Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Problems With Corn ?

MichLab

Recommended Posts

MichLab Explorer
MichLab
Posted

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 6 years ago and if have lived a 100 percent gluten free life ever since. I read labels, I am careful about cross-contamination issues; I check my medicines and beauty products. I am so careful about watching out for gluten.  Over the past 6 months or so I have become super sick to the point where I throw up.  Once I finish throwing up I feel perfect.  I think I have narrowed it down to corn.  I have eliminated corn from my diet and I feel much better.  Is this possible to become sensitive to corn after eating it and enjoying it for so many years?  Any way - I have become extremely depressed because as we all know a lot of gluten free food is made with corn (pasta, crackers, cookies, bread..).  That is fine for when I am at home but how do I go out to eat now with out getting sick.  Asking a server to handle gluten is one thing and adding corn onto the mix is another.  Also, any ideas for snacks? I am so tired of fruit and I am trying to find something healthy that won't add on the pounds. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.  I feel like I am never going to eat anywhere but home again.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

Well, my intolerance to corn came on about two or three weeks after going gluten-free, but intolerances CAN happen to anybody at any time. Corn makes me sicker than gluten does, and yes, it is in EVERYTHING.

 

EXCEPT - Canyon Bakehouse bread, Against the Grain Products, Hagen Daz ice creams (Some of them at least - check the labels.) Blue Bunny All Natural vanilla ice cream, Kettle Brand potato chips, Planter's nuts, Mulay's sausage (did you know that almost every brand of sausage in the grocery store has CORN SYRUP??!!), King Arthur gluten-free flour, Uncle Ben's rice (yes, some rices are "polished" with corn starch) and other things I can't think of right now.

 

As for snacks, well, if it isn't fruit, it is probably fattening, so I snack on the above but try to keep the portions small. :)

 

Be aware that almost every pill and capsule (and most liquid) medication and supplement has corn. You can't buy bagged salads anymore because they use a vegetable wash made with corn. Almost every citric acid you will find in foods is from corn. Caramel coloring is from corn. Just about every sweet tasting thing on the market is sweetened with corn syrup nowadays. And a lot of things that AREN'T sweet (like the sausage) have it too. If they don't have corn syrup, they have maltodextrin and that is corn too.

 

The trouble is, corn doesn't have to be identified on the label if it is used in processing so it's a lot harder to avoid. You end up calling and emailing company after company and half the time they tell you that even if they aren't using corn today, their sources of ingredients change depending on availability and price, so they can't guarantee it is corn-free.

 

I'll come back with some links for you to help you navigate this nightmare which is SO much harder than avoiding gluten.

 

But in the meantime, most of your whole foods are corn-free, and that list of corn-free snacks above should help. With the King Arthur flour you can make pancakes and waffles and biscuits and cakes and cookies and whatever. I've been doing this for 2 1/2 years now and although it isn't easy, if I can pull it off, anyone can. :)

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

OK, check out these websites. Try not to let it overwhelm you. Remember, most whole foods are OK so you're not going to starve. And although I hardly ever eat in restaurants, I DID eat at Outback once and explained to the waiter that I couldn't have gluten OR corn. He talked to the chef and came back and showed me the items on the gluten-free menu that were also corn-free. I had steak and shrimp and a veggie (skipped the salad in case they used beggie wash), and I did not get sick. So it CAN be done.

 

Open Original Shared Link
 
Open Original Shared Link
 
Open Original Shared Link
bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

Oh yeah, some of these corn websites say coffee can be a problem, but I drink Folgers every day, and Dunkin Donuts coffee when it goes on sale, and I have had no problems. THANK GOD!!!!!

 

And you CAN find some cookies and crackers in the health food store that are corn-free. Go to Pamela's website and they actually list the stuff they sell that is corn-free. You can get rice crackers that usually have just rice and salt, and they're really good (I used to eat them before celiac or corn intolerance.) And who needs pasta when you've got rice? Try your sauce and meatballs on rice and I promise you'll like it!

MichLab Explorer
MichLab
Posted
  • Author

Oh yeah, some of these corn websites say coffee can be a problem, but I drink Folgers every day, and Dunkin Donuts coffee when it goes on sale, and I have had no problems. THANK GOD!!!!!

OMG - Thank you. This has been so helpful. I appreciate the time you took to give me all this information.  Can I ask - do you find that besides from stomach issues you develop other issues when you ingest corn? Such as fatigue or mood swings?  Thanks again!!

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

You are more than welcome!

 

The last time I had corn (I tried a vitamin C that didn't SAY it was from citric acid so I thought it MIGHT be rose hips), I literally thought I was going to die. Screaming D followed by a drop in my core body temperature and muscle spasms that almost felt like seizures. For the next several days I was totally wiped out. Could barely get out of bed and could barely keep my eyes open. I just wanted to lie down. I couldn't call what I had mood swings because there WAS no up mood, just three or four days of "GROAN!"

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

Oh yeah, I forgot something really important! You remember all the uproar about BPA's in plastic? It was in the clear plastics like individual servings of water come in and the plastic linings in food cans. Well, a lot of companies have now replaced that with a corn-based plastic. I really did get sick one time from bottled water! (The cloudy plastic that most gallons of water come in are safe.) I even checked out how this stuff was made and the protein is not processed out. As a matter of fact, the protein is what they use to make it.

 

And speaking of gallon jugs, milk is vitaminD fortified and corn is the "carrier". Most things that are vitamin fortified have corn in them. You would have to check with each company to be sure, but I just avoid anything that is vitamin fortified. I have FINALLY managed to find a mult-vitamin that is gluten-free, corn-free and soy-free. Lifetime iron-free softgels.

 

Now, they say that the protein has been processed out of corn STARCH, and although it gave me problems at first, I eventually got to the point where I could tolerate it. Then I got glutened and lost it again for a while. But I got it back again and as long as I go easy on it, it seems to be OK.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


BethM55 Enthusiast
BethM55
Posted

Regarding corn issues, I wonder if it makes a difference if the corn genetically modified or not?  I've spoken to people (not necessarily celiac or gluten intolerant) who can tolerate non-GMO corn, but get very sick from GMO corn.  Any thoughts or experiences with this?

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

Because corn is pollenated through the air and the wind can blow the pollen for miles and miles, I think it is likely that there is very little NON GMO corn left in this country.

ncdave Apprentice
ncdave
Posted

Would you know of any gluten an corn free meds I can take for, pain, gas, nerves?  I take pantoprazole sub for protonix daily for my stomach, it works so so. It does not really help with gas pain. It is also the only pill I know of that does not contain corn or gluten. When I go to the er I will not even let them give me a pain shot, because there is nothing they can send me home with for pain that does not make me sick. I am afraid one day I will really need something for pain an do not know what I could do beside be really sick just to take something for pain. Things like greens an squash do not make me sick, but they give me gas so bad there just not worth the pain, (bloated stomach pain) After quitting smoking some days I really could use something for nerves but have no idea what I would be able to  take. Any help would be much appericated. I am thinking about going to a celiac Dr just to see what they would recommend. 

BelleVie Enthusiast
BelleVie
Posted

Oh yeah, some of these corn websites say coffee can be a problem, but I drink Folgers every day, and Dunkin Donuts coffee when it goes on sale, and I have had no problems. THANK GOD!!!!!

 

Bartfull, I am so glad to hear that because I've been really "off" in the past week, and have been afraid that it's because of my coffee!! Glad to know that lots of other people can do coffee with no problems.  

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

NCDave, I hate to tell you this but as far as I know, the only way to be safe from corn is to have your meds made at a compounding pharmacy. I get a bottle of 120 capsules of Tylenol (325 mg.) for about 37 dollars. Yeah. Ridiculously expensive. I use them sparingly which is not a bad thing because they aren't good for the liver. I would get asperin instead if I weren't allergic to it.

 

One thing you could try though is the health food store. They might have something you can take, and if you go when they're not busy they will probably be able to help you find something.

 

I have also heard that for pain you can use roasted sesame seeds ground up into a powder. I think you need to take a large dose and that it builds up in your system so it won't be good for something like a headace, but if you have chronic pain it might help.

 

For anxiety, how about good old chamomile tea? Of course you will need to get loose tea instead of bags (corn starch in the bags).

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,963
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    AlissaW
    Newest Member
    AlissaW
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      If black seed oil is working for his Afib, stick to it, but if not, I can say that ablation therapy is no big deal--my mother was out of the procedure in about 1 hour and went home that evening, and had zero negative effects from the treatment. PS - I would recommend that your husband get an Apple watch to monitor his Afib--there is an app and it will take readings 24/7 and give reports on how much of the time he's in it. Actual data like this should be what should guide his treatment.
    • Jacki Espo
      Covid caused reoccurrence of DH without eating gluten

      By Jacki Espo · Posted

      This happened to me as well. What’s weirder is that within a couple hours of taking paxlovid it subsided. I thought maybe I got glutened but after reading your post not so sure. 
    • Mari
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Tiffany. Thank you for writing your dituation and  circumstancesin such detail and so well writte, too. I particularly noticed what you wrote about brain for and feeling like your brain is swelling and I know from my own experiences that's how it feel and your brain really does swell and you get migraines.    Way back when I was in my 20s I read a book by 2 MD allergist and they described their patient who came in complaining that her brain, inside her cranium, was swelling  and it happened when she smelled a certain chemical she used in her home. She kept coming back and insisting her brain actually swelled in her head. The Drs couldn't explain this problem so they, with her permission, performed an operation where they made a small opening through her cranium, exposed her to the chemical then watched as she brain did swell into the opening. The DRs were amazed but then were able to advise her to avoid chemicals that made her brain swell. I remember that because I occasionally had brain fog then but it was not a serious problem. I also realized that I was becoming more sensitive to chemicals I used in my work in medical laboratories. By my mid forties the brain fog and chemicals forced me to leave my  profession and move to a rural area with little pollution. I did not have migraines. I was told a little later that I had a more porous blood brain barrier than other people. Chemicals in the air would go up into my sinused and leak through the blood brain barrier into my brain. We have 2 arteries  in our neck that carry blood with the nutrients and oxygen into the brain. To remove the fluids and used blood from the brain there are only capillaries and no large veins to carry it away so all those fluids ooze out much more slowly than they came in and since the small capillaries can't take care of extra fluid it results in swelling in the face, especially around the eyes. My blood flow into my brain is different from most other people as I have an arterial ischema, adefectiveartery on one side.   I have to go forward about 20 or more years when I learned that I had glaucoma, an eye problem that causes blindness and more years until I learned I had celiac disease.  The eye Dr described my glaucoma as a very slow loss of vision that I wouldn't  notice until had noticeable loss of sight.  I could have my eye pressure checked regularly or it would be best to have the cataracts removed from both eyes. I kept putting off the surgery then just overnight lost most of the vision in my left eye. I thought at the I had been exposed to some chemical and found out a little later the person who livedbehind me was using some chemicals to build kayaks in a shed behind my house. I did not realize the signifance  of this until I started having appointments with a Dr. in a new building. New buildings give me brain fog, loss of balance and other problems I know about this time I experienced visual disturbances very similar to those experienced by people with migraines. I looked further online and read that people with glaucoma can suffer rapid loss of sight if they have silent migraines (no headache). The remedy for migraines is to identify and avoid the triggers. I already know most of my triggers - aromatic chemicals, some cleaning materials, gasoline and exhaust and mold toxins. I am very careful about using cleaning agents using mostly borax and baking powder. Anything that has any fragrance or smell I avoid. There is one brand of dishwashing detergent that I can use and several brands of  scouring powder. I hope you find some of this helpful and useful. I have not seen any evidence that Celiac Disease is involved with migraines or glaucoma. Please come back if you have questions or if what I wrote doesn't make senseto you. We sometimes haveto learn by experience and finding out why we have some problems. Take care.       The report did not mention migraines. 
    • Mari
      My only proof

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Jmartes71 That is so much like my story! You probably know where Laytonville is and that's where I was living just before my 60th birthday when the new Dr. suggested I could have Celiacs. I didn't go on a gluten challange diet before having the Celiac panel blood test drawn. The results came back as equivical as one antibody level was very high but another, tissue transaminasewas normal. Itdid show I was  allergic to cows milk and I think hot peppers. I immediately went gluten free but did not go in for an endoscopy. I found an online lab online that would do the test to show if I had a main celiac gene (enterolab.com). The report came back that I had inherited a main celiac gene, DQ8, from one parent and a D!6 from the other parent. That combination is knows to sym[tons of celiac worse than just inheriting one main celiac gene. With my version of celiac disease I was mostly constipated but after going gluten-free I would have diarrhea the few times I was glutened either by cross contamination or eating some food containing gluten. I have stayed gluten-free for almost 20 years now and knew within a few days that it was right for me although my recovery has been slow.   When I go to see a  medical provide and tell them I have celiacs they don't believe me. The same when I tell them that I carry a main celiac gene, the DQ8. It is only when I tell them that I get diarrhea after eating gluten that they realize that I might have celiac disease. Then they will order th Vitamin B12 and D3 that I need to monitor as my B12 levels can go down very fast if I'm not taking enough of it. Medical providers haven't been much help in my recovery. They are not well trained in this problem. I really hope this helps ypu. Take care.      
    • knitty kitty
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Fascinating.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.