Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • 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

Corn Elimination Diet - How Strict? Derived Ingredients?

sreese68

By sreese68
in Food Intolerance & Leaky Gut

Recommended Posts

sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted

I've been gluten-free almost 4 years.  Never cheat.  I just saw a new functional medicine doctor, and she suggested I eliminate corn.  Sigh.  I already have a very limited diet due to sensitivities to: nightshades, brown rice, fructose, sorbitol, mannitol, carrageenan, guar gum, and flax (seed and oil).  I avoid dairy and soy, but I'm not sure they'd still be a problem at this point.  Oh, and too much alcohol is beginning to be a problem.

 

I do eat a lot of corn - grits, pasta, cereal, etc.  I can figure out a way to replace the foods.  What I'm concerned about is eliminating the supplements that have ingredients derived from corn (like fermented corn dextrose). My B vitamin complex has this for instance.  I have some vitamin B deficiencies (nerve problems, hair loss), so I'm hesitant to stop taking it for a few weeks.

 

So do I need to get rid of ALL traces of corn to find out if it's a problem?  Is some OK to leave in during an elimination diet? (supplements, salt, corn vodka).

 

My main health goals right now are to heal my leaky gut, stop the daily muscle twitches in my legs, grow hair, and get my energy levels back.  My energy is just a bit off.  My ferritin dropped, so that may be it. (Yes, I'm addressing it.  I malabsorb iron.)

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I was HIGHLY intolerant to corn for a few years. I know a lot of folks here with soy intolerance (I used to have that too) complain that soy is in everything but soy is EASY compared to corn. For one thing, soy is one of the big eight so it will be labeled for, but corn is not so if it is used in processing they don't consider it an ingredient so it won't be mentioned on the label.

 

Here is an example - ready to eat bagged salads and carrots. They are pre-washed in a vegetable wash made with corn. That is never mentioned on the label.

 

Another example: the lining in cans. Used to be most were made with BPA's but because those are bad for people a lot of companies are using a corn based plastic. Same thing with the crystal clear plastic used in individual servings of water. The thing is once again, not all companies will mention it on the label.

 

Yet another example: ascorbic or citric acid. You'd think they were from citrus fruits but they can get it from corn and corn is much cheaper so IS made from corn. I had a particularly bad reaction to that one time and I literally thought I was going to die.

 

Corn starch and corn oil usually don't have corn protein in them. I was even reacting to those at first though. After a while I got them back but the one and only time I got glutened in almost four years, I lost them for a while.

 

Corn dextrose as well as maltodextrin are made from corn starch so there should be no protein in them. The salt, if it is iodized might be a problem because, if I'm not mistaken, it is carried on citric acid. But you can get sea salt instead. Corn vodka is distilled so there should be no protein left in that either, but if you wanted you could buy vodka made from potatoes.

 

So if I were you I would start by only eliminating those things that have corn protein in them. If you don't see improvement within six weeks or so, try eliminating the rest of the corn.

w8in4dave Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

I am corn intolerant, soy intolerant, Lactose intolerant. I can eat cheese now but cannot drink a glass of milk. I am Low on Folic acid wich is a B9 I believe. I just don't eat much Bagged or boxed or canned except for Salads (I wash it 1st) And I also eat Rice but make sure it is Gluten free, other than that I eat fresh meat, and fresh vegetables that I wash. I also buy tea bags. I think I skip the being afraid of being Glutened , or getting Corn in me. Once in a while I will get some Beanito's Or some rice crackers, but not too much.

MycasMommy Enthusiast
MycasMommy
Posted

I cannot do corn either. I am still reacting to corn starch... I do not know about the protein deal with it, only that it makes me violently ill. Corn Syrup is is just about everything, including corn syrup solids in Udi's products.  It almost tricked me because I thought it just CANNOT BE a gluten issue since it is UDI'S!  It took a bit of work to figure out that corn was off the menu. The only grain I can safely digest seems to be rice. Period.

 

Bartfull...  even now I did not know that about the pre packaged salads!  I was just getting sick from them and NEVER buy them anymore. HA.. Learned something new today, I did!

 

I tried corn a few weeks ago to see if I could handle it after 14 months gluten-free.. nope.. an enormous nope. I will try again in maybe 6 months though.

cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted

Most medications use corn/corn starch . To totally eliminate corn is nearly imposable but doable if you are extremely strict .When I eliminated corn I did not eliminate my medications and was lucky enough that I did not have to .

 

 

Bartfull is correct that soy is one of the big 8 allergens so listed on packaging EXCEPT soy oil . There is a loophole in the law that does not require that soy oil be listed as an allergen on packaging

  • 1 month later...
sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted
  • Author

A belated thank you to everyone who posted!!!  I kept meaning to reply, but I've been caught up researching another complex health issue I'm probably going to be diagnosed with soon.  Anyway, it's taken me this long to introduce a couple of other grains (as well as some needed supplements), so that I can cut corn out.  It's only been a few days so far, and at this point, I can only cut out corn as food.  It's in too many supplements that I need for me to cut it out 100%.  I'm going to give it a couple of months and see what happens.

 

Thanks again!!

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jmartes71's topic in Dermatitis Herpetiformis
      1

      Natural remedies

      While it's always important to approach internal use of essential oils with caution and ideally under the guidance of a qualified professional, your experience highlights the potential of complementary approaches when traditional medicine falls short. Many in the community are also interested in the intersection of natural wellness and gluten-free living...
    2. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to miguel54b's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      1

      Gluten and short-term memory.

      It's interesting how a single, clear moment—like struggling during a game—can suddenly connect all the dots and reveal the hidden impact of gluten exposure. Your experience with short-term memory fog is a very real and documented symptom for many individuals with gluten sensitivity, often occurring alongside the other issues you mentioned like mood disturbances, sl...
    3. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Suze046's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Reintroduction of Gluten

      Approximately 10x more people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity than have celiac disease, but there isn’t yet a test for NCGS. If your symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet it would likely signal NCGS. What you're describing is a very common and frustrating experience when reintroducing gluten after a period of avoidance, and your timeline is perfectly c...
    4. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Rejoicephd's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      2

      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      Your suspicion is almost certainly correct, and you are wise to be cautious. Draft cider is a very common and often overlooked source of cross-contact because the same tap lines are frequently used for both beer and cider; unless a bar has a dedicated line for gluten-free beverages, which is rare, the cider will run through tubing that has previously contained...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Mykidzz3's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      High Cost of Gluten-Free Foods

      Your post really highlights the financial and emotional struggle so many families face. You are not alone in feeling frustrated by the high cost of gluten-free specialty items and the frustrating waste when your daughter can't tolerate them. A great place to start is by focusing on naturally gluten-free whole foods that are often more affordable and...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,367
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    nursengul
    Newest Member
    nursengul
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Natural remedies

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While it's always important to approach internal use of essential oils with caution and ideally under the guidance of a qualified professional, your experience highlights the potential of complementary approaches when traditional medicine falls short. Many in the community are also interested in the intersection of natural wellness and gluten-free living, particularly for managing systemic inflammation and its various symptoms, so sharing your story is valuable. Your observation that it may also be helping with bloating is fascinating, as that could point to an overall reduction in inflammation. Thank you for sharing what is working for you!
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten and short-term memory.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      It's interesting how a single, clear moment—like struggling during a game—can suddenly connect all the dots and reveal the hidden impact of gluten exposure. Your experience with short-term memory fog is a very real and documented symptom for many individuals with gluten sensitivity, often occurring alongside the other issues you mentioned like mood disturbances, sleep disruption, and digestive irregularity. It's a frustrating and often invisible effect that can make you feel unlike yourself, so that moment of clarity, though born from a tough dominoes match, is actually a powerful piece of self-knowledge. Identifying a specific culprit like that steak strip is a huge win, as it arms you with the information needed to avoid similar pitfalls in the future and protect your cognitive clarity. You are definitely not alone in experiencing this particular set of neurological and physical symptoms; it's a strong reminder of gluten's profound impact on the entire body, not just the digestive system. Supplementation may help you as well.  The most common nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease that may lead to testing for the condition include iron, vitamin D, folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.  Unfortunately many doctors, including my own doctor at the time, don't do extensive follow up testing for a broad range of nutrient deficiencies, nor recommend that those just diagnosed with celiac disease take a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement, which would greatly benefit most, if not all, newly diagnosed celiacs. Because of this it took me decades to overcome a few long-standing issues I had that were associated with gluten ataxia, for example numbness and tingling in my feet, and muscle knots--especially in my shoulders an neck. Only long term extensive supplementation has helped me to resolve these issues.      
    • Scott Adams
      Reintroduction of Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Approximately 10x more people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity than have celiac disease, but there isn’t yet a test for NCGS. If your symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet it would likely signal NCGS. What you're describing is a very common and frustrating experience when reintroducing gluten after a period of avoidance, and your timeline is perfectly consistent with a non-celiac gluten sensitivity. While a celiac reaction can be more immediate, a sensitivity reaction is often delayed, sometimes taking several days to manifest as your body's inflammatory response builds up; the fact that your symptoms returned a few days after reintroduction is a strong indicator that gluten is indeed the culprit, not a coincidence. Your doctor's advice to reintroduce it was necessary to confirm the diagnosis, as the initial negative celiac test and subsequent improvement on a gluten-free diet pointed strongly towards sensitivity. Many in this community have gone through this exact same process of elimination and challenging, and it's wise to reintroduce gently as you did. Given your clear reaction, the best course of action is likely to resume a strict gluten-free diet, as managing a sensitivity is the primary way to control those debilitating symptoms and allow your body to heal fully.
    • Scott Adams
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your suspicion is almost certainly correct, and you are wise to be cautious. Draft cider is a very common and often overlooked source of cross-contact because the same tap lines are frequently used for both beer and cider; unless a bar has a dedicated line for gluten-free beverages, which is rare, the cider will run through tubing that has previously contained gluten-containing beer, contaminating your drink. The fact that you didn't react at a clean brewery suggests they may have had more meticulous practices or separate lines, but this is the exception, not the rule. Many in the community have had identical experiences, leading them to strictly avoid draft cider and opt for bottled or canned versions, which are poured directly from their sealed container and bypass the contaminated tap system entirely. Switching to bottles or cans is the safest strategy, and your plan to do so is a smart move to protect your health. PS - here are some articles on the topic:    
    • Scott Adams
      High Cost of Gluten-Free Foods

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post really highlights the financial and emotional struggle so many families face. You are not alone in feeling frustrated by the high cost of gluten-free specialty items and the frustrating waste when your daughter can't tolerate them. A great place to start is by focusing on naturally gluten-free whole foods that are often more affordable and less processed, like rice, potatoes, beans, lentils, corn, eggs, and frozen fruits and vegetables—these are nutritional powerhouses that can form the basis of her meals. For the specialty items like bread and pasta, see if your local stores carry smaller, single-serving packages or allow returns if a product causes a reaction, as some companies understand this challenge. Regarding vitamins, that is an excellent next step; please ask her doctor to prescribe a high-quality gluten-free multivitamin, as insurance will often cover prescribed vitamins, making them much more affordable. Finally, connecting with a local celiac support group online can be a treasure trove of location-specific advice for finding the best and most affordable products in your area, saving you both time and money on the trial-and-error process. 
×
×
  • Create New...