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#RareDiseaseDay 2018, Part 3: Corn Allergy
Food allergies are not rare. However what IS rare is being so allergic to corn that you can have anaphylaxis from just smelling popcorn or corn chips and from cross contamination with traces of corn.
Food allergies are not rare. However what IS rare is being so allergic to corn that you can have anaphylaxis from just smelling popcorn or corn chips and from cross contamination with traces of corn.
Even though I have over 30 triggers besides corn that cause me severe reactions, corn is STILL the reason for most of my food and activity restrictions. I have severe or even life-threatening reactions to the following things:
- Citric acid used as a preservative in food such as jams and jellies, or soaps such as Dr. Bronners. People think that citric acid is from citrus fruit, but actually it's produced by fermentation of aspergillus on a corn dextrose medium.
- Corn-derived preservatives in organic fertilizers and pest repellents. I can only eat food that's been grown without ANY sprays applied to the part I eat. This is quite rare, and I only have three or four local farmers I can buy produce from. Grocery stores are not an option.
- Corn-based plastic packaging, or recycled plastic that has been cross-contaminated with corn.
- Dextrose in IV solution.
- The meat of an animal that has eaten corn. Yes, really, and I've proven it with accidental double-blind trials multiple times.
- Water. "Minerals" added via filtration can be corn-derived. Bottles can be made from corn-based plastic. Glass bottles can be sanitized with a corn-based cleaner. A paper cup can be waxed with a corn-based wax. I have had throat-closing reactions to multiple types of water.
And that's just a few examples of how this allergy affects my life. The end result is that I basically live like Little House on the Prairie- Everything I put in or on my body has to be carefully sourced to be free of contaminants including certified organic sprays.
Most common items that people buy at the store such as cleaning products, body products, and condiments, I make at home. Most food comes direct from the ground in its original form, and if I want it to be dried, ground, shelled, or husked, I have to do it myself.
It is not a convenient lifestyle, but I don't have a choice.
Hey CH, why don't you write a blog about this? Why, it so happens that I do. And you can read a TON more about it there.
Main Blog Link:
cornallergygirl.com
Main Blog Link:
cornallergygirl.com
Where's the Corn In Foods? A laundry list of all the places corn can hide in food.
cornallergygirl.com/2013/06/03/whe…
cornallergygirl.com/2013/06/03/whe…
If you ever wanted to know what I actually can eat:
cornallergygirl.com/what-i-can-eat/
cornallergygirl.com/what-i-can-eat/
The long-winded history of my allergy progression & diagnosis:
cornallergygirl.com/allergy-histor…
cornallergygirl.com/allergy-histor…
#RareDiseaseDay2018 Part 1: G6PD Deficiency:
#RareDiseaseDay2018 Part 2: MCAS
