Organic Food Colors

Natural Food Coloring- What a Healthy Option!

Just imagine your food as black and white! Or some dull colors like muddy Grey! Will you be tempted enough to eat them? Most of the people would not. Seeing is very significant for us human beings and that is a known fact since ages. Early civilizations introduced color into their food and that too very naturally. Ancient Egyptians made their food yellow with saffron. Wines were also colored in 400 B.C.E. using saffron only. Romans colored their white bread by mixing alum to the flour. There are many other such examples from the history of food coloring that we will discuss later in this article to help you know how you can use natural food colorings but before knowing that, we must know what today’s food colors are and how are we consuming them?

Food Colors of Present Day

Today our food processing industry uses many types of food colors, the main being- Food Dyes and Lake Food Colors Not only food stuff but pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, inks, plastic food containers etc. are also colored with these artificial colors. So when you are having those colorful vitamin pills or using that lipstick, you are consuming these artificial food colors. It’s not that only synthetic food colors are used in processed foods and other materials, there are many organic lake colors (organic lake pigments) too that are widely used for coloring food, thanks to the awareness about organic living! These organic lake pigments are obtained from natural sources. Some of the examples of such organic lake food colors include caramel, turmeric, beet and berry juice, paprika, saffron etc.

Natural Food Colors

As I promised earlier, I will now let you know what all natural food colors were used historically to make food interesting and soulful. In fact, in Europe there was a common belief during early Renaissance period that color in food not only showed its nutritional value, but also pointed towards medicinal power connected to spiritual, celestial substances. For example, eating sweet red grapes was considered effective for having full rich blood, black food like pepper or fungi induced melancholy, and golden colored foods promoted divine solar healing!

• Turnsole -  or folium was a dyestuff prepared from the annual plant Crozophora tinctoria (“dyers’ crook carrier,” from its use and the curved tip of its spike of florets).
• Turmeric – is a bright yellow colorant made from the roots of the herb Curcuma longa. It is an ancient Indian spice and a traditional remedy that has been used as a medicine. Turmeric is still used for everyday food preparation in Indian homes.
• Red Pepper – Paprika oleoresin is extracted from the pod of sweet red pepper. Capsicum annum is called Paprika. Paprika imparts a bright orange to red-orange color in food products.
• Red sandal wood – The bark of red sandal wood tree is blackish brown and exudate a deep red juice when cut. It is the source of a brilliant red dye. Known as Rakta Chandana, it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as an anti-septic, wound healing agent, and anti-acne treatment. Redwood as a natural food color has a wide use in cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals for coloring tinctures.
• Saffron – Saffron is a spice native to Asia, with 80% now being produced in countries like Iran, Spain, Greece and Morocco. Saffron had been used not only for excellent yellow-orange color that it gives to food but also for its pleasant smell!

Marigold, safflower, parsley, spinach, fruits, and flower petal extracts were and are some of the other natural food colors that are healthier options as compared to artificial food colorings.

Has anyone ever used the organic red food coloring (current) made by Nature’s Flavors.com?

YES SOME ARE MADE FROM BERRYS

“Get to Know” Food Labels Pt. 2

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Ateco 1112 12-Color Food Coloring Kit $12.15 For coloring cakes, frostings and piping for your desserts, this set of Food Colors offers every color imaginable. Twelve colors are included — black, blue, yellow, green, pink, red, teal, orange, fuchsia, violet, sky blue and brown. The dyes used in making these particular colors are more intense than most others, providing rich icings that will not fade even if they’re exposed to heavy sunlight…

Gourmet Food Writer Edible Color Markers (10 color set) by AmeriColor $15.99 Use this super ten-color set to dazzle up your cookies or cakes. Use these edible color markers just as you would an ink marker. Draw fun designs on cakes, write messages on cookies, and highlights to icing decorations. The tips are fine for detail work The Gourmet Writer Food Decorating Pens are great for a fun, fast way to add dazzle to fondant cakes, cookies, and all kinds of food. &nb…

Dr. Brown’s Designed To Nourish 4 Pack Long Spatula Spoon, Colors May Vary $3.59 Dr. Brown’s Designed To Nourish 4 Pack Long Spatula SpoonFrom meal preparation, to feeding time, to food storage, Dr. Brown’s Designed to Nourish system will help you to create nutritious beginnings that help lead to a healthy future. The four long spatula spoons has a comfortable long handle to reach the bottom of taller jars. The spatula edge helps wipe food from baby’s mouth. Ideal for babies 6…

Miracle-Gro 1001501 All Purpose Liquid Plant Food – 32 oz $4.93 Miracle Gro Liquid Fertilizer 32oz Watch Your Plants Grow! Simply apply directly to soil of potted plants. No mixing required. The average 6-8 inch plant will use 2-3 ounces of Pour & Feed. Repeat every 7-14 days. Ready to use plant food–No mixing! No mess! Easy to use–Simply apply directly to the soil of container plants. Great for use on all types of houseplants and outdoor container plants Th…

Professional UV Inspection Flashlight 380-385nm – 16 Ultraviolet LED $17.95 Engineered for effectiveness and reliability to serve law enforcement, security personnel, professional inspectors and exterminators – with dozens of uses around home, too. Ultraviolet light causes many organic substances like pet stains or blood to fluoresce (glow) so they’re easy to spot (you’ve probably seen a similar light used on TV shows like ‘CSI’). High-efficiency LED extend battery life u…

Miracle-Gro 0149302-556 Potting Mix – 16 Quart $5.00 Miracle-Gro, 16 QT, Potting Mix, Superior Blend Of Composted Bark, Sphagnum Peat Moss and Perlite, Enriched With Miracle-Gro Plant Food, Feeds Instantly and Continuously For Quick Root Development and Sturdy Growth, Stand Up Resealable Waterproof Bag….

Food, Inc. $6.54 Your steak and chicken may not taste quite the same after you digest all of the information found in this documentary about food production in the United States. Exposing not only the disturbing conditions under which livestock exist prior to their slaughter, the film examines the complex issues surrounding our health and the profits of corporations invested in supplying people with inexpensive (i…

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days $15.00 Studio: Passion River Films Release Date: 10/11/2011 Run time: 90 minutes…

The Real Dirt on Farmer John $3.98 Studio: Gaiam Americas Release Date: 01/08/2008 Run time: 82 minutes…

Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 54-Ounce Containers (Pack of 2) $49.95 Nutiva’s Coconut Oil is cold-pressed, organic extra-virgin coconut oil, with its light taste, pleasant aroma, and pure white color. Please note that any tiny brown specks found at the bottom of Nutiva’s Coconut Oil are from the coconut fiber and are indigenous to extra-virgin coconut oil. It is deliciously healthy cooking oil. Better than butter and are USDA Organic. Unrefined with no trans fats, …