Many children, and not just those suffering from extreme hyperactive conditions, can become more impulsive, inattentive and hyperactive from the cocktail of artificial additives found in drinks, sweets and processed foods, according to research published in the Lancet.

In the biggest study of its kind, scientists at Southampton University recorded the responses of 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight to nine-year-olds to various drinks and found that artificial food colours and additives were having “deleterious effects”. The youngsters drank a mix that reflected a UK child’s average daily additive intake.

Campaigners have long since warned that E numbers in hundreds of everyday products can affect children’s behaviour. They point to colourings in confectionary, soft drinks, ice cream and cakes aimed specifically at children. These artificial colours may brighten up food and drinks but they have the study provides clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and benzoate preservatives can adversely influence the behaviour of children.

The children, chosen as a snapshot of the general population, were all put on additive-free diets. None already suffered from a hyperactivity disorder. Then each day for six weeks, they were given drinks that either contained one of two mixtures of food colours and benzoate preservative or just fruit juice. All the drinks looked and tasted the same. The study builds upon tests conducted on the Isle of Wight in 2002, which were inconclusive about the possible links between additives and hyperactivity. The first mixture was similar to that used in the 2002 study. The second mixture contained the current average daily consumption of food additives by three-year-old and eight to nine-year-old children in the UK.

The FSA is now sending the findings to the European Food Safety Authority, which is currently reviewing the safety of all European Union permitted food colours. Hopefully it will increase pressure on manufacturers to stop using certain food colourings, but there are no plans to call for a ban.

Parents who are confused over what might be bad for their children are left with a simple message: read the label.

First we are told that fats are unhealthy and then carbohydrates and sugar and salt. Now there is mercury in fish to worry about, hormones in dairy, additives in children’s snacks and even spinach has been linked to bacterial outbreaks. But not to worry you can take the stress out of healthy eating by making a few changes to the way you shop and cook.

Fish: Mercury is deposited into the oceans and streams by coal burning plants where it can convert to a more toxic form, methylmercury which makes its way into the food chain and is most prevalent in large, predatory fish that live a long time because the metal accumulates over time and the fish also feed on other mercury-contaminated fish.

To avoid the risk of mercury overload avoid fish like shark, swordfish, and marlin. Buy canned light tuna, wild or canned salmon (not farmed), halibut and catfish. Pollutants in fish are most likely to accumulate below the skin and in fat deposits so remove skin before cooking. Unfortunately, mercury concentrates in the muscle tissue so if you are pregnant or hoping to be, the recommendation is to have no more than two portions of oily fish a week. Also limit tuna to either two fresh tuna steaks a week or four medium cans of tuna (canned tuna does not count as an ‘oily’ fish because the oils are lost in the canning process). Fish oil supplements are fine as long as you know they are from a reputable source.

Fruits and vegetables: Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are sprayed with dozens of chemicals and pesticides. Pesticide residues have been linked to hormonal imbalances and cancer.

To avoid the risk choose organic when you buy the most heavily sprayed fruit and vegetables e.g. peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, pears, celery, cherries, imported grapes, lettuce, bell peppers and potatoes. You should also thoroughly wash your fruit and vegetables under cold running water. For foods with firm surfaces such as apples use a vegetable brush.

Dairy: Dairy cattle are routinely kept pregnant now while they are being milked so the hormone levels such as oestrogen can be high.

Choose organic dairy produce where possible. You could also choose non-dairy substitutes such as rice, oat or soya milk.

Meat: Antibiotics are routinely fed to life stock to prevent infections from unsanitary conditions. Experts believe that the overuse of antibiotics in live stock allows harmful bacteria to develop resistance. About 70 percent of bacteria that cause hospital infections have become resistant to at least one antibiotic; some of which may be related to those used in live stock.

My advice is to avoid meat completely and to substitute with protein rich fish, nuts, seeds, legumes and grains but if you must eat meat, buy organic chicken or turkey. Remove skin and fatty tissue to reduce the amount of pollutants and pesticides; don’t let anything raw come into contact with fresh food and cook meat thoroughly.

Ingredients: Many additives, preservatives and colourings have a negative effect on your health ranging from allergic reactions, headaches and nausea to hyperactivity in children. The best advice is to avoid food that is processed and refined, such as white bread and ready meals and use your common sense when shopping. If a food looks unnatural it probably is and if the list of ingredients on the back reads like a chemistry experiment put it back on the shelf. Seven dangerous ingredients to be wary off, especially if you are shopping for your children, are:

• E211- sodium benzoate: This preservative can trigger allergic reactions and is used in salad dressings, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, fruit drinks and sweets.
• E110- sunset yellow: This dye can cause nausea and hyperactivity and is found in orange squash, jam, lemon curd, packet soups, cheeses sauces and sweets.
• E129- allura red: This dye is found in sweets, soft drinks and biscuits. It can cause mild allergic reactions and is banned in nine European countries.
• E124- ponceau 4R: This red dye can cause allergic reactions and is found in dessert toppings, salami, salad dressings, cheesecakes and fruit drinks.
• E104- quinoline yellow: This dye is found in scotch eggs, chewing gum and cough sweets and can cause hyperactive behaviour. It has been banned in Australia, Japan, Norway and the US.
• E102- tartrazine: This dye is found in fruit squashes, cake mixes, soups, ice creams, jellies, mustards, yogurts and tinned food. It can cause allergic reactions, headaches and blurred vision.
• E122-camoisine: This dye is found in marzipan, swiss roll, jam, brown sauce, flavoured yogurts and fruit drinks. It can cause mild rashes and hyperactive behaviour.

A recent report released by the Pesticide Residues committee suggests that up to a third of our food may be tainted by pesticides. Traces of chemicals were even found on fruit destined for children under the Government’s free fruit for schools scheme.

More than 3,500 food samples were tested, of which 34.8 per cent contained residues of pesticides. The committee did stress that the vast majority of the traces were at levels too low to cause health problems.

However, 60 of the samples – 1.7 per cent – did contain levels higher than the maximum safe legal limit. Imported food was most likely to be in breach, said the committee. Exotic fruit and vegetables such as yams, pomegranates and passion fruit were responsible for almost all the higher than acceptable levels. Scientists also found worrying levels of chemical fungicides on Spanish lettuce, with one containing twice the permitted maximum.

From the point of view of a nutritionist I can understand why people may be worried about the amount of pesticides and residues in their food. A build up of pesticides in the body has been linked to a range of illnesses and conditions including cancer, damage to the immune system and hormone disruption in children, which causes girls to hit puberty earlier and boys to have lower sperm counts. But it is important for everyone to make sure they eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Study after study shows that the health benefits of eating good amount of fruit and vegetables.

To minimise your risk of pesticide residue, however, follow my advice in my ‘So what can I eat?’ feature and then make sure you:

• Wash all fresh vegetables and fruit, thoroughly with lots of running water.
• Use a small vegetable brush to clean the outer skin of vegetables and fruit, if appropriate – for example, before eating apples, potatoes, cucumbers or other produce in which you eat the outer skin.
• Peel vegetables and fruit and trim the outer leaves of leafy vegetables, along with washing them thoroughly. (Unfortunately, peeling vegetables and fruit may also reduce the amount of nutrients and fibre.)
• Buy organic where possible because you are not only reducing your exposure to pesticides but you can also eat the peel where most of the nutrients are contained under the skin.