Finding out you have a food allergy can be devastating.

Finding out you have a food allergy can be devastating. I think my first thought was, "What does that mean?" You ask your doctor and he says just avoid that food. It's just a skin test. They aren't entirely accurate.

I am going to attempt to give you ideas and recipes on how to avoid corn. It can be quite the challenge.

Sorry that my blog is evolving into a little bit of everything in life.



New to Corn Allergy???

I am dedicating this page to the friends on http://forums.delphiforums.com/AvoidingCorn/start:

Posted are excerpts from various postings to those searching for help:

Posted by Kristyreal:  http://forums.delphiforums.com/AvoidingCorn/messages?msg=9443.14

Now that you've found this forum, you will start to feel better and better every day. I had the same types of issues except I went undiagnosed for over 20 years. We are gradually building our health back up from all those years of illness. I remember how I felt when I finally found out that all my gastro symptoms were allergy related - I couldn't believe not one doctor in all those 20 years ever suggested it to me. All of those foods that I thought I couldn't eat are now back in my diet in moderation except for legumes.
This allergy has changed our whole life - starting with how I think of food and any other product that touches my body. One good rule of thumb: the more a product is processed, the more likely it will be corn contaminated. Look for foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Sometimes this can be counterintuitive: some fresh fruit is actually more processed than frozen fruit even though that seems backward. Fresh fruit must be treated with citric acid, corn waxes and other corny crap to extend the shelf life but most frozen fruit is washed with water and frozen very quickly after harvest. Remember that baby carrots (and other pre-washed produce), raw boneless skinless chicken breasts and milk are processed foods.
As for the ensure, pretty much anything with vitamin enrichments will be corny so go for nutrient dense whole foods and search the forum for safe vitamins. Try whole raw organic milk from pastured cows and pastured chicken and eggs to gain your health back. Butter and cream from pastured cows along with Kerrygold cheese is another way to boost your calories and start building up your system. Start looking for a farmers market where you may find safe beef, lamb, chicken, pork or turkey and eat beef, lamb and chicken livers (even if you don't like it) at least once a week to regain strength and vitality. Liver and eggs are some of the best "health" foods on the planet and they will help you so much. Dairy kefir is also a miracle food.
Also, you might want to consider things like bee pollen (as long as you're not allergic, of course), rose hips, cod liver oil, honey, seeds and nuts, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, pure organic unrefined coconut oil and leafy green veggies to boost your health. Home sprouted seeds, grains and beans are very healthy, too (most sprouts from the store are corntaminated). Bee pollen is very high in B vitamins and rose hips have more vitamin C than citrus fruits, cod liver oil (Blue Ice fermented plain CLO) is high in natural A and D vitamins. Seeds, nuts and leafy green veggies are really good sources of trace minerals and healthy fats - avocados and olive and coconut oils are also very safe, very healthy fats. Consider adding as many beneficial herbs, spices and aromatics as possible to your diet: onions, garlic, ginger, parsley, cilantro, turmeric, cayenne pepper, etc.
I know all this sounds overwhelming, but you'll soon get the hang of it. The first major step is changing your way of thinking about the fuel that goes into your body and the products that you absorb into your skin. Keep copious notes, print out lists of safe foods, make note of which store carries which product (you'll never keep it straight otherwise), keep a food journal detailing the foods you eat and the reactions you felt, and seek out ethnic grocery stores and farmers markets and health food stores. Talk to everyone you meet - you never know when you'll find out some vital information from a casual conversation with a stranger. It just takes practice and motivation and you've got plenty of motivation. We're here to help so don't forget that you can post any questions and you're sure to get a good answer from someone (or several someones) on here. Good luck!

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I am kind of new here myself. Gluten is another problem many of the people here have. Some here can't eat any grains; some just have to watch corn and there are many in between.
Here is a couple links and some information I have saved. The posts are from kristyreal who I met at msgmyths.com. I hope this helps and this isn't all the links just those I have saved in word.
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http://cornallergens.com/ (look under allergen list)
http://cornallergyaid.blogspot.com/p/products-that-i-use.html
http://no-corn.blogspot.com/
http://corn-freefoods.blogspot.com/
http://www.cornallergyadvocate.com/what-i-am-eating/
http://corn-freefoods.blogspot.com/2007/12/corn-free-foods-products-list-dec-2007.html
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Av03HsJ8d7APcGJPSEFXWXVxdkRGY0NxUGFQcW1ZVXc&gid=0
vicki, I have a thought and it pertains to corn (of course coming from me it would be corn)....most GF foods rely heavily on corn products and additives so that may be the source of your increased sensitivity. I don't think you have to be allergic to corn to react to these highly processed, chemical additives made from corn. Most are made with horrifying processes using caustic chemicals. Watch for hidden corn derivatives in things like baby carrots, bagged salad greens, conventional apples, bananas, avocados, citrus, melons, fresh berries, bell peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, fresh meat (even grassfed if it is USDA certified processed), chicken, packaged foods like deli meats and cheeses, commercial wheat products, etc.
Here is a list of items that are hard to find completely corn-free that work for us:
Kerrygold butter and cheeses (all varieties)
all purpose unbleached organic flour
baking soda
sea salt
mostly organic veggies with some safe conventional thrown in (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, new potatoes {loose only}, onions, elephant garlic, ginger root), never "prewashed", bagged or processed in any way produce...
only seafood from the corn-free list (none of it is available in my area so we really miss seafood - most is treated with citric acid before it hits shore)
local grassfed beef bought in shares or halves (owning a large part of the animal allows you to choose how it is processed so you can avoid corny acids like citric acid or lactic acid in processing - also most cryovac packs are dusted with cornstarch so we choose plain butcher paper)
pastured chickens from a lady at the farmers market that uses only water when processing (commercial chickens are washed with a bleach solution and packaged with citric acid - even most organic or kosher ones)
pastured organic eggs (hard to find corn-free eggs)
tropical traditions coconut or red palm oils
Filipo Berio olive oils
Daisy sour cream or raw milk
homemade kefir or yogurt
some frozen fruit and veggies (Kroger brand plain or Naturally Preferred work for us but there are others listed on the corn-free list)
steel-cut oatmeal in a can
lundberg brown rices or unenriched sushi rice work for my kids (I'm allergic to rice)
organic sugar or sugar in the raw
ground vanilla beans from arizona vanilla
bragg's apple cider vinegar
dried beans and legumes
organic honey or raw honey
loose herbal teas from Mountain Rose Herbs
LaCroix plain sparkling water
Virgil's Cream Soda
Brita pitcher filtered water
homemade condiments, pickles and jams
Santa Cruz lemon or lime juice
DaVinci organic pasta
commercial yeast is grown on corn in a particularly nasty set of circumstances which is why most do better with sourdough breads. Red Star yeast in packets (not the jar) is not grown on corn and works for most really sensitive people.
Try scaling back your consumption of all processed foods (even if the label looks safe) and see if it helps with your sensitivity.
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Have you read anything about hidden corn? Here is a list of things commonly loaded with hidden corn:
corn wax: green peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, rutabagas, apples, citrus
gassed with ethylene: avocados, bananas, potatoes, pineapples
washed with citric acid: bagged lettuces, baby carrots
packaged with citric acid soaker pad: fresh meat, berries, chicken
dusted with cornstarch: deli meat, sliced cheese (most cheeses actually), meat in cryovac packages, some frozen veggies/fruit
I'm sure there are other corn traps, but I can't think of them at the moment. As for packaged foods, if you keep having issues after reading the corn-free list (at one of the links given above), perhaps you could go to a basic diet of rice, dried beans, organic veggies and sea salt until your reactions calm down some.

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beware almost all meds / supplements have corn hidden away in them - for Rx meds many get theirs compounded at a special pharmacy - that is something I am thinking about doing myself if I can't get my reactions under better control. 

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Things to look at if you are new to corn allergy:
Toilet Paper, tissue, cosmetics, shampoo, lotion, bandaids, toothpaste, cleaning products, dish soap, laundry soap, fabric softener, dryer sheets, fragrances, plugins, air freshener, starch, glycerin, alcohol, magazines, books, copier toner, water softener salt, soft drinks, juice, sugar, salt and pepper, spice combinations/mixtures.  Some cloth and carpets are now made out of corn, as well as plastic.

Most all meats, and vegetables from the grocery store have been sprayed with citric acid or lactic acid for cleaning and preserving.  They don't have to disclose it because is a minute amount. 

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