C.,
I believe, with no proof, that my son also is allergic to red dye. Whenever he eats any food coloring, especially red, his behavior becomes atrocious - screaming and crying, seemingly on the edge of being out of control.

We've eliminated all articficial food coloring from his diet by doing what you talked about. We read all ingredients and don't buy anything artificial. We shop at health food stores, at Trader Joe's, or buy organics at the big stores. It has really helped.

Hope this helps.
J.

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None of my children have had that allergy, luckily, but---reading the ingredients is good but it is still a little like pick up sticks. Sometimes it is impossible to figure out what has red in it. Purple, orange, pink, brown, etc. will all have to be eliminated. Remember too that black is the highest volume of red there is. I have a cousin with red allergies. It was a real challenge.

He may be having a reaction to something else as well.

I think it may be time to call the physician back and make an appointment to have him tested for allergies.

I will pray for you.

P. R

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My daughter used to break out when she was young, the only solution we found was to avoid the foods, it's tough, certain things in small smounts didn't bother her though and it was really jsut a matter of eliminating all of them then slowly adding things back in and finding what did and didn't cause ehr to break out, thankfully she outgrew it. good luck.

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First of all, I am NOT an expert in this area, so don't take my word as gospel, OK? I have found (with regard to my children's friends with dye allergies) that the allergy is really to shellfish, not the dye itself. Many red dyes are made from boiling the shells of lobsters or whatever to produce the desired color. The solution they have found is to use kosher food dyes and kosher food whenever possible (look on the package for a 'u' in a circle or a 'k' in a star, etc...) It is against kosher rules to eat shellfish, so these dyes are safe for people with shellfish allergies. There are probably plenty of kosher foods already in your house, but if you aren't Jewish, you probably never looked.

This really only applies if the allergy is to shellfish, so be sure to get that checked out first. Good luck!

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When I was a kid I was allergic to red dyes, but grew out of it. It was red lake #2 and #6 I think. It's best to avoid all red and orange colored foods. Carry benadryl with you just in case he gets a bad reaction.

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