HELPFUL HINTS ON AVOIDING CORN

Corn allergies, sensitivities, intolerances and any other term you want to use for corn hurting you, is daunting. Even worse then trying to avoid corn for yourself it’s avoiding corn for your little one. The younger the child the more difficult your job.
     Kid’s don’t explain their pain, their discomfort, their itchy tongue… instead they lash out, they become distant, they are cranky or tired. It may cause a tiny rash on their cheeks, a redness of their ears, some dark circles under their eyes and including but not excluding any other symptom, runny noses.
      With children they also do not understand the reason for the food to be switched the world to look at them under a microscope to find just one tiny change in them for good or bad so we can adjust our ways. We also on top of working so hard for our children find constant judgement for why we are so “extreme” doctors on a majority dont’ understand us, don’t believe us.
        There are doctors who work with this all the time, they are Environmental Allergists. Corn is not rare to them, corn is all the derivatives (or most) for them. They know how to help ease the struggle too and it’s great to have a doctor to be able to guide you and not judge you.
       
          Here is a list of some things we missed for a long time and how to avoid them easily.

TABLE SALT! Any salt made in the US is packaged in the same warehouse. If there is iodized salt packed there then all of the salts that company makes is contaminated at a cross contamination level of DEXTROSE.
Switch to SEA SALT from another country. For your Iodine intake make sure it is naturally occuring in the salt. Mediterranian salts have naturally occuring Iodine.
 ANY OIL that is simply VEGETABLE look at the ingredients, if there is no specific ingredient then don’t use it. If the oil does not have corn in it, usually it’s safe. I have been reading up on different ways of processing them and I have found no issues with olive oil or soy oil. We are not allergic to soy here. You can avoid soy the same way.

 Any processed food that exists even if it says SEA SALT can be cross contaminated due to the above reasons.

 EXTRACTED is a huge heads up. Foods that have been extracted are 99.9% processed with Ethyl Alcohol.

100% PURE anything, read the actual ingredients. It probably has something in it. We haven’t found out how something can be listed as 100% pure and have other ingredients in it.

Lotions, hair products, soaps, creams (hydrocortizone), perfumes, colognes, CLOTHING DETERGENT, Fabric softeners, Fabreeze, air fresheners, cleaning agents… CORN CORN CORN CORN CORN.

Previously used pots and pans that are plastic, teflon, or another porous material will hold corn inside of it until heated up, or used after sugary corn drinks are placed in it just once.

Synthetic sugars, SWEET N LOW, EXTRA, yellow, pink, blue, anything that is not pure sugar cane.

Look at the derivatives list here on www.cornfreedom.com for other things you need to avoid.  Also look on the site for what children are exposed to during a day. Very important to know.

WHAT CAN WE HAVE/USE?

I have worked really hard on finding things safe for our family. I want to disclaimer this list with you need to check for yourself. We are very sensitive to everything but these items but… you may be sensitive to what we can use. Check it out yourselves and try what we get. I have also tried to find all products that are available in major grocery stores. That was the most difficult. Specialty stores will have some things, but the specialty stores by my house is completely different then anything someone else can find. The one great thing I have found is the more you speak with an owner or a manager the more they understand and the more they are willing to work with you. You must have your information with you otherwise you will be met with head shaking or someone who thinks they know and they really don’t.

Aveeno Unscented Lotion (not good if you have a wheat allergy)

GARNIER FRUCTIS Shampoo and Conditioner

Ivory Soap (original)

Oil of Olay (original)

Dove Unscented deodorant

Crystal rock deodorant (I dont’ know the name b/c I dont’ use it but I know people who have been successful with it.)

COLGATE SHAVING CREAM for sensitive skin

Detergent, we make our own www.tipnuts.com is where we got our recipe, just borax, washing soda, ivory soap and water. Costs nothing to make, creates a ton of product and cleans really well.

Oxyclean powders (Clorox UNSCENTED)

PEROXIDE, the ultimate in cleaning every surface in your house, faucets, sinks, counters, floors, window (streak free!) can be used on cuts/scrapes, diluted with salt water for sore throat gargling. Mulit purpose.

SHARK STEAMER, no chemicals, just steam and a washable cloth. Some people have had mold reactions, I don’t understand why, we have had no mold or issues from ours and have had it for years. Make sure to remove your used cloth and throw it in the wash immediately, follow the manufacturers directions on emptying the water after every use and I think you will be fine.

HEPA FILTER VACUUMS, Make sure you find filter replacements made by Arm and Hammer with out FABREEZE added to them, very difficult and getting harder to find. People like the pretty smell when they vacuum. If this becomes and issue try to find a non hepa filter vacuum.

FOODS

Newmans Own UNSALTED pretzel rounds

Matzo, make sure to read the ingredients!!! Some brands use more then WHEAT AND WATER, only buy it if it has those two ingredients.

Kosher foods are NOT reliable!!! You must read, look at your derivatives list and if it is questionable do not buy it.

KING ARTHUR FLOUR (not their cake flour)

ENJOY LIFE semi sweet chocolate chips (free of wheat, corn, soy, nuts, eggs, fish…)

BAKING SODA

CREAM OF TARTAR together they make baking powder. 1/3 tsp Baking soda and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar equal 1 tsp baking powder.

VINEGARS… Cider, balsamic (read ingredients, caramel color is corn!) red wine vinegar are all safe

Yeast FLEISCHMANS bread machine is safe. I buy the jars, they go fast and easier to measure out. Most yeasts are fed a corn by-product to keep it alive. Yeast needs a sugar. Fleischmans does not use a corn byproduct to feed their yeast.

GRASS FED COW DAIRY!!! Milk, yogurt (plain only! add your own fruit and flavoring) cream, butter! NO ICE CREAM, look at the recipes on this blog to find a great ice cream recipe, very versitile, no preservatives or additives.

WATER WASHED lettuce, if it doesn’t say cold water washed and instead says pre rinsed, they used citric acid bath. Citric acid is made from corn.

All shiney vegetables, please check with the manager of the store to look at the box to see if it is waxed, IF it is unspecified food grade wax then don’t buy it.

Peaches, plums, apples, nectarines, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini… have them check. If they can’t find the box then don’t buy it. During summer months it is easier to find farm markets and buy local, they don’t distribute. Make sure you ALWAYS ASK until you find a farm you can trust. Some farm markets will sell farm products but not from their farms.

ORGANIC doesn’t mean corn free!!!! They found a way to make ORGANIC corn syrup, and ORGANIC honey. These two things run hand in hand. Organic Honey bees can be fed ORGANIC corn syrup. Find a Honey company that feeds their bees solely cane sugar as a supplement and find where the bees are pollenating, is it a clover field? etc.

CRAFT MATERIALS is listed on the main website under childrens exposures. This is a very important site for little ones especially. Our son reacts to contact as well as ingested and inhaled exposures so we have had to clear out of these products.

MEDICATION!!!!! OVER THE COUNTER!!! ALL CONTAIN CORN!!! PRESCRIBED ALL CONTAIN CORN!!! YOU MUST GET ALL MEDICATIONS COMPOUNDED AT A SPECIAL PHARMACY. You will need a prescription from your doctor for everything now. BE SURE to get all over the counter medications compounded especially if you have young children. I suggest EVERYTHING because you never know when a high fever, bug bite, cough, allergic reaction, or infection are going to pop up. It takes a few days for a compounding pharmacy to make the medication so if you have any one of those issues above you are going to need the medication on hand. I have had two different doctors with two different opinions on this. I chose the doctor who understood that I CANNOT run to the local drug store and pick up some benedryl for my kid, I can’t get a fever reducer, I can’t get an anti inflammatory, or an anti biotic like everyone else can. I would only need a prescription for an anti biotic but I can’t pick it up in 20 minutes, I have to wait days for it to come in the mail. There are compounding pharmacies all over the place but to find one that understands what you need may be difficult, it is available but you may have to order it and have it delivered.

Our son had a really stuffy head, runny nose all the time. When we went to our first allergy appointment I had to remove all anti hystamines for 72 hours. When I did this his symptoms went away. When I found out he was allergic to corn I realized that I was dosing him more and more with corn to take away the symptoms that were caused by the corn.

           I hope this helps all the new people, it’s a take it one day at a time, it’s a ton of reading, understanding and not beating yourself up. Just remember everyday you are learning new things, EVERYDAY they are figuring out something else to put in our economy that contains corn. It’s forever changing, so I can suggest things and one day they may no longer be useful to us.

ANOTHER THING TO WATCH OUT FOR IS HAND SANITIZERS!!!! We use WET ONES they are fine!!! They come in single packets and a container that has multiple. We have both in our car. The boys know when they come in from playing in a park they need to wipe down for many reasons, corn on playground equipment from soda’s, ice cream, lollipops, etc are all around.

              I hope this helps a bit when I think of more I will add another post.

                        Sincerely,

                                   Nicole Jurain

                                Founder of Corn Freedom