I projectile vomited exactly twice in college. One time was as a result of ingesting a beverage known as Psi-U punch which was a combination of Kool Aid brand drink powder and grain alcohol. The second time was the very first time I ever ate macaroni and cheese from a box.
So why did I vomit then? Why not at any other time when I was drinking inexpensive alcohol in college?
Perhaps it was because both foods contain artificial colors and ingredients.
As the product of what would now be called chemical engineers, I grew up eating only “real” food. Not organic, not pesticide free, just free of dyes, and ingredients that were not sold separately in the baking aisle. In other words no brominated vegetable oil, brominated flour, dough conditioners, or polysorbate 60. My school was small and private, I packed my own lunch every day.
So when I first ate fake food my body immediately rejected it. Dyed candies make me queasy to this day. I literally cannot eat them.
I used to think I was kind of unusual, but then I saw this blog post about a little boy who had the same reaction.
http://naturallysavvy.com/eat/a-ten-year-old-s-tale-of-how-food-affects-his-body
However, what I find really disturbing is the results of the studies that indicate that these “fake foods” are one of the underlying causes of ADHD and that by eliminating them from a childs diet (seriously this is not hard) can drastically reduce the need for ADHD medications.
Like these
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23590704
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22176942
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22232312
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8179235
Now the evidence liking ADHD to food sensitivities and poor diet is even stronger, but the elimination of food colors is pretty easy.
Removing dyes and even sensitive foods is not going to cure 100% of ADHD symptoms, but the truth is that it might help some of these kids and it seems to me (and the government of Great Britain) that is is worth a try,
