Fed Up With Corn...Intolerance/Allergy

[Saggi]

Hey there

How great does it feel knowing it's working/worked out?

Since starting the elimination, I am now completely asthma free!! I haven;t used my inhaler for about 5 months

I had hayfever symptoms when grass pollen was rife in June, but no asthma

I could eat half wheat, half rye sourdough bread previous to June, but since it started I've eliminated that and don't miss it

I've slowly introduced a few things, that so far have been ok, so my safe list is growing too

Even though milk proteins came up in the allergy test I recently discovered I can eat natural bio live yoghurt, which really settles my stomach if I have a reaction

As well as corn based products, tomatoes are a big no-no I discovered when I tried to introduce them the other day, but I know now, I had just eliminated them up until now,,,

It's funny that you say about your skin, so many people say how much healthier I look since eating this way, my hair and nails feels thicker too so something is right about it

A few perfume products still cause a slight reaction, mainly sneezing, but nowhere near as bad as it was

No matter how hard it has been, these benefits are so much more worth it!

Love and hugs

Jo

XxXx

[linen53]

Saggi, it is a journey all in it's own. Doctors regrettably do not test for food intolerances/allergies. Good on you for being proactive.

The longer you are gluten free the more sensitive you will become because your body will no longer have to produce the antibodies needed to fight off what you are allergic/sensitive to.

Thank goodness tomatoes are not off-limits to me because I was raised by an Italian step-mother who cooked spaghetti all the time.

The skin element is a definite. I am much better since becoming both gluten and corn free. I think it is the corn-free because I still had skin problems while gluten free until I went corn free.

I do know many shampoos, hair conditioners, and lotions contain gluten so finding something made from scratch rather than store-bought might be your solution. I buy my body soap from Ebay now.

I do have problems from nasal congestion even though I am gluten free and corn free. Nor sure where that is coming from. Still figuring that one out but I use nasal sprays 2-3 times a day to ease the discomfort.

[Saggi]

Check this out Debs, if you haven't come across histamine intolerance:

http://www.michiganallergy.com/food_and_histamine.shtml

This is my main indication of whether I can tolerate a food, if I don't get an instant reaction, like I do from corn, I get congestion that night and the next day, then stomach problems up to a few days later

Even congestion is hard for me to handle now after being able to breathe properly, so I stay away from it

What I'm hoping is to be able to tolerate more in the winter months, when there is less airborne pollens and limited in summer, time will tell

Love and hugs

Jo

XxXx

[linen53]

A very informative article on histamine. Not sure exactly what causes the stuffed up nose. It comes and goes randomly, not exactly after I eat or drink something. But the lists were something to go on. I will look at them more closely in the future.

Being completely asthma free is awesome! I know how that can cripple your life.

It's amazing how we can figure out this by our own trial and error system. I wish you the best when winter comes and hopefully your food list can be expanded at least for that time of the year.

I keep saying I need to do a food journal. Why am I dragging my feet???

[linen53]

Cheese

As my intolerance for corn has increased because my body no longer has to produce antibodies to fight it, I have had to give up cheese. I really didn't understand why.

Back then, I thought if I just bought pasture raised cow's cheese, I would be safe. I found a place online and put in an a 8 pound (half cheddar, half mozzarella) order. When it arrived, I tested it and to my dismay I got sick when I ate it.

After still more research I found this article.

Cheese is actually a difficult prospect for many folks with corn allergies. In fact, I’ve had some of my most surprising severe reactions from cheese. It seems like such a simple product, and I’ve had a few cheeses that nearly sent me to the hospital from just one bite!

I don’t know if I have the whole story here, but here are potential corn allergy issues I’ve identified with cheeses:

Production: -corn starch dusting mold and I think also sanitizers which are almost always corn based used on equipment.

Packaging: Plastic wraps dusted in corn starch, wax papers waxed with corn-based wax or dusted with corn starch. For rounds that are coated in wax, the wax itself could be corn based or could contain a dye that is corn based.

Re-packaging. When cheese shops and grocery store cheese counters cut the wheels and repackage slices, their equipment may be cross contaminated with corn products, the cleaner on it is cleaned with a corn based sanitizer, and the plastic wrap itself is often dusted in corn starch.

Starter cultures, rennet, and enzymes. The Wikipedia entry on Rennet has a good overview of what rennet is and how it is produced. There are 5 types of coagulants in cheese making:

Animal Rennet: Enzymes that coagulate cheese are harvested from the stomachs of calves. While this is a problem for vegetarians, it is one of the safer cultures in cheesemaking for a corn allergy. However that doesn’t mean it’s always safe. Animal rennet can contain all kinds of preservatives that are commonly derived from corn. This ingredients list for a liquid animal rennet contains: propylene glycol, caramel color, flavor, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, all of which are likely from corn. So the safety of the cheese will just depend on the source of the rennet.

Vegetable Rennet: Many plants produce coagulating chemicals. This can be a variety of sources from caper leaves and thistles to phytic acid from soybeans, and yes, probably corn. I can’t find any evidence that coagulating chemicals are ever extracted from corn, just guessing. However even if they aren’t, the same preservatives listed above are often included in the vegetable rennet packaged for resale. Here’s one ingredients list that includes acetic acid and sodium acetate.

Microbial Rennet: Molds that produce coagulating enzymes are cultured to produce the coagulants. Can be cultured on a corn sugar medium and of course can be preserved with corn-based chemicals similar to animal rennet.

Fermentation-produced Chymosin. This is a genetically engineered product. Rennet producing genes are extracted from animal stomachs and inserted into various bacteria, fungi, and yeasts to make them produce chymosin when they wouldn’t normally. Then the chymosis is produced similar to microbial rennet, via fermentation, probably on a corn sugar medium.

Dyes. Many cheeses are colored with anatto, which can be from corn, or another dye that is corn-based. Source: http://cornallergygirl.com/tag/rennet/

Now I have found another farm based in California names Sierra Nevada Cheese Company that makes grass fed cow's milk cheese without using rennet. I've put in an email to them and hopefully they sell to the general public rather than just wholesale. This time, if they can sell directly to me, I will place a small sampling of their cheeses to see if I can tolerate them.

Sounds like you need to go all ORGANIC.

[linen53]

I'm sorry Dragan, a corn intolerance has nothing to do with organic. I can buy organic and still get sick. Corn is considered to be a "natural" ingredient. So putting corn in a food....well it's still considered to be organic.

[linen53]

Did some more research on the Sierra Nevada Cheese Company and found there is a Natural Foods store in Pueblo that sells this brand. So I went to Pueblo and picked up a few wedges. Ate it for lunch and it's good. I didn't get sick.

What a find. I have another flavor to try tomorrow. If I don't get sick from that I will go directly to their website and order a complete wheel.

[linen53]

I can eat the Sierra Nevada Cheese regularly now. It took a few days for my body to get used to eating a concentrated form of dairy! But I'm good to go now.

[linen53]

In the summer I buy produce at a local farm. They have an outdoor/indoor market and have fresh stuff. I recently found out they also sell beef and pork. Grass fed beef and whey fed pigs. So I picked up a beef brisket and we had it last night. I didn't get sick. And boy was it yummy!