Why do they say not to eat red m&ms while ur prego?

Question

like on juno?

Answer 1

Pregnant women have to watch how much mercury they eat.  It is toxic to a fetus.  This is why they are not allowed to eat tuna, shark, and other warm water fish while pregnant... Food colorings have heavy metals in them....

The Food and Drug Administration and Food Colorings

The FDA's website proved to be a valuable database for food coloring information. The site provides precise lists of color ingredients and is quite disturbing. I was personally horrified to learn that all artificial food colorings contain heavy metals such as lead and mercury as well as a myriad of chemicals.

One reason this was so disturbing was that one portion of the FDA had complete literature on the dangers of lead and the sources; however, food coloring was not listed as a potential source of exposure. Another reason this was disturbing was the consideration of all the possibilities for exposure to artificial food colorings in any given day. For example, is your child drinking a sports drink or a fruit juice with coloring? Does their antibiotic contain coloring? What about the macaroni and cheese you made for dinner last night? What are the cumulative effects of this exposure?

What Levels Are Safe?

Most artificial food coloring contains lead, mercury, and arsenic. What amounts of these substances are considered safe? The Department of Health and Human Services reports minimal risk levels (Table 1).

Table 1: Minimal Risk Levels for Mercury, Lead, and Arsenic

Mercury

Mercuric Chloride (oral) Acute: .007 mg/kg/day

Intermediate: .002 mg/kg/day

Mercury (Inhalation) Chronic: 0.0002 mg/m3 (mg per cubic meter of air)

Lead

Air  EPA:1.5 mcg/ m3

WHO: .5 mcg/ m3

Blood Children 10 mcg/dL

OSHA – written notification & medical exam: 40 mcg/dL

OSHA – medical removal from exposure 50 mcg/DL

Food  FDA: Bottled drinking water: .005 mg/L

Arsenic

Arsenic (Oral) Acute: .005 mg/day

Chronic: .0003 mg/day  Endpoint: Gastrointestinal

Endpoint: Dermal

Artificial Colors

Artificial colors become even more of a concern because, not only are they in our food products, but they are also in other daily use items such as lotion, shampoo, soaps, etc. Furthermore, the metal allotments in these cosmetic products are even higher than those allowed in food products. Table 2 provides metal and chemical information for each color used in food products. Table 3 provides the same information for each color used in cosmetic products.

Table 2: Artificial Food Coloring (81KB .pdf)

All the colorings listed in the Tables are approved for general use in food with the exception of two colors. The first color, Orange B, is authorized for use only in casings or surfaces of frankfurters or sausages. Were you aware that these foods had colors in them? I certainly was not, and that is very concerning. Even if you are consciously trying to avoid colors, you have to be extremely vigilant and check every label, because colors show up in seemingly innocent places.

The second color, Citrus Red No. 2, is approved only for orange skins that are not intended for or used in processing – this means the oranges that we are going to sit down and eat. Again, here we are as parents, providing what we believe is a nutritious alternative for our children, only to learn that they can be laced with heavy metals.

Answer 2

the dye is why people would say that, but i dont think theres a real RISK of eating things with red dye while your pregnant.

Answer 3

Ok so one chick who answered has this scientific reason for it.  Don't worry though, it's all a bunch of BULL.  If there was substantial evidence saying that red dye gives you cancer, THEY WOULD QUIT USING IT! "Health experts" say that breathing in popcorn steam and drinking pop can give you cancer!  If it was true that anything from cigarettes to red m&m's could give you cancer you'd have to lock yourself in a freakin' plastic bubble.  It's like "wow, what DOESN'T give you cancer these days?" . Don't worry about it.

Answer 4

I've never heard of that before.

Answer 5

because you watch too many movies and believe in c**p like that.

Answer 6

wow thats interesting, never heard tht one before! i wouldnt worry too much bout it. probably a myth. :)

Answer 7

I never heard that,I ate red m&m's and my baby is just fine.

Answer 8

never heard of it

Answer 9

"Red Dye #3, also called erythrosine, is a common food coloring used in many processed foods. It can be found most often in candy and cookies and other snacks. The FDA has known for decades the possible dangers of this ingredient; yet still allows it to be used.

Many studies have strongly suggested that it may be a breast carcinogen. It is an man-made chemical that acts as a xenoestrogen or psuedoestrogen. That is, it mimics the behavior of natural estrogen by binding to estrogen receptors in breast tissue. When this happens, cells in the breast are triggered to divide. This can in turn trigger abnormalities that can be the beginning of cancer. This is why even the body's own natural estrogen can be dangerous.

Worse still, xenoestrogens stay in the body much longer than natural estrogens and continue to wreak possible havoc. A body's own natural estrogens are flushed out of the body in a regular cycle; xenoestrogens are not.

In laboratory studies of Red Dye #3, when it came in contact with breast cancer cells it caused them to increase dramatically. It seemed to directly stimulate the growth of breast cells (both healthy and cancerous) and may cause genetic damage, leading to tumor development. It has also been shown to cause thyroid tumors in male rats.

Still not impressed? Seems the stuff is also sprayed on manure piles to kill fly eggs. Yes, as a pesticide!

Xenoestrogens may be especially dangerous to children, whose still developing breast tissue is particularly sensitive to environmental chemicals. Keep that in mind when you let your kids eat that brightly-colored candy!

Red #3 is found in places you might not even think to look. For example, try your medicine cabinet. The last time I checked it was used in Pepto-Bismol to give it that bright pink color.

Perhaps even more abhorrent is its use in products specifically targeted to women. Think about all of the artificially colored red and pink stuff around Valentine's Day. Candies. Cookies. Cakes with pink frosting. It's also used in strawberry flavored diet drinks such as Slim-Fast. Who consumes most of these products? Women! The food industry is fully aware of the research results possibly linking it to breast cancer, yet they seem unconcerned. After all, it's all about the money.

Another place it can be found is in a deceptively innocent-looking frozen food. Morningstar Farms makes veggie burgers and other meatless products. Much of what they sell, such as the well-known Gardenburger, is probably not too bad. But steer clear of anything made by this company that is supposed to be a veggie version of a hot dog wiener (including corn dogs) or bacon substitute. They use Red #3, as well as other artificial colors, in these particular products. This is repulsive, as these are marketed as 'health food.'

It is not hard to identify this dye in most foods that use it, especially snack foods. It is used mainly to create a bright, almost neon pink color. Not everything pink has this in it, however. There are alternatives. Read the ingredients list. Do your homework.

This is one instance when while being 'aware' of breast cancer, you don't want to 'Think Pink'!"

Phew!!

Sorry but this was a great article on the subject!!

Maybe I should have linked it but W/E.

Take care :)

Answer 10

Actually red-dye is bad for woman even if you aren't pregnant and red m&m's have red-dye.  Red-dye has a possible link to increased risk of certain female cancers.  It is also bad for kids as it can cause serotonin imbalance and lead to behavioral problems (signs of ADHD for example) and even learning disabilities.  

Answer 11

I've never heard of that, I don't think the color matters, maybe you aren't allowed to eat chocolate?not sure, probably myth.

Answer 12

hahah well on Juno is the only place I've ever heard that-I dont think it matters though.