Corn Allergy
kessalove
Posts: 27 Member
Is there anyone else with a corn allergy? It sucks! It's in everything!!!
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Replies
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Corn is, I think, the most difficult food additive to avoid (and I've done them all!)
And you can't just go by the ingredients label, even if you avoid anything with "spices" or "natural flavours", because the boxes and bags are often lubricated with cornstarch in the packing plant. Even things like toilet paper have corn in them and can give you a contact allergy if you are really sensitive.
As well as spices, sugar and salt may be kept free flowing with cornstarch, without including it on the ingredient label
Go with just whole foods, you say? Never mind the fact that the waxes contain corn, or the gas used to force ripen them contains corn . . .
And of course all of the medicines have corn in them, no matter whether they are liquid or tablet.
How bad is your allergy? What is the most surprising place you found it? My friend who is severely corn allergic was given a glucose IV, which of course was corn derived . . . pretty bad when EMS tries to kill you.
Pam0 -
My allergy is more of an intolerance, but it can get pretty bad where I do break out in hives around my face if I have too much and I do sound like I have a cold because my breathing gets a little heavy! Not pretty...people are shocked when I tell them that I'm allergic to corn!
I'm more surprised if corn isn't on the label and then later I'm having side effects. I wish they would realize that corn is just a sever allergy as peanuts, dairy, and gluten.
No not good that the EMT didn't realize that the iv had corn in it.0 -
Hives and trouble breathing is not an intolerance, that is definitely an allergy. Make sure you carry benadryl with you, and maybe get an epi pen too. Anaphylaxis doesn't always mean your throat swells up, it means that multiple systems are affected by the allergy, and it can get really bad really fast. If you have both breathing and skin reactions, you need to be really careful.
Pam0 -
Hi kessalove.
I just joined this site, but I am a looooong time calorie counter with another forum. I too am corn allergic. My allergy is considered low-grade/minor. However I can attest to how much even a small amount of allergen can affect your overall health. I was always sick with colds or something every year. Happily that is now a distant past; my immune system is strong these days.
You are correct, corn is in everything. I had a bad reaction from microwaving leftovers one day and it turned out the packaging was made from corn. It is true that hives usually is a sign of allergy not intolerance (things like psoriasis can be related to intolerance). What you describe sounds like allergy to me too.
Do you have a Trader Joes market near you? They have a lot of non-corn foods at much more reasonable prices than Whole Foods. They tend to use a lot more tapioca starch than corn starch in there processed items. But of course, unprocessed (and washed) food is the best.
The EMT story is horrible, but not uncommon unfortunately. Usually it is called out as Dextrose not Glucose (same thing). Dextrose is a big offender for me. It is used all the time as a preservative in food. In a saline IV there can be either 5% or 10% dextrose added -- like a gatorade in a bag. I wear a medical alert bracelet with DEXTROSE on it every day for this reason. Prior to knowing I was corn allergic, I had suffered from hives VERY BADLY post-surgery in the hospital after having both of my children and I really believe this was the cause.
Stuff like corn starch and HFCS are easy to identify, but I am always discovering new things I can't eat and didn't realize. When I found processed meats mostly contain Dextrose, I contacted both Boar's Head and Thumann's to inquire if any of there deli meats had it and what I found was that they ALL do except roast beef and a few extremely cured meats like salami. Fortunately, When I want deli meat I found the A&P supermarkets here have there house brand Hartford Reserve without preservatives or fillers. No more turkey sandwiches for me though when we're out. Also, be aware your good old fashioned Morton's iodized table salt also has dextrose -- I stick with sea salt now. Fortunately I am a big fan of salad.
It's been over 3 years for me now so if you have any questions please feel free! Good luck.
~Dawn
Oh, also watch for random offenders like toilet paper.... I know it's not food related, but it sure helps knowing.0 -
Fortunately, When I want deli meat I found the A&P supermarkets here have there house brand Hartford Reserve without preservatives or fillers. No more turkey sandwiches for me though when we're out.
Holy moly! This is the only lunch meat that doesn't give me a stomach ache. I guess I know why now!
I have about 15 food allergies in addition to (not bad) seasonal allergies.
Corn is one that I have tried to cut out. Its super hard. Esp when I have to limit wheat and my son is allergic to rice.0 -
I am sensitive to it but not allergic per say. My sister however is very allergic to it. It is a hard one.0
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I am another with a recently discovered Corn allergy. Corn sucks as its in everything and can be labled as over 40 different names and what it isn't in, can be in it but not labeled as its part of "processing". Its just plain scary.
My Story: For some reason, after I lost 50lbs, my body went all wonky and went into overdrive. My thyroid started to have more problems not working as well as having seasonal allergies go into overload. Have since found out that if you have allergies your more likely to have other Autoimmune problems that are hidden.
I now have known Allergies/ intolerance to Corn, Tuna, Soy and Peanuts on top of the ones to uncooked eggs and bananas. I also have allergies to uncooked eggs and bananas before this but those were easy to discover unlike the Corn and Soy and Tuna. I just could not tell because I was being bombarded by it. Most of my allergies give me migraines and digestive problems a few hours afterwards. The others are hives inside the mouth and yet I can't get a prescription for an Epi pen.
Trader Joe is my main place to get staples nowadays. The other place that I tend to use is a local fair trade specialty market that is is where local CSAs and local farmer sell their milk, pastured eggs and grass fed meats. It is more expensive and takes a lot of work to cook but what else can you do. Soon, I will start to integrate what I have learned with losing weight with cooking for myself and just the task of keeping myself in enough food so I don't gain from not eating enough right now.
Just remember, your not alone. Its a hard road but its doable. We just have to be the 1950s housewife making everything from scratch. My new hobby is canning and gardening so that I can have a safe supply in the winter..
With the amount of Corn in processed food, more and more people are going to get Corn allergies because they are being overwhelmed with it being in everything processed. More and more kids are getting allergies now and no one has figured out why yet.
(Honestly, do you really need corn syrup and soy protein in chicken nuggets?)0 -
I just found out I too have a corn intolerance I have been getting a lot of headaches and have had stomach trouble b/c of it. I wanted to know what are some of the products you buy at Trader Joes?0
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I just found out I too have a corn intolerance I have been getting a lot of headaches and have had stomach trouble b/c of it. I wanted to know what are some of the products you buy at Trader Joes?
Just go and read labels. There is some things there that can work for you and your set of allergies. Always check your labels, every time as the food manufacturers can change things on you with no warning.
But I have found a little bit of everything in Trader joe's that work for my intolerance/allergy. As each person is different with the levels of what they can take, its best to see what you can eat. On the Avoiding Corn forums, they suggest using a list from someone that is similar to your tolerances as a starting point. Or find someone that has made a list of safe food from the corn free blogs out there.
For me, its that Trader Joe's a lot of simply made items that have low amount of ingredients that are not all chemical names that you can't pronounce. As I have Soy and Corn, its a crazy mess trying to find something that works for me. If it don't have Corn, it has Soy in it. Its truly frustrating sometimes.
Trader Joe's has Organic Powdered Sugar made with tapioca instead of corn starch. Its useful for making safe sweets for when your just craving something small. That enables you to make that rare homemade birthday cake without corn or something sweet for a dinner party or hanging out with friends. It enables you to share with others so you don't feel left out from eating what they are eating sometimes. I know that sweets arn't that good but sometimes you have a craving, and if you let it go out of control, sometimes you do bad things. This enables you to keep things in control and be safe for your allergies.
But I remember that they only sell it for a few months out of the year just like some of the safe "kosher for passover" foods that you can find sometimes. So if you find something that works for you, stock up.0 -
Thanks for the info!0
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I would really caution you, if you are highly sensitive to corn, not to just read the ingredients list. Corn is not in the top 8 allergens that have to be listed on ingredients, so it can masquerade under "natural ingredients", caramel, or many other names. And it does not have to be declared if cornstarch is used to lubricate food boxes or bags on the assembly line. If you are highly sensitive, it doesn't matter if the product is corn-free if the container is not. Avoid any packaged foods that you can. Stick with fresh foods and wash them well in case they've been treated with corn-based waxes or other treatments.I just found out I too have a corn intolerance I have been getting a lot of headaches and have had stomach trouble b/c of it. I wanted to know what are some of the products you buy at Trader Joes?
Just go and read labels. There is some things there that can work for you and your set of allergies. Always check your labels, every time as the food manufacturers can change things on you with no warning.0 -
I have severe reactions to corn and am still learning about everthing that it is in! Scary! Adhesives were what tipped me off!0
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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Sheesh. I never even realized that I was having issues with Boars Head. It's ironic that my body seems to like certain things (like Roast Beef) but I generally avoid most other meats from Boars Head. Weird. I've been dealing with a corn allergy and didn't even think to look there. Thanks for the heads up!
Monica0 -
Yup - corn intolerance here, esp bad with corn syrup. Corn syrup makes me massively depressed. We TRY to eat paleo anyway, but it's just shocking how many things it's in. And how much I miss eating it.0
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