We just found out that our 2 year old is allergic to corn. We left the appointment feeling ok that it wasn't egg and wheat...until we realized corn is in everything.
We are now trying to figure out a diet plan and are looking for ideas/lists/recipes.
Thank you!
A.
I once had a doctor that told me I was allergic to Chocolate. So I had to be so careful, I had to change the stoer I shopped in just to avoid seeing the doctor entirely.
;)
i would try this site:
http://www.dietenlightened.com/site/page.php?node=374&...
also... take a day and plan on spending the WHOLE day at your local grocer! Try to think of basically every food in your diet that you normally eat that is processed at all. go down each aisle and make a list of at least one brand of any "staple" food that does not contain corn or corn syrup or corn starch etc. If you do it all in one big trip it will make your life easier in the future because you will know exactly what your "go to items" are.
My dad had an egg allergy, and once my mom mastered what brands were "egg free" and what she could use as egg substitutes everything became second nature.
When I had gestational diabetes I did the same thing essentially, except I went through the store and wrote down food brands that contained 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving or less... Doing it all at once was well worth it.
then, go through any recipes you eat a lot and mark all the ones that are corn free with a star or something... recipes that you love that do contain corn, look for alternatives online to substitute for the corn ingredients and then write on a post it note what changes you want ti try. if the substitute works well and tastes fine then write changes in the margins of your book so that you start to compile a new "menu" for your household that is easy to "go to".
Good Luck!
I found a great way to get rid of any or all allergies. It worked for me and I had tons of allergies. Go to NAET.COM to find a person who does this and I personally would have him treated. No more corn allerigies. It is easy, NOT painful and a two year old I believe can do it.
I have an appointment for my 3 year old grandson because he has a milk allergies and it worked great for me.
N.
I have celiac disease so I have to avoid gluten - which is in everything as well. So... I found going Paleo has worked really well.
Good luck. My mom went through that with my sister, who later grew out of it enough to eat most foods. But I hear you - no corn syrup (or corn sugar, if they want to call it now), corn starch, corn on the cob...read labels and learn everything that corn is called.
I think Smucker's makes (or made) corn-free jelly.
You will get used to reading labels. It's now a fact of life.
Mine is allergic to rice among many other things. So we read every label, because rice flour is also in everything.
Learn what else corn might be called and every candy and soda pop is full of high fructse corn syrup, as are all the juicey drinks.
a lot of gluten free items are also corn and casien free, so browse the gluten free isles in your stores and check the items like animal crackers and pretzels. SOME gluten free groceries do have corn meal or corn flour,but not a lot... so just check the ingredients. Most manu's are so good about labeling "gluten free, wheat free, casien free, soy free, peanut free, corn free" etc.
sounds crazy, but there are a TON of allergies out there and great companies are helping out!
google google!
child food allergies
food allergy + products
corn free products
that will get you pretty far.
lots of blogs and communities up there as well where other moms post recipes etc. good luck.
Cook from scratch no prepared foods ever. Buy all your food at the Ashland Community Food Store. It's prices are the best and the selection of food is endless. Organic, Organic, Organic.
Learn to cook. Go talk to people at the Co-Op surely some of them know a recipe or two for you. Some even know what cookbooks can help you eliminate all corn and corn syrup from your family's diet.
I used the Enchanted Broccali Cookbook and still do.
Hi A.,
My daughter dealt with a wheat allergy and continues to deal with egg and peanut. We tested when she was just over a year because of reactions to certain foods. Here's what I ended up doing to cope. It may help, even though our kiddos have different allergies:
1. Start by listing everything she does eat. Cross off what she can't have and keep the rest. It helped a lot to see what she *could* eat as opposed to what she couldn't.
2. Try to figure out alternatives that don't involve buying specialty foods. For example, fresh meats, produce, cooked grains (rice, barley, quinoa) and unsweetened dairy are probably fine. Focus on planning meals around those.
3. Get a list of ingredients to watch from your allergy doctor. It helps learn to read labels. Go grocery shopping alone for a few trips so you have time to figure out which products work for you.
4. Eating out is the hardest part. Kids menus are surprisingly not allergy friendly. Red Robin is the best I've found for allergies. They can print a current copy of their menu with modifications for common allergens (for example, we have to order fries without their house seasoning). Just request a list from your server when you order beverages. Other places, you may wind up ordering a la carte to get things your kiddo can eat.
5. Take-along snacks are tough, too. Find something that works and always keep a stash with you. We usually carried string cheese, fruit leathers (Stretch Island Fruit Company makes ones that are just fruit--no sweeteners. I find them at Costco, Trader Joe's and some other groceries).
6. For sweet treats at birthday parties or dinners at friends' house, keep some friendly cupcakes or brownies individually wrapped in your freezer so kiddo doesn't have to go without.
7. Check out Ener-G Foods--http://www.ener-g.com . They're a Seattle-based company that offers lots of allergy-friendly baked goods and snack foods.
8. Check out your local library for allergy friendly cookbooks.
Good luck! I know it's intimidating at first, but your whole family will be healthier because of it. And, as we're finding, your kiddo may grow out of it. We've worked through building a tolerance for wheat and don't have to restrict it anymore. Now we're working on egg. It's a slow process, but not impossible. Get a doctor you trust, and it may not be forever!
