Making the Most of Internet Searches

Are you having trouble finding the information you need on the web? Here's some information that might be helpful.

For instance, what if you are trying to find the origins of a specific ingredient such as isohexadecane to see whether it can be made from corn or not?

Go to a search engine and type in isohexadecane derived and that will bring up various links that tell you that isohexadecane is derived from fatty acids from animal, vegetable or petroleum sources.

This page says isohexadecane can be "derived from allspice, anise, calamus oil, cascarilla bark, celery seed, butter acids, coffee, tea and plant oils."

So, theoretically, it could be corn, soy, coconut or nut oil, or any other type of oil. "Vegetable oil" or "plant oil" is such a vague and broad category.

The search also pulled up a page that said another name for the same substance is Heptamethylnonane. So then you can learn more by searching for that term, both alone and with the word derived or deriv*.

An asterisk works in many search engines as a wild card, so deriv* will pull up derived, derivative, derivatives, etc. without having to do multiple searches. Searching for the term corn allerg*, for instance, will bring up all the words allergy, allergen, allergenicity, allergic, allergenic, etc. in relation to corn, and will save you a lot of time.

If a basic web search pulls up a lot of pages, either skim through the pages of search results and only click through to the ones that look like they might be relevant, and/or add another word such as derivative or derived to narrow the search results.

Searching just for the word isohexadecane can give you some good information, too.

If I'm trying to find out whether an ingredient can be derived from a certain food, I'll often search for that, as in isohexadecane soy or isohexadecane corn.

Often you'll find new terms to search for by skimming your search results, such as maize, mays, zein and zea when searching for corn. Things can have many different names, which makes it confusing sometimes.

A search for the phrase isohexadecane allergy on PubMed reveals that allergic contact dermatitis has been recorded as a reaction to isohexadecane.

When searching for a specific word on a web page, you can save a lot of time by clicking on Edit at the top of your browser window and then on Find (on this page) and typing in the word in the search box. Or you can use a keyboard shortcut by pushing Ctrl-F.

Knowing how to make the most of internet search engines can really be helpful in researching allergies.

How to Contact a Company

One of the hardest things about corn allergy is that nothing is safe. Because corn derivatives are often used as ingredients of ingredients, or as a part of the packaging process or even as a conveyer dressing, the consumer can not rely upon the package ingredients alone.

Before using a new product it is always a good idea to call the manufacturer and verify that it is corn free. However, simply asking if such and such contains corn is not enough. Most customer service reps are looking at the same ingredient list as you, and will in total innocence tell you that there is absolutely no corn when the list clearly states maltodextrin, citric acid, or even modified food starch. Even Doctors can look at a bottle of medicine and guarantee that there is no corn…until you point out the clearly labeled “Corn Starch” in the inactive ingredient list. (Warning, they hate it when you do that.)

You can contact most companies by either phone or e-mail. You can get contact information from packages, or do a web search from home. Many companies have their own websites.

Personally, I prefer to contact a food product manufacturer first by mail or e-mail. They seem to “get it” better if the full question is in writing.

Before contacting a manufacturer, find the list of ingredients for the product in question. Highlight the questionable ingredients. Then form your letter. My basic form letter reads something like this:

Dear (products)
I am so excited to discover your (product name)! I have a severe corn allergy, and need to know if it contains any corn derivatives. I’m particularly concerned that there may be corn derived ascorbic acid in the fruit concentrate, or an anticaking agent such as maltodextrin in the spices. I also need to verify that you don’t use corn starch or other corn derivatives in the packaging process or as a conveyer dressing, and that the plastic package has not been precoated with corn starch.

Thank you so much for your help! I’m sure you understand how difficult it is to live with this allergy, I’m looking forward to hearing to back from you!
Sincerely,


Of course, you would replace the above with your own pertinent information. If a company responds that they have a strict allergen program in place and that the top 8 are clearly labeled, be aware that corn is NOT on the top 8. Most of those letters are form letters, and if a company uses them (without discussing corn in particular) then you need to either respond again, thanking them for their time and asking if specifically CORN is labeled, since it isn’t considered a top allergen by the FAAN or the FDA; or call them and ask for them to please contact their suppliers for verification that the food is truly corn free. Even if they seem to check it out, there is a chance that something will slip through. That’s just the way of life with a corn allergy. But if they seem to be blowing you off and put you on the defensive for trying to protect yourself or your family, please do not even bother trying the product. As limited as our diet is, if the company is not interested in giving you facts or protecting you, their customer, they aren’t worthy of your support. And their product is definitely NOT worth risking a reaction over.

My doctor claims that many drug companies have lists of the source of their ingredients, and I’ve had good luck calling drug companies. It helps if you can state your doctor’s recommendation, and that your doctor told you to call first. Occasionally a pharmaceutical representative will state that they will only give that information out to a physician. I counter with “Well, my doctor doesn’t have time to research this for me.” So far I find that pharmaceutical representatives do have better access to ingredient sourcing than large food companies, but not all the customer service representatives you reach will know how to access that information. So you may need to request a manager, or ask them to put you in touch with a person who *can* answer your questions.

Living with a corn allergy sometimes feels like you’re living with a ticking bomb. There is no way to protect yourself completely from exposure to corn. All you can really do is limit your risk of exposure, and hope that by making your environment as corn free as possible, you will be better able to handle an unintentional exposure.

The hidden risks in your own kitchen

Once we’d confirmed that food was the main culprit in my health problems, the kitchen became a very important place. I could no longer eat out. It was too risky. There was no “Oh rats, I burned dinner. Lets order pizza.” A burnt dinner meant dinner was a little on the crunchy side. And maybe a little extra dessert.

We also learned the hard way how important it was to clean out the kitchen and start new.

At first, I thought it would be okay to slowly weed out the things I couldn’t use. I tried to foist oatmeal off on the kids, but kept getting “just a little” sick each time I made it. I made cookies for the bake sale, thinking it was fine as long as I didn’t taste any. And managed to drop them off at the bake sale before high tailing it home to be near my own bath room.

My husband made rice. He stirred it with a wooden spoon and served to me before seasoning his own. I spent the rest of the night hugging a heating pad.

What went wrong? The problem is simply a matter of *cross contamination*. When baking with flour, have you ever noticed those cute little white smudges that appear on nose and cheeks, or little flour hand prints where you wipe your hands? Well, a few flecks of flour never hurt anyone who can eat the end product. Even if the flecks end up on a clean glass, or in a water cup, or transferred back to your hands when you dry them off before grabbing an apple, they are harmless. But, if you have celiac disease…or are allergic to the wheat or the corn in the vitamins used to enrich the wheat, those flecks of flour are dangerous.

For the newly diagnosed, there are many dangers lurking in the kitchen. When baking, I used to often use the same measuring spoons in all of my dry ingredients. Flour and sugar get mixed in the bowl, why not use the same measuring cup? But when I went gluten free…my 5 lb bag of sugar attacked me. Last time I had made cookies, I’d measured out the flour, then dipped the cup into the sugar. Likewise…many spices contained traces of baking powder (which contains corn starch). All opened baking ingredients had to go.

Another potential hazard comes from seasoned non stick bakeware. The lovely flavor that cast iron skillets are prized for comes from the foods that have been previously cooked in them. And why can’t you scrub them with soap? Because if you do, the food prepared in them later will taste of soap. For the general public, it’s a matter of taste. For those with food allergies, it’s a health hazard.

Anything porous is dangerous. Ever look very closely at a wooden spoon? They have all sorts of lovely nooks and crannies. Perfect spots for grains of flour, particles of corn syrup, or a bit of baking powder to hide. And be released later into a big pot of soup or stew. Pre used wooden utensils must go.

A great guide to de-contaminating the kitchen (This was designed for people with celiacs, but works for other food allergies as well) is found here: How To De-Contaminate the Kitchen.

And a list of potential sources of cross contamination: (again, written with celiacs in mind, but a good basic guideline) : Cross-Contamination: Potential Issues.