To Go Corn Free Or Not

[cavernio]

So I think I may have an issue with corn. And after finding out that there's a potential IgA response to it, especially in those who have been undiagnosed celiacs for awhile, it makes me want to try going corn free.

But going corn free is SO HARD!!! Everything, apparently, has corn in it. Things I'm most concerned about having corn: wax on fruits and veggies, soaps, toothpaste and floss, any sort of vitamins/pills.

I've only been gluten-free and dairy free just over a month, I know, not very long. But I'm still waiting to get that 'feel good' feeling that so many people seem to experience after going gluten-free. The only thing that I feel that has improved completely is tummy bloating.

My tingling and pain in extremeties is still there, headaches too often, mood swings, tirednes and fatigue, problems concentrating....they're ALL still there and there hasn't been any noticeable difference with them either.

I know that all of those symptoms could merely be do to malnutrition. I think I've had this for 12 years, so it's surprising I still had any intestine left to biopsy really. If malnutrition's causing this, then I should probably be taking supplements. But supplements have corn.

I would love to do a corn challenge, not eay any for a month, then try some once, but that seems impossible to do. I can't live without toothpaste and floss. My teeth are already in bad enough shape with their enamel loss as it is. Oh that's right, I have fillings that probably have corn plastic in them or something. Only a couple months old. I can't avoid them. And what soap am I supposed to use on my dishes and on my hands, not even considering the rest of my body?

Ok, so doing a proper corn challenge is very hard to impossible. But would it be enough to simply avoid all foods that obviously have corn? It's obviously not enough to merely not eat bread and flour if I'm gluten free, and since what I'm worried about is a very similar reaction that my body has to gluten but to corn, I'd assume in order to do this properly, I should be avoiding trace amounts of corn.

I really don't want to have to stop taking my supplements; B12 is the only thing I know of that has, in the past, gotten results for my hurting hands, and if I stop taking my iron I know I get more tired.

Is it worth it for me to do a 'mostly' corn free challenge, but still use toothpaste, soap or use xantham gum? If I do that, should I also avoid taking supplements?

Should I wait a year or more to see if I slowly get better instead?

Any advice would be wonderful. Also any list of corn-free toiletries that I can purchase off the shelf would be wonderful.

[mushroom]

You could start with just the corn that contains the outer skin of the kernel - i.e., removing the corn protein rather than the starch. So anything like chips, tortillas, on the cob, anything that contains masa harina, etc., would be the obvious first place to start. For some this is enough; others have to remove the starch too, and by removing the other you will find out if you are one of those. That is a lot harder.

[wartburg03]

I have been gluten free for a few weeks and discovered I have to go corn free too I spent an hour and a half today searching for allergy meds, gum, and toothpaste. Not fun, but better than having symptoms. I've been dairy free for 28 years and soy free for a few years now. Corn is by far the hardest so far, but it is doable. Good luck, whatever you decide.