Red Dyes

I'm allergic to red dye. Not like, deathly allergic. I won't swell up and die if I consume red dye. My face breaks out in a rash if I eat/drink anything with red dyes...

I figured this out when I was a teen. My mom would go to Arby's and get me a beef and cheddar (with Arby's sauce on an onion bun). About half an hour after I ate it, the skin around my mouth, my cheeks, and the bridge of my nose would break out in little red itchy bumps. It got to where I'd only order Arby's Melts (beef and cheddar on a regular bun). When I'd drink red Kool-Aids (cherry, fruit punch, strawberry, mixed berry, etc) or eat red popcicles, the same thing would happen.

I googled it and realized that a lot of people have allergies to red dyes. Hmm... So, lately Matt and I have been drinking a lot of Kool-Aid. Don't ask why... it's just good. Being the silly person I am, I bought red flavors and ended up with a rash for about two weeks straight. Last time I bought some, I didn't get any red in hopes that my rash would go away. It did.

Today, it's came back. I wondered why and then I realized that the Mio I bought has red in it. It's purple (mixed berry), but you need red and blue to make purple. I was drinking it in conjunction with the Kool-Aid so I didn't realize it was causing problems too... until now. Thankfully, the last of it is in my water bottle now and I won't be buying any more of this flavor. Bummer. I like everything that's red! Why do I have to be allergic to it???