This Color Issue

What is it with us where color is concerned?  We seem to harp on it so much, all of the time no matter what!  We can't seem to live our day without it in our lives.  It seems to be a major factor each time we take a bite! Yes, a bite!  I'm talking about food silly, F-O-O-D! 

We are so enamored of color in our food we can't live without it!  Last week I posted a Tweet about the FDA finally taking a look at the possible dangers of artificial food coloring.  My response was "It's about time"!  Why, well, because of all of the dangers I've read and heard that the artificial coloring of our food represents to our health.  Artificial coloring consists of a chemical makeup - quite a few that may cause damage to our bodies! 

The thing is, were there no food coloring in our food, would we eat it?  Would we enjoy it as much?  Would we even have food cravings?  The answer is no for the first two questions, as for the last question, who knows?!  In a  nytimes.com article,"Colorless Food?  We Blanch" written by Gardiner Harris, published on April 2, he wrote that not only would we not want our food such as Cheetos (one of my guilty pleasures) because it had no artificial coloring and would look like an unappetizing insect; we would not even be able to lick our fingers because "there was no orange color" and that would not be satisfying!  Mr. Harris mentioned that in food taste tests that were conducted by Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab, because of the lack of color of the foods the testers sampled, their brain didn't even register the proper tastes of the food.  The only difference in the original food with artificial food coloring and the food given in the food tests was there were no color!  For the taste testers, no color equaled bland food tastes! 

I can understand the taste testers reaction.  Can you imagine eating your favorite ice cream without its beautiful color, or having colorless Popsicles? Of course not!  To me, in many ways, the color of our food ties in with our moods, the changes of the Seasons, possibly even the weather, and not to forget our memories and experiences!   But how much danger will we be in if we continue to consume artificial food coloring?  According to the article, a government advisory panel did not find the danger we are being warned about, they don't think we should be so worried.  Do you have reason to worry?  You can read the article posted at the top of this blog; as well as this link: http://science-news.org/artificial-food-coloring/artificial-food-coloring-dangers/. 

It goes without saying that we need to be aware of the dangers out there where our health is concerned.