Questions For Corn Allergic

[christicrete]

I think I may also be corn sensitive because eating sweet corn and corn tortillas make the perculator belly in me. I have been staying away from corn starch when labeled as this but is modified food starch corn? also just about anything has corn syrup in it so I am wondering if this is should also be removed from my diet. I am finding less and less "normal" things to eat and is very frustrating. I appriciate any help in finding things like BBQ sauce and condiment and CANDY that is safe for me to eat. I stay away from all gluten and corn now and not sure about soy.

Thanks for your help

Christi

[kabowman]

I found that I have to avoid all corn syrup (Extra gum has none) but can tollerate small amounts of Corn Starch (in meds if can't be avoided) if I have to...

For foods W/O corn syrup, you have to look in the health food section. I use Muir (sp?) for spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce. Corn syrup is in EVERYTHING. Even at the health food stores, watch what you buy because it is still in a lot of those things too.

Good luck!

[watkinson]

Hi Christi,

When I saw my allergist and found out I was allergic to corn, I had the same reaction. "Oh man, corn syrup and corn oil is in everything!! What in the world am I going to eat now?"

He said that it is the protein in what we are allergic to that causes the allergic reation. That corn syrup has no corn protein in it, and that corn oil has such a small amount that you shouldn't have to worry about it. He said it's things like corn itself, corn flour or corn meal that we have to worry about. Whewwww!!!

So even thoughI gave up corn products, I still eat stuff with corn oil and corn syrup in it (lots of candy, chocolate in particular), and have no reation.

Hope this helps, at least now you can eat a candy bar

Wendy

[watkinson]

Hi Kate,

How stupid am I? I read Christii's question and was so excited to answer her, that I didn't read your response before hand. I am sorry to hear that corn syrup bothers you. It makes me wonder if my allergist was right, altough thank goodness I don't seem to have any reation when I eat some. Maybe it'sthe fact that corn syrup is basically processed sugar and that, that is what bothers you instead of the fact that it's corn? I don't know, It's hard sometimes to figure it all out.

Christi, maybe you could give up corn but try to see if corn syrup and corn oil don't bother you like me or maybe you'll have to fgive it all up lie Kate.

Good luck finding out what it is ,

Wendy

[christicrete]

I have not been feeling right for a while and thought it was corn syrup or corn oil that has done it. I was taking a vitamin last night and looked at the label and it said gluten as the last ingredient. I can't believe I missed it and am now thinking that it must have been the vitamins. I am going to play it safe for a little while and not eat anything that may offend my for the next week or so and then try it again. I did read a Hershey's wrapper today and thank God, No corn syrup!

Thanks for your help

Christi

P.S. Kate, I am sorry about the no corn syrup, that is tough because I think everything in my cupboards contain it. Do you just eat plain fruits and veggies and meats then? Do you eat out at all? I am fairly new to this and seems like every day that there is something else that I can't eat and it is terribly overwhelming. It's just so great to know I am not the only person who can't eat something unless I prepare it. This is such a great place. Thanks for your help

[emmybeans]

Christi,

I also cannot eat anything with high fructose corn syrup..I knew that way before I knew anything about gluten. I can't have a regular soda (I can have diet) and I can't have any of those juices, fuitopia, lemonade etc..they all are loaded with corn syrup. I get such bad stomach aches and curl up in the fetal position in pain and actaully break out in a sweat. It's actaully easier to stay away from than I thought it would be..then again it's been years for me and I've gotten used to it. Some things with corn syrup bother me and some don't..if it's something like candy or dessert it usually doesn't..mostly liquid forms bother me. I can't even drink some alcohol because it's derived from corn. Some vodka for instance...one shot and I'll be doing the technicolor yawn all night. Funny but corn, canned on the cob or what not doesn't bother me at all. Go figure! Maybe it's in the way that it's processed?

Laurie

[GMOCORNsensitive]

Wow

I am so glad I found this place. I am highly highly sensitive to GMO corn (organic corn doesn't bother me at all)- but because corn can also be plain old "modified food starch"- I didn't realize it was corn, and I got sicker and sicker and sicker. Modified food starch is in almost everything! And even a little bit sends me running to the bathroom, and leaves me feeling like I've been run over by a truck- and since so many years went by, I'm very very sensitive to it. My doctors tossed all kinds of IBS drugs at me, but I didn't take them since I knew they didn't know what was wrong with me.

It's been 3 years since I realized it was corn, and I feel wonderful. I wonder how many people are being medicated for IBS, and are afraid to go out to eat, and afraid to eat in general, all because they simply should be avoiding corn.

Oddly enough HFCs and Corn oil don't bother me- no corn protein, I think. But for whatever reason, those are the only two things I don't worry about for my allergy, though I don't eat them for other reasons. I much prefer the non-slimey taste of cane sugar, and I use olive and grape seed oil.

[chatycady]

I can't eat ANY grains. Corn, amarath, soybeans, queno, gluten free oats, tapioca, etc. etc. There must be some connection as there are so many celiacs with corn protein problems.

Any ideas?

[julirama723]

I also can not eat any grains that I've tried so far. Gluten-containing foods are a no-brainer, but I also can't tolerate rice or corn. (I don't know about other non-glutenous grains, I haven't eaten them.)

Quinoa is not actually a grain, it's a seed.

Open Original Shared Link

Tapioca is a starch made from cassava or the yuca plant.

Open Original Shared Link

Interestingly enough, I can eat both tapioca and quinoa.

As for corn, if I eat it, I might as well be eating gluten. I get the SAME symptoms eating corn as I do eating gluten. That includes corn (served as a veggie), corn flour/meal, corn starch, corn chips, corn tortillas, corn syrup, modified food starch, food starch, HFCS, basically everything related to corn. I am not sure about corn oil, I can't say that I've knowingly eaten anything with corn oil (that didn't contain corn) to test it out.

[AliB]

I can't eat ANY grains. Corn, amarath, soybeans, queno, gluten free oats, tapioca, etc. etc. There must be some connection as there are so many celiacs with corn protein problems.

Any ideas?

Chaty, what seems to link them all is the fact that they all provide some form of carbohydrate, and it is the long-chain (poly-saccharide) carbohydrate element that many do not seem to cope with. For some, it may start with gluten-based carbs but eventually seems to graduate to other carb forms too.

Carbs have been a problem for me for years - the only ones I tolerate are those in fruit and veg. The poly-carb problem just gradually got worse and worse until in the end I became diabetic. So wish I had listened to the 'eat low-carb' advice I was given 25-odd years ago.

Thought this was an interesting point too - I was reading in a book the other day that the word 'carbo-hydrate' apparently means 'carbon + water'. Whilst fruit & veg does provide carbon with plenty of water (apparently even a banana contains about 85% water, which surprised me!), grain-based carbs don't. Not quite sure why they call those carbohydrate at all - they are more likely to soak water up than give it out!!