Corn Allergy Post

[isabelladangelo]

I probably should start with saying that my corn allergy -unlike my Tomato or my Buckwheat allergy- is mild. I won't swell up and end up in the ER. If I have say a regular coke cola (corn syrup) I'll probably just end up with "tummy issues" for a couple of hours. In order to avoid that, I've been avoiding corn. The interesting thing is that even my Dad has recognized how much healthier (ie, I'm not sick all the time!) I've gotten since I've been avoiding corn. I haven't lost weight, I've just been not eating anything with corn.

Because of the corn allergy, eating out has gotten...interesting. Avoiding tomatoes and buckwheat has been reasonably easy. If it's red, don't eat it and hardly anyone uses buckwheat. Corn, unfortunately, is in everything. McDonalds is off the list of places I can eat. There is only one or two items on the entire menu that doesn't have corn. Chick-Fi-La, however, is actually one of the best at not using corn. I have written to them and they are trying to find alternatives to corn syrup for their sauces -the one of the only things that does have corn on their menu.

Grocery shopping is...annoying. Dextrose is from corn. Modified food starch is actually corn starch. I've been buying a lot of organic products because most of the time they don't use corn. Most of the time.

Some of the things I've had to switch too or had problems with:

• Organic Salad dressing -wishbone, hidden valley, and the rest of the big names all use corn starch (at least for Ranch)
  
• Billy Bee Honey Mustard - French's "honey" mustard uses corn syrup
  
• Throwback Pepsi or Sierra Mist Natural - I use to be a coke cola gal. Now, it's hard to find the Mexican coke (Costco) so I've switched. I've written Pepsi and the new Sierra Mist will be around for a while but the throwback is something they only plan on bringing out once in a while. I stock up when I find it. Otherwise, I'm stuck with the very expensive sugar cane soda given all other big name sodas are made with lovely corn syrup in the US.
  
• Soups -I've had to pretty much give up on soups. There is a brand called "Anna's Organic" that I'm going to try but I really can't have campbells anymore.
  
• Bread - I've had to be careful here. Not only do some breads have buckwheat, they also have corn syrup or corn starch. Arnold's is okay for the most part but they still sometimes use some sort of corn in their breads. I've considered making my own but I have a feeling that would be more trouble than it's worth.
  
• Sweets - Hersey's is okay, but many others like M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, and even snacks like Slim Jims are off limits. The vending machine at work hardly ever has something I can eat without getting sick. No hostess anything (ie twinkies, cupcakes, ect), no paydays, nothing. Even cake mixes are problematic. Some of the chocolate cake mixes are okay but I'm slowly drifting into just buying the gluten free since those tend to be corn free as well.
  
• Soy chips with sea salt -these are a great alternative to popcorn. The concession stand at the movies is completely off limits.

I've been cooking a LOT more since I figured out that it was corn getting me sick all the time. Tonight was beef stragnoff. For Lent, I've been bringing in my lunch each day rather than running over to Chick-Fi-La (no fast food; sit-down restaurants are okay). This means keeping a lot more food on hand than I use to have. My fridge is hardly ever empty anymore.

If anyone wants to have fun at the grocery store next time they go, read every single label and see how much corn is actually in your diet. You can also just run to your pantry right now and check it out. Its pretty scary. It really is in everything and makes me one of those terrible people that stand in the aisle for ten minutes reading every single label there is just to pick up one item. :-)

Comments

[aylwen.livejournal.com]

I'm like you, but with wheat. In Australia its everywhere!!! Corn is a rare ingredient - even cornflour is made from wheat a lot of the time.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

We end up with corn due to gov't intervention and the corn subsidies. It wasn't that way until the mid-80s and then a lot of companies switched to corn rather than sugar for sweeteners. A lot of research is going into how the US is obese due to high fructose corn syrup.

With a wheat allergy, can you eat bread at all? I'm assuming not. Wheat Gluten is a problem here in the US, to the point many companies are putting on their packaging "Gluten Free" due to the scare a couple of years ago. A wheat gluten was to blame for hundreds of ill dogs and quite a few dead dogs. If it got into the pet food, it could get into human food, so hence the new packaging.

[bluedoran.livejournal.com]

I've avoided high-fructose corn syrup for a long time, but just plain corn syrup is also in practically everything. You're completely right, it's about subsidies and manufacturers choosing cheaper ingredients.

I like the Sierra Mist Naturals lemon-lime and cranberry-lemon-lime sodas sweetened with cane sugar.

The CVS closest to my house has Pepsi Throwback some of the time. It tastes much better than the corn syrup version.

Right now I'm sticking to diet drinks because I'm trying to lose weight.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

The diet drinks are actually worse in some ways. They make you crave salty things which forces people to eat more. Then there is the whole carcinogen thing.

[bluedoran.livejournal.com]

Yeah, aspartame is not the best. Giant food flavored seltzer water is good, though...CVS brand tastes disgusting, again because of the aspartame. For a drink with no calories

[wokeupinadream.livejournal.com]

Ah, Coke. It would suck if I had to give it up. Not only it helps my migraines when nothing else does, but I think I've also become addicted to it.

But really, quite educational and not a bad idea about checking those labels out. I might consider doing that!

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of the ingredients are different in Europe. They still use sugar for the most part outside of the US. ....so....the next time I'm over there, I'm so drinking as much sugar sodas as I can. ;-)

[wokeupinadream.livejournal.com]

hehehe :)

[kaypendragon.livejournal.com]

Soup is way easy to make at home - and freeze in individual servings.

For Bread, try English Muffin bread at home - it's easy and doesn't involve kneading but has yeast, so it tastes like regular bread. Just swap a bit of flour for the cornmeal dusting. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/English-Muffin-Bread-2

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll check it out.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

I think Passover Coke has sugar instead of HFCS. You should be able to stock up on that pretty soon.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

I've heard of that before but I haven't seen them, unfortunately. I'll still keep my eye out.

[wereleopard.livejournal.com]

Look for the yellow cap with the Hebrew letters on it. I LOVE KFP Coke. I do my best to stock up for all year.

[wereleopard.livejournal.com]

I've been doing much the same thing... I developed a food intolerance to high fructose corn syrup last year and I was getting horrendously nauseous every time I ate almost anything. I finally figured it out, and I feel like a totally different person. Thank goodness for Whole Foods, and I've made a lot of the switches you have too. I do love my Hershey's bars now that I can't have Butterfinger or Snickers anymore, and I miss fast food a little.

Too bad there's no public Chick-Fil-A in NYC...

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

That's how it started for me. However, it's slowly turned into a mild allergy so I'm just keeping away from it as much as possible. I was wondering why getting a coke when I had an upset tummy was making me sicker...

Keebler's is also pretty good. I can have grasshoppers but not thin mints. Grr... I use to LOVE thin mints but they use cornstarch.

Easter is going to be an issue for me. I can have the chocolate bunny but not the eyes or the carrot..or any of the chocolate eggs. :-( I want a cadbury...