Make Easter Safer with Homemade Egg Dye
By Tony Isaacs | March 7, 2012
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(Health Secrets Newsletter) Coloring boiled eggs has been a longtime Easter tradition. So has including plenty of milk chocolate and other sugar-laden candies. However, many of the food dyes commonly found on grocers shelves are synthesized from petroleum derivatives and even coal tar. This year, provide a healthier Easter for your children by making your own safe dyed eggs and opting for healthier substitutes for candies.
In addition, some food dyes based on natural ingredients may come from items you may not care to ingest. For example, the common red food coloring agent carminic acid comes from the dried, crushed bodies of pregnant scaled insects.
Plant-based dyes for coloring Easter eggs provide a synthetic-free and bug-free alternative, and their muted yet vibrant colors are far lovelier than their counterparts. Children seem to find that mashing food is also much more fun than simply dropping a tablet into a cup. As well, it is a great lesson in creativity and exploring which plant materials work in which ways.