Discussion Board

I wasn't sure where to post this but thought the gluten free area was the closest fit.

I've been eating gluten free (except for oats which don't seem to bother me) for a while now. I've had allergy testing done recently because of an allergic reaction to something I ate (we still don't know what it was and wow it was a severe reaction!) but during this process found out I am allergic to corn!

I'm glad to know it and since eliminating gluten foods I'd stocked up on corn based products, corn tortillas, baked corn chips, etc... and also know that corn syrup or corn starch are in almost everything packaged and processed. This isn't too much of a problem since I try to eat mainly whole foods but I am sure watching labels more closely now.

I just wonder if anyone else here is allergic to corn or has problems when eating it? And what your daily menu might look like? I've already noticed that the arthritis in my hands and feet has really improved in the week of not eating corn or corn byproducts, this is a very good thing!

Hi Lilac,

I'm not allergic to corn, but I do have problems with high fructose corn syrup and have found myself avoiding corn most of the time. My little brother falls asleep after eating any corn products except for corn grown in my parents' garden, so he avoids it too.

I usually have oatmeal, oat bran, or another hot cereal for breakfast. For lunch I've been having a baked potato, diced, over spinach with split pea soup over the top. I've also had spinach dal for lunch with rice or chickpea tuna-style salad over greens. I also have a piece of fruit. For my snacks I recently found that thinly sliced cucumbers, zucchini (yes, zucchini), and carrot slices are really tasty with salsa and fat free refried beans. For dinner it could be a stir fry with oil free fried rice, a repeat from lunch, sauteed eggplant, zucchini, and potato topped with non-sweetened spaghetti sauce and fresh basil, or some sort of "dinner surprise" which depends on what I can find in the fridge and cabinet.

I'm just cooking for myself right now, so I pretty much put together what looks good to me and is quick to make. I hope that gives you a few more ideas. I know my diet is kinda limited being vegan, gluten free, mostly corn free, corn syrup free, fructose (in large amounts) free, asparagus free, garlic free, ... you get the idea, but I make it work. There are always new things to try as long as you're open to totally screwing up sometimes.

I have noticed I burp a lot after eating corn, just loike I do whenever I eat wheat. I will ask for some allergy testing to be done some time in the future. However it would be easy to just cut corn from my diet. However I enjoy eating fresh corn.

Sorry to hear you are now having problems with corn, but glad you figured out it was bothering you.

I have a question... did a doctor, or test say you had a corn ALLERGY, or a corn intolerance, or what exactly?

I'm just curious about these things. The vet from Alabama who specializes in animal food sensitivites and their effects on the little critters' health, "DogtorJ" as he is known on the net ( Dr. John Symmes in real life), has said that the proteins in four foods that he finds most offensive in animals also happen to be four big sources of the glue industries... they are: Casein, Gluten, Soy, and Corn. He finds dogs/cats and so many other animals in his practice stay much healthier (free of seizures, thryoid problems, arthritis, colitis, etc.) when they are kept away from feeds based on or including these proteins or grains... although he says corn seems to be the best accepted of the four in most, but not all cases. Corn proteins also happen to make the weakest glues, and are usually the glues made for holding boxes and lots of packaging together. That's just stuff that comes to mind of interest... I'm not trying to make any point or anything. I've heard stories that some people who don't even react to wheat will react violently to corn... and some dogs too.

Antoerh interesting thing that comes to my mind is that the gastroenterologist, researcher Kenneth Fine, has a list of foods he thinks are important to avoid if one has any tendency toward autoimmune disorders... and he includes celiac as autoimmune... that list includes dairy proteins, gluten of course, soy, and corn, as well as a list of other foods. So... corn seems to have a mildly bad rap as far as its ability to affect certain people's health sometimes. It does make food choices a lot more challenging, especially given your other limitations.

Anyway... I rely mainly on sorghum flour to bake with, which I buy online from www.twinvalleymills.com however... I THINK I have read that sorghum as a plant is somewhat related to the corn family... so... I don't know if it would bother you or not, but something to be aware of and maybe you might want to research that or avoid it, possibly.

I seem to have no problem with corn, however I am a little wary of the possibility that it seesm to have the potential to cause trouble. I seem to do okay with tortillas and popcorn, but as I said, I am cautious and watchful about that and I try not to go hogwild with corn as a replacer for the glutinous stuff...and even applying a little bit of caution like that can make life tricky!

You could try using brown rice flour to bake with... It's not too bad, but if you bake large quantities at once they tend to turn gritty as they sit.

ENJOY LIFE products are usually made of allergen free ingredients...have you seen them or used any of them? I've liked the ones I've had so far. Sometimes hard to find/expensive, though.

Anyway... I'm curious, if you don't mind sharing the info, as to whether this was diagnosed as actual allergy or intolerance/sensitivity.

Oh, and Susie...

Looking back on life... (you know... the GREAT vantage point of hindsight!!!) a think an excellent early sign of food intolerance seems to be having the burps after eating something. I wish i would've know THAT several years ago...

It seems to me (and I might be wrong, but just what it seems like at this point) that intolerance warning signs start up high... burps, then kinda reflux or acidic feelings... stomach sounds... then, with time and continuation of the offending food(s)... the sypmtoms moved downward and become more severe... the problem is that at the same time, the person gets used to the noises, discomforts, subsequent pain, gas, and all the rest... it can happen so gradually that the person can continue on, adjusting and not realizing that , hey... my life is screwed up and all the 80-yr. olds around me seem to be doing better than I am!!! That's when the lightbulb finally goes off... in many cases.

I guess in other cases... even worse to figure out... are the joint pains in the absense of anything gastric, etc. Then I think most people/doctors NEVER make the connection!

But I think burping (except for the occasional here and there) is an early warning sign.

By the way... is a fresh ear of corn, like in the milk stage... is that bad for people with corn allergy/intolerance... I mean... are the offensive proteins developed out at that point like they are in the hard grain... anybody know that?

I am very constipated right now and that is another thing that happens when I eat wheat. I must stop eating corn thins. The silly thing is I can eat rice thins and they don't worry me in the least.

ugh... I think your body is trying to tell you something.

How long have you been off gluten? Becuase... I HEAR tell that sometimes further food intolerances during the time the gut is healing from gluten damage will come, and then later go, if the food is avoided for a while.

Supposedly, this might happen especially within the first two years of gluten free... but I don't know for sure.

I got so I couldn't eat soy... tried some again last weekend and then had a bad (though extrmely MILDY bad, compared with my gluten responses) a day or two later... so... guess I still cannot/should not eat soy. Maybe it's temporary, then again, maybe it's forever.

There's lots of differences of opinion about it... but I think, really, if your body gives hints that it doesn't want something... I think we should listen and act accordingly. Especially in light of all of the differences of opinion, i.e., nobody really knows what'll happen if you just keep eating stuff yer body doesn't like!

Regarding corn allergies I have found delphi forums avoiding corn forum the best resource of what to avoid. They even spray vegetables and fruit with corn sprays for cleaning or saline as they call it since iodized salt has corn in it.

All of my intolerances came out about a year to 1 1/2 years after I went gluten free. I had a badly damaged small intestine and it took quite a while to start absorbing foods. Once I did all of my intolerances came out full force.

I really want to thank everyone for their responses, so much support and help on this site!

mtraezme-I so appreciate you listing what you eat, that really helps me. I got a number of ideas that will be so useful. And using a bed of spinach to put other things on top of is great! I can get a lot more greens into my diet that way too.

groundhogg-I've been going to an allergist (have now been tested for 80 different items, mostly foods) because in December I had a severe allergic reaction to something I ate. Well, we've tried to isolate what it could have been but most likely it was cross contamination and we will never find out what it was. I suspect peanut contamination because I am so allergic to them but we are still in the dark on what really caused it.

Well, I was surprised when I was tested for corn that I had a huge reaction, this was done with skin testing. I had some blood work done also but not for corn. He said I am "allergic" to corn, I don't know if it is more of an intolerance or really an allergy, based on my reaction.

He also determined I am lactose "intolerant" (which I already knew that!) and that also gluten bothers me. He said that lactose and gluten intolerances usually go together.

Very interesting about animal food sensitivities, I am not surprised given what I've been going through! I've been experimenting with brown rice flour and yes I am finding it gritty. I'll get some sorghum flour to try out now too after checking on its relation to the corn family. Hope they aren't all related! And I've never seen ENJOY LIFE products so thank you and I'll check into that too.

So to answer your question the long way around (!) he said I have a corn allergy. He was actually surprised that I don't have a more severe reaction when I eat it, but guess it is something that can get worse with time.

It is hard to avoid all the things I am trying to avoid now! What a challenge but it does make it easier to clean up my diet, got to find the positives to this!

Autumn-I just checked out the delphi forums for avoiding corn and it sure does have a lot of helpful information. Thank you so much for posting this for me!

Thanks again everyone, anything else you can think of I will appreciate hearing!

I think that this is what happens. I have been off gluten this time for about 8 months, or so. I will check with Celiac.com to see when I registered there.

Having food intolerances hit once the gut starts to heal, makes sense in light of what Groundhog has gone through.

Over the last few weeks I have felt that there must have been some gluten sneaking into my diet somewhere. Then I caught my sister taking vegetables out of my fridge and cutiing them on a criumb filled board and putting them back in my fridge without telling me. Now I have to hide everything I want to keep 'clean' somewhere else and leave hers in a conspicuous place. It's no good talking to her. She will just get huffy and deny everything.

Lilac if you suspect a corn allergy, the wise thing would be to avoid it. For me that would mean cutting out nearly everything I eat as many condiments, sauces, dressing and vegetable have maize starch instead of wheat starch.

Help someone, help.

Lilac adding more greens is great. I ate loads of these during my etl stint and now I am getting back to eating more. It helps to keep things regular for me.

Your ability to eat corn and not suffer massive repercussions is one of the body's coping skills I guess. However we don't know how much damage is being done elsewhere.

I agree with the statement that lactose intolerance and gluten sensitivities go hand in hand. They do at least for me and I suspect many others unknowingly experience ill effects without knowing why.

When I was a kid it was so much easier to avoid most of these foods. Now they are added to so many processed food like substances. I am glad that my diet mainly consists of real foo0ds and only a small proportion consists of things like condiments.

Lilac- Im glad it helped you out , I know I react to corn syrup so I try to avoid it as best I can. I know regular corn upsets my stomach but I havent figured out any other things I have issues with. I try to stick to whole foods myself and use namaste mixes since they are corn free along with gluten free and vegan so I can eat cakes or muffins with my family.

Susie- Im sorry she was glutening you Its so hard to figure out sometimes what is making us sick. My sister and her family are gluten free also so it makes it easier on me having a close family member going through the same thing. Im the same way with my allegies. I know Im not suppose to eat melons, grapes, berries, vinegar but yet I have a hard time staying away from some of them all of the time. I dont feel ill so its easier to not be strict to it even though I know it causes inflammation in my body and I should avoid it always. They were stage 4 on a scratch test so I know its really affecting me.

Susie-You said something that really hit home for me. That this cuts out almost everything we'd both be eating as condiments, sauces, dressings, and others. Although I don't eat much that is packaged or canned, I've had an eye opening experience reading labels looking for corn syrup. It is in absolutely everything!

I've finally found diced tomatoes (organic) that are only tomatoes and a small amount salt, have yet to find a replacement for cranberry sauce (which I love a little bit with either rice or potato dishes) so will probably just be making my own. I am amazed that corn by-products are in almost everything, wow!

I've also done E2L and have been adding more greens and veggies back into my diet, think I got a bit tired of them for a while. But having the grains and potatoes are really helping me as far as getting enough to eat, especially being more limited now. I can't believe how much I came to rely on corn products!

And I sure did wonder what this allergy might be doing to me that I don't even know about. I mean the stomachaches and digestive problems sometimes don't feel that bad, but what internally is really going on in the way of damage. Sometimes my lips and around my mouth get numb too, that is kind of scary.

Autumn-Thank you so much for mentioning the Namaste mixes, I've seen them before looking for gluten free products but of course hadn't also been looking for corn free items at the time. I will get some to try out the next time I go to our local Central Market. I am so glad to have this store close by, I am west of Seattle so I am not close to the more specialty stores that the "big" city has unless I want to make a day trip and take the ferry over there!

Also, for milks instead of worrying about what goes into packaged products I've just been making my own. Either rice milk, banana or almond. I have a SoyQuick milk maker and it makes the best almond milk. And I know what is in it! Actually if I wanted to get some soybeans I could do soy milk too.

For baking, since oats don't seem to bother me and I don't do a lot of baking anyway, I think I'll use oat flour or maybe a combination of oat and rice flour. I've always loved the texture and consistency of oat flour in muffins and cookies, so for the little bit of baking I do I will try that.

And I always make a large smoothie each day and have for years. A variety of fruits, greens, some cinnamon and a tiny bit of flax. I drink it throughout the day or have it for breakfast. I really enjoy this too and what a great way to get more fresh greens into my diet.

I'm trying (again) to add some beans into my diet, garbonzos and lentils and just a few tablespoons when I do try them. I think these are the least gassy of the beans. I've never been able to eat beans but if I could get my system used to small amounts it would bring more variety to my diet. Wish me luck on this one, it is a delicate balancing act when I eat beans, no one can be around me for days much less I can't stand to be around myself either, (gas?!).

The more I think about it and as hard as it is to avoid gluten and corn and all the things they are in, I am looking forward to how much better my stomach and digestive system will feel as everything clears out. And I know when even a little bit of dairy creeps in accidentally, wow the doubled over intestinal pain is so intense. So any calming down of those symptoms is appreciated!

Im a distance away from the big health food stores myself. Its not as big of a job as yours. Whole foods is a very long distance away from me so it ends up being a day trip.

Here's bread mixes, We love them! This is all my sister buys for her kids who cant eat soy, gluten, dairy, eggs, or yeast. Even though I dont eat bread on a regular basis its nice to have it here and there I freeze the mixes and it stores well. http://www.glutenevolution.com/ We like her regular bread, pumpkin bread, and banana bread. I havent tried the others but I would like to try the cranberry mix. Some have honey but a few of hers dont. We still eat honey. Your welcome, If I think of others I will let you know. Regarding the salt in the canned beans, it might contain corn or it might not. If you are curious you can call the company and ask them if its iodized salt.

Chrmann a member on here has corn allergies also. She might have some good advice.