Not one of the top 8, but corn is a major allergen. I was surprised by who many readers had commented on the other allergen posts that they had a corn allergy. So of course, I wanted to help out and do some corn-free research! I can only begin by telling you that corn is everywhere and in tons of things. To make matters worse, most of the corn in the American diet is GMO…big time. But before we get in to that, let’s talk about the symptoms of a corn allergy.
Like any food allergy, symptoms and tolerance range in severity. You can get itching, hives, swelling of the mouth, tongue, face, etc., difficulty breathing, congestion or runny nose, dizziness, digestive upsets, nausea, or full on anaphylaxis which requires an Epi-Pen and trip to the ER. A corn allergy is one of the more difficult to get a definitive “blood test” diagnosis because it’s has similar characteristics of other allergens such as pollen, grasses, seeds, and grains. To combat the allergen you must stay away from all corn and corn products. Corn is in many processed foods and sweeteners which can make things tricky and difficult. Cross contamination is also a huge concern. Since you can’t substitute “corn” itself, you just have to avoid it and possible contamination through reading labels, asking questions, and monitoring preparation (don’t let someone dust a pan with corn meal or try that potato in corn oil!)
