BS: They're poisoning me with corn

Subject: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: CarolC
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 02:27 PM

This is the second complainy thread I've started today.

I've been suffering from all sorts of weird and unexplainable maladies since I was about 15 years old. I've tried all kinds of things to help myself feel less sick over the years, but mostly, I still feel sick most of the time.

I made a discovery a couple of years ago. When I spent about six weeks in Canada in 2001 (visiting Mudcatters, of course), I found that a lot of my symptoms either disappeared, or became significantly less severe. It took me a while to put all of the pieces together, but I have discovered that one of my problems is that I'm allergic to corn.

The reason that these two things; my Canadian trip, and my corn allergy are connected is this: in the US they put corn into (almost) literally everything, while in Canada, they do not.

Since I've been trying to avoid corn, I've discovered that in the US, there's at least one corn-derived substance in the following foods:

-ketchup
-spaghetti sauce
-bread (all breads except some pita breads), both inside, as well as sprinkled, as corn meal, on the bottoms
-most breakfast cereals
-pizza (many pizzas have corn products in the sauce, and many also sprinkle corn meal on the bottoms of the crusts)
-almost all baked goods
-almost all coffee whiteners
-many brands of soy milk
-baked beans
-most Chinese food (corn starch thickener)
-pretty much all salad dressings
-all non-diet soft drinks except a few sold in health food stores
-etc. etc. etc.

When we were staying in Michigan, we stocked up on products that contain corn in the US, but not in Canada (ketchup being formost among them). But we're back in the US south again, and far away from our source of Canadian products.

One thing I discovered as a result of this, is that Canadian "Heinz" ketchup tastes significantly better than US "Heinz" ketchup. So we're paying a price in taste for this corn situation.

I've also discovered that there are a lot of people who have corn allergies.

I don't eat meat because I don't want to (it would probably make me sick anyway, even if I did want to). I can't eat dairy or eggs because they make me very sick. I can't eat corn, peanuts, coconut products, or chocolate, because I'm allergic to them. Now, in most restaurants, I could find at least one thing to eat that doesn't have dairy, eggs, or meat. But corn is another story. Here's a typical situation I often find myself facing in restaurants: at a Tim Hortons in Michigan... I order the Garden Veggie Sub sandwich with no cream cheese, and substituting the ranch dressing that contains dairy products with the honey mustard dressing. After doing this a few times, I had to wonder if there was corn sweetening in the honey mustard dressing. So until I find out (the people who work there have no idea), I have to stop eating at Tims.

So anyway, I think this sucks. I was told that the reason they use corn in so many products is because of tariffs on cane sugar. And someone else suggested that it's because of the Archer Daniels Midland lobby pushing their corn products to the US govt.

Maybe if they start using all of their corn to make ethanol or something, they'll start leaving our food alone. One can only hope.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Peg
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 02:33 PM

also because us farmers are given subsidies to grow the corn   that is then processed into oils and sweeteners....
I feel for ya. there are some salad dressings without them, try the Annie's all natural ones.
fresh-baked goods from a bakery (as opposed to a grocery store) will be less likely to contain these products and you can also ask the bakers what they have that does not contain corn.
corn is apparently one of the most common food allergens (but the symptoms may be subtle in some) and this may also be playing a part in the obesity epidemic in the US...

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 02:33 PM

Coca Cola made the switch to corn sweeteners years ago and the whole food industry followed suit. High fructose corn syrup is sweeter than sugar so you can use less. $$$$$

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 02:38 PM

this is no joke, Carol...you know Rita and her medical history. Well, she worked out in the last year or so that High Fructose Corn Syrup gives her various allergic reactions. This is a 'fairly' new thing, but products she used to eat now upset her quite a bit. She LOVES Prego sauce for Italian foods, but is now trying a couple of off-brands that have no Corn Syrup and adding spices to suit...The situation has pretty radically changed what we eat everyday.

Simple answer...it's cheaper. A web search on "High Fructose Corn Syrup" will show you others with the same concern.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Peg
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 02:39 PM

BTW, I meant U.S. farmers, not "us" farmers...

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 02:40 PM

Coke produces a limited amount of 'old' Coke each year for Passover...but you have to know where to look.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 02:46 PM

I have a Polish friend who says that in Poland they say that if you have cancer you need to stay away from corn. Makes you wonder if maybe corn has a finger (an ear?) in more maladies than we realize.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 02:55 PM

I wonder if it has to do with just the form, as Rita can still eat some corn that has not been processed into 'stuff' like syrup...she is very careful, though.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 03:20 PM

I wonder if a lot of the food allergies that seem so prevalent nowadays are actually reactions to the foods themselves or to trace amounts of pesticides and herbicides that come along with the foods unless they're organically grown. Peanuts and corn grown by "modern" methods are very heavilly sprayed.

I also wonder if our bodies "learn" to be allergic to the food products containing the poisons to the point where even organically grown foods can prompt allergic reactions.

Bruce

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 03:31 PM

It's not just my sense of humour that's 'corny'... I eat a lot of corn, and my body seems to process it magnificiently. I do not eat any sweets though, so the high fructose corn syrup issue doesn't effect me... The main reason I do not eat sweets is that ANY sweets make my body unwell. They promote infection, encourage colds, increase tooth decay, bring on arthritis, spoil digestion, and feed candida... as a few examples.

But I found that it is 'white corn' that simply does not agree with my system at all. I suspect that the corn syrup may contain white corn products... But I'm only surmizing... ttr

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 04:03 PM

I heard that there was a young girl about 12 - who decided to make a fuss - enough to get into the media. She could not eat peanut. She complained that all candy bar manufactures - wishing to avoid lawsuits - now seem to label all their products "May contain traces of peanuts" or "packed on an assembly line that also processes peanuts" so as to discourage lawsuits.

Of course, she now can't eat ANY candy because while some of the products contain no allergen, she can't tell... I heard that she was considering legal action... She definitely made the media - they love "Man bites Dog" stories!

I'm sure that the few manufacturers of products that do NOT contain corn byproducts would welcome support and publicity - they are undoubtedly under pressure - even financial - to incorporate the products.

Like the pressure to flouridate drinking water - just to dispose of (for profit) the poisonous waste byproduct Sodium Flouride from manufacturing Aluminium!

Try establishing a Yahoo group if one does not exist! Such a group with many thousands of members is a useful lobbying tactic.

After all, this corn syrup nonsense is a good example of Capitalism gone mad to the extent of doing us harm!

Bring back Vance Packard!

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Peg
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 04:27 PM

I already mentioned the farming-corn sweetener-obesity connection in a thread because it was discussed in that news special Peter Jennings did called "How to Get Fat Without Really Trying" which   aired a couple weeks ago...
These days; virtally all processed foods contain corn sweeteners or corn-derived oils or soybean-derived oils (another common allergen).

Best advice for allergic and non-allergic alike; don't eat    processed foods.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: NicoleC
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 04:32 PM

I'm with you Carol. I'm allergic to onions, and if you think corn is ubiquitous, try onions! It's usually not even on the label, but instead appears in the nebulous ingredient "spices."

Only one cure for it, Carol -- learn to cook.

Muir Glen ketchup used to be sweetener free -- and tasted marvelous -- but then they got bought out by Kraft (I think) and the sweetener went back in. It is, however, still corn free and available in the US.

http://www.allergygrocer.com/index.html

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 05:04 PM

Suggest you PM Hippie Chick ASAP. She's got it too, has a lot of good tricks. I know because I've eaten many of them!

Some places have food-label posters or flyers that give an ingredient list. At Tim's, if they do not have these, ask the manager if he wants to keep your business, and make them find out what's in that dressing.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 06:07 PM

They even have "May contain traces of peanuts" on some packets of peanuts.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 07:51 PM

OK ladies, you got my attention... what are you getting at?

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Sorcha
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 08:37 PM

Carol, I feel for you, but you are going to have to start cooking from total scratch...so that YOU know what goes into your food. This might just have to include making your own ketchup....I have recipes, dear heart.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Tweed
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 08:45 PM

God, how I do love corn!! Popcorn popped in pure corn oil, corn fed beef, hawgs, chickens, wimmenz, Karo Syrup on Corn Fritters, slathered wif imitation corn extract almost-butter, corn on the cob (boiled or roasted), cornpone, cornbread, carmelcorn, cornpuffs HeeHaw reruns, the list could go on forever.....

Queen Carolethesailorgal, they iz no way you ar bein' pizoned by corn. It is just the best dang all around food there is. I suspect yore problems lie in the miniskule fragments obv teflon thet come loos from yore frying pan.

Yerz,
Tweed

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 08:47 PM

Carol, I'm sure that the US Corn Lobby would strenuously object to what you're saying BUT I can't resist adding that there's a kernel of truth to what you're saying...

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Little Hawk
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 08:58 PM

Carol,

Many (if not most) allergies can be cured through CTM (Chinese traditional medicine)...various treatments involving acupuncture and other methods. It's not really very natural for people to have all these allergies to common food substances. It's a malfunctioning in their energetic system, basically a nervous system that is misreading common signals and interpreting them as threats. There are many factors behind that, and they are often old emotional triggers.

But I just have some general info about it, I'm no expert. I'm suggesting you look into it further, that's all.

I believe that virtually all allergies to common substances are curable, and NOT with drugs either.

This is not to say that artifical additives and pesticides aren't causing problems and allergic reactions in people. They most certainly are.

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Joybell
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 09:07 PM

It's a real timewaster trying to keep up with all the tricks of the food industry. Sweetners containing aspartame, and it's in more products than just artificial sweeners, can trigger asthma. It's not known how many people are affected because the manufactures call the effect "panic attacks" rather than "bronchospasm" or "asthma". Why anyone would have a "panic attack" from eating yoghurt is not explained by the literature. Carol good luck and comiserations. Joy

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: CarolC
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 09:16 PM

I LOVE corn. It's one of my most favorite foods! So don't be teasin' me there Tweed. I sorely miss corn. And cheese. I really miss cheese.

Thanks everybody, for all of your helpful and informative advice. I used to cook from scratch pretty much all the time. I have more difficulty doing that these days for three reasons: I live in a tiny little travel trailer, and my tiny little galley kitchen isn't very conducive to scratch cooking. Two: condensation is a big problem in travel trailers, especially for things that take more than a few minutes to cook. Three: I feel too sick some of the time and lack the energy to do scratch cooking.

Having said that, I have the problem mostly under control here at home. I still have a stash of Canadian ketchup and I found some I can get from Whole Foods stores (organic Heinz) without corn syrup. Like Rita, Prego spaghetti sauce is my favorite, but I've been getting corn-free sauces from Whole Foods, and I've discovered that the French vanilla variety of Silk coffee creamer is corn-free.

But it's in restaurants that I encounter the worst problems. And just when I think I've figured out how to get around a problem, they throw a new twist at me. For instance, I've figured out that I need to ask for just oil and vinegar for my salads at restaurants. I did that recently, and they brought me a packet of prepared dressing that said "oil and vinegar" on it (complete with corn syrup). And I was going to put it on my baked potato, too, because I can't use butter. But they didn't have any just plain oil and vinegar, I was very hungry, and all they had for me to eat was salad and a baked potato. So I ate the dressing.

Yesterday I found cornmeal on the bottom of my pizza (at a restaurant), and today I feel terrible.

Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll be checking out the links and other stuff when I can.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: CarolC
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 09:27 PM

Cross posted with LH and Joybell. Hey LH, we have some books, and JtS has expressed some interest in doing those allergy treatments for me. I don't think there's anyone around here who does that sort of thing.

I understand completely, Joybell. The way I figured out what was going on was because I was having free-floating anxiety attacks, which I was able determine were coinciding with eating certain kinds of foods. Now, whenever I have an anxiety attack, I try to find out which of the foods I've eaten that has caused it. That's how I found out about the corn meal on the bottom of bread. I ate some Italian bread at a restaurant, and a few hours later I had a big old anxiety attack. I looked at the bread in the take-home box from the restaurant, and I found cornmeal on the bottom of the bread.

The anxiety attack is just the first symptom I experience. After that, I often experience a flu-like sickness that is accompanied by pain in the left side of my face.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Mudlark
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 09:29 PM

And one other sin to add to corn syrup...it sucks the flavor out of anything it's added to...it's a natural neutralizer, turning every flavor beige.

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 09:45 PM

Bless you CarolC! Simplify. Eat only what you know will work for you. If you have to eat out, just get water, tea, juice or what ever you know will make you happy. Then eat later... Amazing, isn't it... to walk down the isles and find so little wholesome nutrition...

Can you get excercise? ...and I don't mean a casual stroll...

give peas a chance! ;^)
ttr

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: mg
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 10:21 PM

can you try mid-Eastern restaurants where they use a lot of chickpeas, olive oil, lentils etc.? Can you eat fish? mg

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: CarolC
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 08:33 AM

It's true, Mudlark. I discovered that with the US vs Canadian ketchup.

I can't do aerobic exercise these days, TTR. That usually makes my symptoms worse. But I must say that living in a travel trailer forces one to get a lot of non-aerobic exercise. So my muscles are pretty strong anyway.

Mary Garvey, not here in this part of Alabama, but when we were in Michigan we ate at a lot of middle eastern restaurants. Southeastern Michigan has the highest percentage of poeple of midle eastern descent of anywhere in the US (or so I was told). I found that the restaurans that had the most food I could eat while we were in Michigan were the middle eastern ones, and Indian restaurants. I don't eat fish.

I usually make my own salad dressing, so now I'm thinking about taking a little container of my own dressing when I go out to eat. That might solve a lot of problems. And I can put that on things like baked potatoes as well.

BTW, I highly recommend hazelnut oil, white wine vinegar, and freshly ground salt and pepper as a delicious salad dressing.

P.S. I hate peas!

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Tweed
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 01:22 PM

Hey Carole I really was just teasing ya about the corn and sorry it gives you so much grief and illness, but now PEAS! My God how I do love 'em. Pea soup, pea coats, peas on the cob, hot, cold, in the pot nine days old....on and on....

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 12:33 AM

Angela Mia Stewed Tomatoes
(Big-ole can from WalMart's restaurant-sized-stuff shelf)

No corn syrup, just a little old fashioned sugar, 35 cal./half cup, has a bit of green pepper, onion, celery. Tastes wonderful. Most tomatoes whole or halved (Romas), really yummy out of the can and REALLY yummy re-stewed with dark red wine and a few red pepper flakes and braised garlic. Can't wait to use it to make spag sauce, put it on top of Alfredo.... do all kinds of things with these.

I dunno if the rest of the Angela Mia product line is corn free, but they say at the WEBSITE:
"Part of the Hunt's foodservice family, Angela Mia is a full line of authentic Italian frozen-filled pasta products, lasagnas and sauces.

We use the freshest and finest ingredients available to make our products such as 100% extra fancy durum flour, Reggiano Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, roasted Mancini red peppers, and Porcini mushrooms.

Our products include:
Sausage and Ricotta Cheese Lasagna
Ravioli
Tortellini
Stuffed Shells
Manicotti
Eggplant Cutlets and much more!

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 01:24 AM

Your alergy is probably less corn...and more likely sugar which is a powerful arthritic trigger. Try the old book Sugan Blues

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: CarolC
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 09:24 AM

I almost wish that were the case, gargoyle. It would probably be easier to avoid sugar than corn. But I never get anxiety attacks after eating sugar, and I always get them after eating corn or corn products. They're the kind of anxiety attacts that make you feel like you're going to die.

Thanks for refreshing this WYSIWYG. I've been meaning to post to it myself, and I kept forgetting.

I discovered quite by accident that I can eat Pizza Hut pizza. They use no corn sweetener or oil in any of their sauces (with the exception of one of the pizzas that I wouldn't want to eat anyway because it has meat). They use no corn in their cooking oil, and they don't put any corn meal on the bottom of their pizzas. I had one of their veggie pizzas with no cheese and it was delicious.

Way to go Pizza Hut!!!

Subject: RE: BS: They're poisoning me with corn
From: Grab
Date: 15 Jan 04 - 11:37 AM

I remember a NewScientist article not long back, where researchers were linking high-fructose corn syrup to various problems.   Seems that although it tastes sweet, the body can't digest it properly. Can't remember the details now - I'll post if I find them. I'm sure any websites for groups opposing HFCS would have all the details on this, though.

Graham.