What does a CORN allergy really mean?

A corn allergy is not just corn on the cob and popcorn.  A corn allergy is SO much more than that.


Say good-bye to the majority of your favorite breakfast cereals, many snack foods that don't have soy or nuts will have a corn ingredient-often corn syrup, as a main ingredient.  Don't be fooled into thinking organic foods are any different; they aren't.


A corn allergy is not that uncommon and I genuinely hope the FDA starts marking it on packages too.  Clearly, it is easy to read "corn" on the ingredient list.  What isn't easy is identifying the corn derivative ingredients.  Did you know most gel cap medications are made out of a corn based formula for the cap itself?  Did you know that you need to check the ingredients on items such as white or wheat flour?  King Arthur is my favorite brand and has the least mixed ingredients for a flour but many flours not only have corn flour in them but also soy flour.  Just some food for thought.


Next time you are in the grocery store I challenge you to walk down the cereal aisle and play a guessing game- corn based ingredient or not!  Don't be fooled by the sugar cereals v. the healthy cereals.  I find more sugar cereals to be okay for my son to eat than healthy.  As a mom that has always preached and tried to practice a healthy lifestyle with smart food choices this has been so hard! Corn pops? No brainer, out.  Kix?- nope, also out.  Corn chex-the name should be a give away but nope, can't have those.  Please keep in mind my son has more allergies than this so even if a cereal clears corn it still has to clear soy and nut ingredients or exposure.  Crispix? out.  Apple cinnamon cheerios- out. Granola, any brand- out. (I have a pretty good recipe to make it from scratch that I will post later).


Could someone please explain to me why corn is a filler in everything?  This is out of control!  But I wouldn't have known it if it weren't for my son's allergy to it.


The following is an allergen list.  It is not necessarily 100% complete and there are many items, such as alcohol, where some brands or flavors may have corn but others don't so you will need to follow up on that on your own.  Think this list is long?  Scroll to the bottom of it for more info.


Corn meal
corn flour
corn syrup
high fructose corn syrup
vegetable oil
vegetable stock
some vinegars
fructose
glucose (also found in medicines)
aspartame
splena
truvia
dextrose (yes, it's found in medicines too)
sucralose
sucrose
cyclodextrin
maize
maltodextrin
msg
corn starch
vanillin
vanilla, imitation

This list is of specific foods or other products that one might not recognize as containing a corn product.

• Body powders
• Breath spray and candies
• Condiments (mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup)
• Contact lens solutions
• Cream
• Dairy (cottage cheese, cheese, sour cream)
• Dental fillings and cements (read the Material Safety Data sheets athttp://dental.securesites.com/)
• Fresh fruit/vegetables that are coated with wax (which can be derived from corn)
• Frozen fruit (blueberries, cranberries)
• Frozen vegetables
• Hair products (spray, mousse and gels)
• Lotion (including those that contain Vitamin E)
• Margarine
• Meat products (hot dogs, sausage)
• Orange juice
• Peanut butter
• Pickles
• Ricotta cheese
• Salad dressings
• Soaps and dishwashing detergents
• Suntan lotions
• Teas
• Tomato products
• Toothpaste

Food Allergies and Restaurants

For someone with the same or similar allergies to my sons I have created the following list as a *quick* reference for when he is visiting other people:

No matter what he says he cannot eat Oreo’s!  He is a teenager and bound to lie about this LOL.  He cannot eat Chinese at a restaurant- they use soy like American’s use peanuts.  Taking him out to eat is almost impossible however the following chain restaurants are okay and they have at least 2 things that he can have on their menu aside from a salad:

**Always remember to inform your server immediately of any food allergies.  Do not be surprised if the manager themself takes care of you.  Do be surprised if the manager doesn't at least make one appearance at your table!

1. Macaroni Grill (let them know his allergies but they can accommodate them in anything that isn’t bread or crusted like pizza)

2. McDonald’s- you may laugh but when I say he can have anything at McDonald’s he really can have anything that he wants.  YOu may think this is nuts- wait til you are out running errands and he’s hungry but you can’t hand him a granola bar b/c of the nuts or crackers b/c of the soy.  Trust me, a $1 McDouble only ketchup and pickles will take you all the way for him.

3. Dominos- regular, hand made crust pizza but NOT deep dish and NOT thin crust.  Couldn’t tell you why 2 have soy in them and one doesn’t but hey, who am I to judge?  Any fruit or veggie topping is fine and they don’t have contact with nuts.  My kiddo can have the pepperoni but the toppins stop there. No sausage, no burger stuff.

4.  Cracker Barrel has a few items he can have such as eggs, bacon, mashed potatoes, and mac n cheese.

5.  Starbucks- he can have a hot chocolate or chocolatey chip frappaccino.  That’s it.

6. Skyline Chili- no bread (like hot dog buns) and no breading due to soy but spaghetti, hot dogs, chili are all A-OK.

7. Coldstone- check their allergen list for up to date ingredients and make sure you tell them about the allergies but they can accommodate both soy and nut allergies in a different work station so everyone can enjoy their deliciousness.

Don’t bother with the following restaurants:

1. Mellow Mushroom- although they will let me bring my own food in for my kiddo while I eat there and that’s pretty cool.
2. Chili’s- only the chicken fingers on the kids menu are okay but he doesn’t like them
3. Hooters- this has nothing to do with food and everything to do with his age!! HAHA
4. Applebee’s- Selection is too limited.
5. Wendy’s= very limited selection, I have to review their allergen list every single time we go due to changes.

Definitely don’t go here:

1. Burger King- sesame seeds are on all of their buns and nope, unlike McDonald’s you cannot order a different type of bun.
2. Checkers- same as BK with the sesame seeds.  Plus almost everything has soy in it and/or has been exposed to nuts.  He can have the vanilla milkshake and that’s it!
3. Chik Fil-a - everything has the potential to have been in contact with nuts.  Soy is in a few things here and they also use sesame seeds but I do believe you can get a non-seed bun.
4. Chinese- they use soy in everything for this cuisine.  Nuts are also common kitchen items.
5. Thai food- same as Chinese.  I would just be asking for trouble to take him to an Asian restaurant.
6. Five Guys- free peanuts out in the open, need I say more?
7. Any restaurant that ends in “Roadhouse”- peanuts at every table, on the floor, in barrels.  Not to mention the amount of items on the menu with Soy in them.
8. Anything with a Hibachi grill- sad but true, they use soy sauce in their grill cooking and there isn’t anyway to seperate his food at a level that would prevent cross-contamination.

Tuna casserole that doesn't make you think of your childhood!

Dylan's favorite dinner! I came up with this in undergrad when he was on a tuna kick and wouldn't eat any veggies! Great for leftovers and can be frozen.

1- 16 oz. pkg whole wheat pasta (elbows, rotini, etc.), cooked and drained
1- 16 oz. container Cabot low-fat sour cream
2 c. shredded Cabot extra sharp cheddar
2 cans campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 c. chopped broccoli (you can use the frozen chopped broccoli)
4- 6-8 oz. cans of tuna in water (i use albacore)
Bread crumbs if you want (I have used crumbled oyster crackers as they are free of the allergens Dyl is allergic too or plain Panko crumbs-check the ingredients first though as most brands have soy in them)
Preheat oven to 350*.

In a saucepan over low-medium heat, heat up sour cream and cream of mushroom soup. Once warm, add in cheddar cheese slowly. once all heated and the cheese has melted, increase heat to medium and fold in the broccoli and the tuna. Stir continuously until the broccoli is cooked through. Add in cooked pasta and stir until evenly coated.

Pour into a 13x9 baking pan, sprinkle with crumbs if desired and bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Garlic Herb bread

1 loaf bakery white or wheat bread- I like Sweetbay's as I can usually choose from a couple different kinds that are free of Soy and peanuts/tree nuts or you can make your own bread, I do that sometimes too
butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp. oregano, chopped
2 tsp. basil, chopped
1/2 c. fresh parmesan, finely shredded
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
black pepper

preheat oven to 375*. on a baking sheet, cut loaf of bread in half, length-wise. spread evenly with butter. evenly spread minced garlic over each half. Evenly sprinkle herbs and cheeses over both halves. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until as crispy as you would like it. When it come out, lightly sprinkle the black pepper over the top and serve.


Since this is made from scratch (mostly) it is easy to eliminate allergens from the ingredients.  If you are making your own bread make sure you check the flour for ingredients-who knew a lot of flours have soy flour and/or corn flour as an "added" ingredient?

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie (recipe)

For alternatives to peanut butter check out soy butter or almond butter.  My son can't have either so we use Sun butter which is made from sunflower seeds.  We haven't ventured to incorporating it into this recipe yet since he doesn't particularly care for this pie.


 graham cracker crust (you can make it or buy the ready made one)
1/2 c. Smucker's Special Recipe hot fudge sauce, warmed up
** spread fudge over the graham crust, covering as much of it as possible. Place in the fridge while you make the filling(s)

filling option 1:
1 c. creamy peanut butter (this is one recipe I find natural pb to not work very well in)
1 lg. tub of cool whip (12 oz. I think) DO NOT USE COOL WHIP FREE as it falls flat

Mix peanut butter and cool whip together by hand until all blended, about 5 minutes. Spoon into cooled pie shell and return to refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Serve chilled.

filling option 2:
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 small tub cool whip (8 oz. I believe)
1 package chocolate mousse mix (usually found with the puddings in the grocery store but make sure it is mousse mix not pudding)

Mix up mousse according to package. Fill cooled pie shell halfway with chocolate mousse. Combine cool whip and peanut butter as directed above. Fill the remaining pie shell with the peanut butter mousse.

***optional-- drizzle more melted fudge sauce over the top of the pie for an extra special touch.

The Pub @ International Plaza- Tampa, FL

Let's start with the fabulous stuff:
Have you seen their drink menu?  If you enjoy beer, this is your place.  Domestic, foreign, microbrews, mass brews, you name, they've probably got it or something very similar.  They also have a "Wall of Beer"-pour your own beer and pay by the ounce area upstairs.  Fantastic for the beer drinker in you.  Me?  I don't much care for beer but I do love some hard ciders and they don't disappoint there either- try a Crispin (light and sweet, ice cold, wet) or a Strongbow (medium-light, served slightly warmer than the Crispin, dry).


Their food menu boasts more traditional pub fare.  The best appetizer I've had?  The beer cheese dip with fresh pretzel bread and veggies.  I will likely order this every time I go and it is more than enough for 2-3 people.  The beer cheese dip is the consistency of cream cheese and served cold.  The pretzel bread is cooked fresh and I honestly have never had anything like it before.  You can even order sandwiches on this bread.  The veggies were carrots, celery and cucumbers and they worked almost as well as the bread with this dip.


The selection of burgers is decent with some twists not often found in regular restaurant.  Sure, they have sliders and regular sizes but they also have a lamb burger.  I tried the lamb sliders and they were unique.  My fiancee had the BBQ burger the first time we went and hasn't tried anything else so I think that speaks for itself.  Most sandwiches and burgers come with a fried pickle on the side.  The idea of anything "pickle" is not my thing but I'm clearly in the minority as everyone else gets them as an appetizer too.  More traditional English/Irish pub fare is available such as Shepherd's Pie made with a mix of lamb and beef and Fish 'N' Chips.  I found this to be surprisingly not fulfilling but the drinks, atmosphere, and beer cheese dip made up for it!


We haven't tried any of the desserts due to being so full.


The seating is inside or out.  The servers appear to be full of personality and know their jobs.  Samples of the beers are available.


The atmosphere has been energizing each time I've been there.  Flat screen tv's play the sport du jour including soccer.


On to the slightly less than fabulous:
Due to its popularity, there is always a wait.  Instead of a buzzer you get a text message alerting you to your table being ready.  As long as you have reception this isn't an issue.


The first time I went, the server forgot my appetizer and the fish 'n chips was less than crispy although the portion was very decent. The second time I went I was not satisfied with my lamb sliders.  I will stick to that fabulous beer cheese dip and drinks from this point forward.

Boring stuff, so you think: Food Allergens & their impact

Where to start... I've never really blogged before but I figured there's a blog for just about anything so why not blog about awesome foods and films.


My son is 14.  For the last 7 or so years he has had ongoing stomach aches, head aches, etc. and they all got attributed to a side effect to a medication he's on.  His stomach aches would come out of the blue without warning and it was too bad because he really needed the medication too.  It was a tough balance.


About 14 months ago Dylan was tested for food allergies.  It was a second thought really-more like a let's just do it and see since it had never been done before.  His allergist was testing for outdoor stuff too.  While Dylan is basically allergic to the outdoors, and we knew this from his allergist in VT, he is also allergic to some of the most popular and common kitchen/cooking ingredients!  Who knew?


The past year has been an eye opening experience.  His more severe food allergies include Soy, Peanuts and tree nuts (almonds are the worst for him), and Sesame seeds.  He even has an epipen for these allergies.  This isn't too bad, at least it is marked on all packages except for sesame seeds but they are easy to avoid.  In the moderate allergy category he is allergic to cottenseed, canteloupe, watermelon, and a bunch of other stuff he doesn't like.  Worst of all in this category is CORN.  Corn is NOT marked on anything.  Corn includes derivatives such as high fructose corn syrup, corn flour, corn meal, cellulose gum, artificial sweeteners, most things starting with "sodium" _____ , corn starch and the list goes on.  It is virtually impossible to avoid corn in your every day diet here in the U.S.  Dylan also has mild food allergies to carrots and cherries.  All together he has 27 food items he is allergic too.  


I can't tell you how many times people have said "at least he isn't allergic to wheat".  I wish he was allergic to wheat instead of corn.  Why?  Because it is marked on packages.


I make a lot of items from scratch, I've become a food pro at reading labels, I get creative with substitutes and we're surviving.  In 14 months of a complete diet change and overhaul, he has only had a couple stomach aches and the headaches have gone away!!!!


Through this blog I will share my recipes as I create them.  I will share some of the "eat this not that" things I have found.  I will also blog on films because what goes better with a good meal than a movie???  Not everything in this blog will be about food allergies but I will dish on some restaurants that are GREAT at accommodating food allergies and others who aren't so great.


**DISCLAIMER- I am not a dietician or a doctor of any kind.  These are things I've learned as a parent to a child with food allergies and nothing more.