Defining Your Sensitivity category for our groups. Corn-Lite VS Corn-Free

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In our groups, we are only concerned about your sensitivity when evaluating product safety. If you have no idea what that means, please check out this post here: Grading the severity of your allergy: Sensitivity vs Reaction Level

Why don't we rank Reactivity? Because in the grand scheme of things, it's not that important to your fellow group members. We're all a little selfish and concerned about what matters most to us. Don't worry, you're a little selfish and concerned about the same things.

We all simply want to know how much corn is in a product and if that much corn is enough to cause a reaction for us.

This is where sensitivity comes in.

If Abe states that he reacted to ACME's almond butter, you will want to know a few things about Abe, especially if you like almond butter but also if you happen to be enjoying some ACME almond butter.

You'll want to know:

A.    Just how much corn exposure does it take for Abe to have a reaction.

B.    Is Abe sure it was the almond butter?

C.   (unless you're a sociopath) You might also want to know if Abe is ok.

So, Abe says he's fine but he's certain it was the almond butter.

Now you need to know how sensitive to corn Abe is and how sensitive in comparison you are, so you'll know if you should risk having that almond butter sandwich or not.

Thus, our ranking scale which is based on American/Canadian diets and environments. Food regulations in countries overseas as well as Mexico (even Canada in some cases) are vastly different even on goods imported (imported goods to the US have to abide by at least some of the US standards and thus are often different than the same named products in the originating country) making sensitivity comparisons with people in other countries outside the US is often widely different. 

Our ranking scale is not fool-proof and no one is 100% in any category. Pick the one that best represents your allowable corn avoidance. And by allowable, I mean the amount of corn removal you absolutely have to be at to stay healthy and alive. If you feel you're in-between two categories, when suggesting or recommending something, use the more corny category in your recommendation disclaimer (you don't want to endanger someone else) and when asking people to recommend things use the next category up (for safer recommendations to you).

Corn-Lite: 

We wrote a very long article on what is Corn-lite, you can read it here:  Defining Corn-Lite, and Corn-Free, and all that wordy jazz.

"Corn-lite would be avoiding the major corn ingredients like corn syrup, corn starch, corn meal, etc.. and trying to avoid as much citric acid and ascorbic acid as possible.  Basically, eating lots of fresh veggies, meats, and home baked goods."

Corn-lite not only removes obviously “corn” named ingredients but also anything labeled where the source has not been confirmed to be something else: starch, modified starch, glucose syrup, fructose syrup, baking powder, grits, maize, zea mays, zein, iodized salt, dextrose, fructose, glucose.

This does not include just foods, but all products.

For the most part, a corn-lite lifestyle is full of reading labels and buying specific brands of foods. Focusing most meals on fresh produce and simple ingredients to cook at home.

Restaurants: If they are very careful, they can occasionally eat out.

****If you can safely eat any of the items listed for removal for "Corn-Lite", please do not recommend products in the group. Your sensitivity category would be "Corny" and while you may benefit from asking questions and other's recommendations, your sensitivity is not high enough for you to make safe recommendations within the group.*****

Corn-Moderate:

The term corn-moderate may be used by anyone who needs to remove more corn than corn-lite, whom also meets the following requirements:

A person's sensitivity category may be deemed corn-moderate if they have to avoid ALL corn derivatives and cannot source many of their groceries through a grocery store.

Produce: They may be able to tolerate a couple items but most produce must be found through alternative sources.

Meats: Most plain unseasoned meats at the grocery store are unsafe for them and will cause a reaction. (If you're still able to eat seasoned meats, hotdogs, lunchmeats, you are still corn-lite.) They may be able to do one meat source found at a grocery store, likely a particular product from a particular store. Most moderates special order at least some meat (possibly even all) from trusted farmers that have been vetted for safety.

Water: They cannot tolerate tap water. Water must be filtered.

Ingredient labels of the products they do buy list no more than 5 ingredients, and they make almost all their snacks/foods from scratch at home.

This doesn't include just foods, but all products.

Restaurants are nightmares.

*** If you are new to our groups, you should stick to the disclaimer of corn-lite on all your recommendations until you've had a chance to read all the literature and get a good feel for the group. Probably 6 months.***

Corn-Extreme:

I just decided to make this one up for our very few members which would qualify for this. Since the term "corn-free" is banned from us in our groups, our members the most extreme about corn removal may use this term. And by "extreme" I mean, they do this because they have to in order to stay alive and well. Corn-Extreme is as close to corn-free as is humanly possible. Not comfortably possible. Not semi-socially awkwardly possible. Not "in modern times" possible. But in all things.. ALL THINGS.. as corn-free as it is possible BECAUSE it's medically necessary.

If you use this term and you are NOT one of the very few members who qualify for this title, you will be - no questions asked - booted from the groups. If this title sounds like it might be you, but you can think of someone more extremely limited than you are, you probably are still moderate.

*If you feel this label is right for you, do not use it unless: 1. You've been a member of the group for more than one year. 2. You've joined Level 2 and you've been cleared with the Admin for use of this label.*

Our corn-extreme members barely remember what grocery stores are, and definitely don't buy anything more than an item or two.. and likely only for family members. 

Our corn-extreme members inhabit the spirit of living like it's 1899 in all its wondrous glory. They make the ingredients their ingredients are made of, always, including almost all of their spices.

They also research everything that goes into their mouths down to the very last detail.  They have talked to the customer service, owner, foreman, and line personnel. They talk to the guy that supplies the products to the guy they're buying the end product from. They trust nothing and no one. 

They buy meats from special deals with farmers and processors, eliminating corn-fed animals, carcass washes, processing aids, packaging issues, and often with the farmer or processor agreeing to do something different than they normally do. They buy only no-spray produce from trusted farmers, if they can't grow it themselves. They send Holiday gifts to their farmers and know them like family.

Almost nothing they buy has an ingredient label, and they're looking into buying farmland and already raise chickens. They also know or are learning how to "dress" an animal, and it has nothing to do with lace. 

Their kitchen is outfitted with awesome tools like meat grinders, slicers, grain mills, dehydrators, a wide variety of knives (all sharp). 

Their water is extremely filtered, and they probably have their own distiller. They likely only have one water source that is tolerated. 

There is a legitimate fear of starvation should any one of their suppliers change a product they use or go out of business.

They actually have a hazmat suit for staying safe outdoors. 

They're pretty sure they remember what restaurants are, but it's been so long it seems like another lifetime ago. 

*****Please, understand there is no social hierarchy or shame with any category of corn sensitivity. It is most honorable and safe for others for you to accurately state your sensitivity, and with accuracy comes respect and trust of your fellow members.****** 

Lets Get Complicated!

You thought we were done.. we're not. We know you still have questions, and we'll try to answer them.

While most of the categories above were described as foods, there's more to the story. 

There are three main areas of sensitivity:

A.    Ingestion (eating, swallowing)

B.    Airborne (breathing, inhaling)

C.   Skin Contact (direct contact with skin, touching)

It is completely possible to have one category of avoidance for one of the above areas, but another category for the other areas. Or to have a different categories of avoidance for all three areas.

Bodies are weird!

This means that while you may eat "Corn-Lite", when looking for lotion recommendations you may more accurately need to use the label of "Corn-Moderate" if you're more contact sensitive than the corn-lite category would fit.  Or if you're not contact sensitive at all, but you have to wear a mask often due to corny scents or ethanol fumes or whatever.. you may want to use "corn-moderate" when asking for air freshener ideas. 

Please use the best fitting label depending on the topic and product being discussed. If you can't decide between two categories, use the lower or more corny category.

*****Please, understand there is no social hierarchy or shame with any category of corn sensitivity. It is most honorable and safe for others for you to accurately state your sensitivity, and with accuracy comes respect and trust of your fellow members.****** 

Related definitions:

Corn light

Corn-Medium: A person who utilizes metaphysical methods to devine whether or not something has corn in it. This would make for an awesome Halloween costume.

Corn light

Corn-light: a particular type of bulb that looks like corn on the cob, may also be used for a corn shaped lamp.