Why Banning Red Dye #3 Won’t Solve Our Real Health Crisis

If I had a dollar for every DM I got over the last week from someone celebrating the ban on Red Dye #3, I’d have about $14. Ok, so maybe not enough to retire early but you get the point. Many regard the ban as a major win for public health, believing that removing this single additive from the food supply will somehow lead to dramatic improvements. First and foremost, I applaud anyone who cares enough about their health—or the health of others—to take a stand. Yet, when we compare the minimal risk posed by trace amounts of this dye to the overwhelming dangers of obesity and inactivity, it becomes clear that focusing on one “boogeyman” ingredient is nothing more than a distraction from the enormous mountain we must climb to positively affect the health of ourselves and our loved ones.

Did anyone actually read the study? I glanced. It didn’t take long to see A) that it was done on rodents, and B) these rodents were given a RIDICULOUS amount of this stuff. Like, so much so that at that dose almost anything would kill you. Even water.

According to the study, you’d need to consume 14 million times the average daily intake of Red Dye #3 every day for 19 weeks to raise tumor risk. The question is, at 14 MILLION times the average consumption, what wouldn’t kill you? Even so, social media is rife with triumphant posts about finally vanquishing a “toxic” enemy. Honestly, as a guy trying to grow his socials, it’s tempting to just jump on the bandwagon. These people role deep and it seems to me to be a quick way to gain a following. But then again, that would make me a giant asshole. And while all this victory flag waving is happening in the social media world, America ranks among the most overweight and least fit populations in the world—a reality that, as I will prove below, poses FAR greater threats to long-term health.

I’m not an expert on food additives, but I am an expert in fat loss, fitness, and nutrition. Over the past 20 years, I’ve helped hundreds of people lose fat, get in shape, and improve their health. The core principles remain:

Regular exercise

Calorie awareness

Meeting essential nutrient needs, such as protein and fiber

No single dye ban can even come remotely close to compensating for a lack of these fundamental habits.

Here’s some of the data. Real data. Done on actual human beings (not rats). And it’s shocking. I’ve been looking at data like this for 2 decades and I still say “Wooooowwwww” whenever I read it again. And this is only a tiny fraction of the studies done on this subject.

Being fat is killing you. Literally.

Even if you’re a healthy weight, having a low level of fitness is also killing you.

These are sobering numbers. And please understand that I’m sensitive to how difficult it is for so many to make the necessary changes. I am sympathetic to the emotional side of weight gain. I know better than most that it isn’t easy. I’ve been in the trenches, helping people with this for 20 years. I get it.

The bad news is being careless with your nutrition and fitness is killing you. The good news is even a slight improvement in your fitness can help dramatically.

I understand why focusing on a single “boogeyman” is so appealing. It’s far simpler to eliminate one ingredient and hope your health will improve, rather than tackle the harder realities of consistent exercise, balanced nutrition, and habit change. But the truth is, real health improvements require effort. You can accept that, slip into your favorite Lulu Lemon leggings, and begin the journey of improving your health, or you can bury your head in the sand until the next “magical solution” claims the social media spotlight.

The bottom line is that banning Red Dye #3 isn’t going to fix the nation’s overarching health problems. If we’re serious about preventing disease and promoting longevity, we must focus on the fundamentals:

Regular physical activity

Calorie-controlled, nutrient-dense eating

Adequate fiber intake

Forming lasting, healthy habits

So, yes—caring about the ingredients in your food is commendable. But let’s not mistake a marginal win for the main event. Being overweight and out of shape is conclusively linked to astronomical increases in health risks—far more than any single additive. Make no mistake: if you want real change, it’s about lifestyle, not a one-step ban. So get out of my DM’s you filthy animals! JK. I love you all.

Until next time,

Jake Louro

Louro Training