Natural Food Dyes For Your Easter Eggs

Kids love to color Easter Eggs, but is the food dye dangerous to their health?  Some studies have linked various dyes to Hyperactivity, cancer and other diseases.  If you prefer to be on the safe side, you can make your own dye.

Mellow Yellow: Boil 2 cups of water, cool for about 30-60 seconds. Now add a small amount of turmeric (herbal coloring agent) to the water. After the colored water has cooled it can be stored in a glass container with a tight fitting lid.

Great Green Color from Spinach: Add 2 cups of spinach leaves to a pot and add enough cold water to cover the leaves. Boil for 60 seconds. Allow pot to simmer on the lowest heat setting of your stove for an additional 10 minutes. Let the water cool and then strain it through cheesecloth or a wire mesh strainer. You can safely store the green food color in any glass container that has a tight fitting lid.

The Royal Color of Ruby Red: Add a few beets to a pan. Add enough water to cover the beets. Now simmer the beets for about 45 minutes, or until they are tender enough that you can pierce the beets with a fork. Allow the pan to cool. Remove the beets and use a paring knife to peel them. Slice or chop the beets and then add these vegetables back to the pan containing the boiled water. Let the pan sit undisturbed for several hours so the water can absorb the deep, ruby coloring from the beets. Pour the liquid through a piece of clean cheesecloth or a fine, mesh strainer. You should have about 1-1/2 cups of water. Combine the colored water with 2 ¼ teaspoons of a natural white vinegar. Add this mixture to a glass container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well, label the container and store until needed.

Berry Blue Food Color: Add 1-2 cups of water and 1 cup of blueberries to a pot. Fresh or frozen berries can be used. Allow the berries to simmer on the stove for 20-40 minutes. After the liquid has cooled for about 15 minutes you can pour it into a blender and pulverize the mixture for 1 minute. Once this process is completed use cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to separate the berry particles from the liquid. Once straining has been completed, this natural blue food coloring liquid can be safely kept in a glass container.

For more tips on how to creat the best natural food colors, try corn-gluten-foodallergies.com.
The site also features information on the potential dangers of food coloring.

"Yahoo!", CNN and The Center for Science in the Public Interest  are among those who have recently posted articles outlining everyday food dyes and potential links to hyperactivity, cancer and other diseases.