When Corn Free isn't enough

When you discover a corn allergy, it feels like a whole new world opens up. It also feels like one is closing.

Hopefully, once you get all sources of corn eradicated from your diet (and your laundry...and your bathroom...) you'll feel "normal" again. But some people have lingering issues, and they can't pin them to corn itself (although, they have verified without a doubt that corn is a significant issue and well worth the hassle of avoiding).

When this happens, they may feel hopeless or overwhelmed. Cutting corn from the diet is a huge undertaking, and to try and track down a new allergen on top of it is just overwhelming. Doctors don't always give a lot of guidance other than "Don't worry, it's not going to kill you." *Big grin. Pause for effect. Disappointment at lack of applause.*

So where else can you turn when your symptoms linger? Here are a few ideas:

• First, talk to your doctor. Although they are often brushed off, sometimes abdominal discomfort, rashes, etc can be indications of a condition other than allergy/intolerance. Your doctor can help you determine whether you need some other treatment. If you get a clean bill of health, talk to an allergist. They can run a traditional RAST blood test and/or a Skin Prick Test.
  
• If you've given up on Western medecine entirely, look for a good Chiropracter, naturopath or Holistic practitioner. Although not often covered by insurance, they look at the whole body, and recognize that even if they aren't life threatening; symptoms can be debillitating to your quality of life.
  
• Ask about Gluten and Celiac Disease. Don't give it up entirely on a "trial run" without a full Celiac Panel (More to come) But it's something to look into.
  
• Get IgG testing. If your doctor doesn't know where to order it, try Alletess, Optimum Health labs, or LEAP. There is a high "false positive" rate and IgG antibodies are not associated with anaphylaxis, so most doctors don't bother with them. But if you are symptomatic, it's worth using the results to guide an elimination diet.
• Consider Enterolab testing. They run stool tests for antibodies to a small variety of common irritants (gluten, dairy, egg, yeast) although they do not diagnose Celiac disease. Opponents say their "positive" rate is too high, but their clintele consists solely of patients who already are high risk for celiac/gluten sensitivity...so it isn't going to be a standard curve.
  
• Do an elimination diet; and keep a food diary. The food diary is indispensible when playing food detective.
  
• Consider related dietary protocols such as the Yeast Free Diet (there are several versions); the Feingold Diet; The Specific Carb Diet or the Paleo Diet. Each works for some individuals, and not for others. The best thing you can do for yourself is simply to educate yourself before trying what sounds best for YOU.
  

Where's the Corn in Salad?

For those new to corn allergy and intolerance, salad seems like an innocuous choice. They assume that if they must eat out, a nice chef’s salad without the dressing or the croutons will meet their needs for safe food and social propriety.

And then they react.

Salads look very safe. They consist of greens, maybe tomatoes or carrots or olives. Sometimes there are eggs, or nuts, or seeds. Occassionally you can see bright yellow corn kernels or lovely steamed baby corn; but those are visible and easy to avoid. (If you have an allergy to corn, don’t even bother picking it out of your meal. There will be residual particles that aren’t safe.)

Many restaurants rely upon bagged salad mixes to help speed up their production process. Open the bag, add a few key elements, you have an instant mixed salad. Even if they rinse it first, it’s still bagged pre-washed salad. And that’s where the trouble comes in.

Most pre-washes include more than simple water. They have a bit, just a bit, of citric acid. This helps to sterilize any germs that might have come into contact with the greens on the field or in transit, and also helps to prevent discoloration of trimmed leaves. Since the E. Coli outbreak of a few years ago, more bagged salad companies seem to be using the triple wash approach…chlorine, citric acid, water. Leaves are then spun dry in gigantic salad spinners.

Nothing in the prewash is dangerous to the public in general. But the traces of citric acid that do remain may cause trouble for those with corn or citric acid intolerances. (Citric acid is often derived from corn.) Although citric acid does not contain corn proteins, many individuals with a diagnosis of “corn allergy” report reactions. This may be because corn reactions do not seem to react in the same way that reactions to the better known foods (such as peanuts) do.

It’s also worth noting that there are some reports of citric acid being used on ice; which is used to keep produce cold in stores. And that there is an increasing popularity of “earth-friendly” packaging…which is a fancy term for “plastic made from corn”. Whether or not these packages will pose a danger to you, a corn allergic individual, is debatable and will depend on whether the bag has had a chance to begin decomposing and how sensitive you are. Of course, the only way to know for sure is to try it. And for many of us, that’s the equivalent of playing russian roulette.

So how to enjoy salad again?

Look for the dirt. The safest greens are ones that are fresh from the farm, with dirt still clinging to their leaves. Bring them home, rinse them in your own bowl full of vinegar and water, rinse thoroughly and dry. It’s not as convenient as the bag, but being sick isn’t very convenient either. If your store doesn’t seem to carry safe greens, look up local farmer’s markets.