OKLAHOMA CITY -- Some parents believe artificial food coloring is negatively affecting the behavior of their children, prompting a push to eliminate artificial food dyes from diets, KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City reported.

Food dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5 and Blue 2 can be found in just about everything from cookies to chips to soda. Those types of foods aren't necessarily the most healthful, but parents like Carrie Nichols believe those dyes are responsible for behavioral problems.

Nichols was worried her son, 6-year-old Kip, might have attention deficit disorder.

"I don't want him to go on medicine. He's too young," she said.

Then a relative told her that it might not be something wrong with her son.

"It never dawned on me that it could be the foods he was eating," she said.

After cutting out food dyes from Kip's diet, Nichols noticed a huge difference.

"Not as loud, not as aggressive, not as hyperactive," she said.

While Nichols now buys only products that are dye-free, doctors are skeptical of concern about dyes.

"There is no scientific proof that this dye causes any behavioral problems or any major health problems," said Dr. Susana Chavez-Bueno.

That doesn't mean parents shouldn't be aware of labels and what ingredients are in certain foods.

"Some people really are allergic to this dye, and they need to recognize that to try to avoid it," Chavez-Bueno said.