Got a corn-allergic kid? How about educating him or her with an online game show?

The University of Illinois Extension has a game called the “Great Corn Adventure“ hosted by Zea Mays. It is part of a collection of educational games for kids.

Lovely Ms. Mays takes the viewer on a tour of the corn world, starting with the Native Americans in the valley of Tehuacan in Pueblo Mexico in 5000 b.c. (more…)

What do you do when you have a corn allergy and you want something sweet to eat? After keeping careful watch and reading labels for a year, I have come to the conclusion that our only best bet is to make our own ‘on the go’ snacks from scratch. And drinks? Just forget about them. As a matter of fact, I challenge anyone in America to read the ingredient listings on every snack product in their favorite vending machine. It would not surprise me if every item had some association with corn, however odd or far removed as it may seem. Heck, even the water bottles are more than likely made from a corn byproduct! I digress. I really want to focus my attention on America’s romance with sugar, corn sugar to be specific, its prevalence in our lives, and a little history about how we became so addicted to the sweet stuff that grows in abundance over our midlands, and now even clutters the landscape surrounding the rocky mountain region. (more…)

Dr. Rodney Ford, a pediatric gastroenterologist from Christ Church New Zealand, has launched two public service videos that explain very simply how Gluten can affect the brain and the gut. Dr. Ford is the author of several books about what he has termed, “the gluten syndrome”. Dr. Ford urges people who suffer from reoccurring bouts of illness yet test negative for celiac disease to go ahead and try the gluten free diet anyway. The first video is geared toward children and adults alike and makes a very understandable and simple explanation of how gut and brain symptoms are connected in the person who suffers from gluten intolerance, or the gluten syndrome. (more…)

Gluten is the term we use to describe the mixture of proteins, including gliadins, that are found in wheat grains, barley, and rye. Gluten, quite simply, means ‘glue’. And the term is appropriate because it is that glue-like quality found in these grains that make them ideal ingredients in our baked and prepackaged goods. The sticky quality of gluten has given it value in non-edible markets such as the production of paper and fabric glue. It is also used as cattle feed and as an initial ingredient in the manufacturing process of monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Most of us have a remote understanding of celiac’s disease, the seemingly rare autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that causes damage to the intestinal villi, thus triggering a whole host of health problems, nutritional deficiencies, and possible colon cancer if left untreated. (more…)

Halloween is slowly approaching, inevitably marking the beginning of the sweet treat season that doesn’t quite end until Valentine’s day. This poses quite the challenge for the allergy sensitive family wanting to indulge a little without suffering major setbacks. Over the next few months I will be devoting some time to holiday baking without wheat or corn. I am working on altering a few favorite family recipes and researching Feingold friendly colors, corn-free extracts, and wheat-free doughs. In the meantime, here is a rundown of our top 5 favorite gluten and corn-free baking mixes. (more…)

Wheat and Corn allergy sufferers need to be careful with the rice they buy. Most commercial brands are fortified with vitamins and minerals, also labeled “enriched”, and this is problematic for wheat allergy sufferers, but it is a double whammy for those that need to avoid corn too. For corn sufferers, ascorbic acid, derived from corn byproducts such as dextrose, is used in the vitamin compounds sprayed on the kernels to enrich the final end product. To bind the vitamin compounds corn or wheat starches are generally but not always used. (more…)

If you are practicing a gluten and maize-free diet (GF-MF) and are still struggling with allergy symptoms it may be due to your condiments. It is a little known fact that condiments often contain hidden corn or gluten components that only the experienced allergy sufferer may be aware exist. Condiments are usually made with vinegar. White vinegar can be made from any fruit, or any material containing sugar, including and especially corn. So if you tend to use a lot of ketchup you may want evaluate whether or not the kind you use is safe from allergens. Ketchup is a favorite condiment for just about any meal, so let’s look at some familiar and harder to find brands…. (more…)

Snack foods

Nana’s Cookies offers a wide variety of products to choose from. They claim all of their gluten-free products are also corn-free. Their no-wheat cookies are corn-free as well but contain gluten from barley and oats. Nana’s has confirmed via email message that their aluminum-free baking powder ingredients are not made with cornstarch.

Enjoy Life products are made in a dedicated nut- and gluten-free bakery. They are specially formulated and tested (based on product) to ensure that they are free of corn protein. Some of their products do contain xanthan gum, which may cause reactions in some corn-allergic people. Please read the labels before you buy.

LÄRABAR® is a blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices. Made from 100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than 2-6 ingredients. They’re made from non-GMO ingredients, are kosher, vegan, gluten, & corn free. Larabar is currently offering a free gift box to the 1st 100 bloggers that post a comment about their product and link a picture to their site.

Mrs. May’s nut products are vegan, non-GMO, cholesterol free, Dairy-free, Wheat-free, Gluten-free, Corn-Free, and contain no artificial colors or flavors. Some of their products are sweetened with evaporated cane-juice; others are naturally sweetened by their added fruit.

ATTENTION:

Enjoy Life has notified me that their Trail Mix and Chocolate Chips are both made without xantham gum and are completely free of wheat and corn derivatives.

I was just informed by Jonathan at Mrs. May’s that any visitor from our site can receive a 10% discount on their products by using the following coupon code: Nutty10. Please take advantage of the savings!

Book mark this page and check back often for updates and changes to products featured here. I will be updating on a regular basis.

*If you have a product you would like to suggest, please contact me at: caryn at healthy-family.org

*Please note that this list of prepared foods are things that we regularly eat and do not react to. Our list of safe foods will be different from someone else’s due to the varying levels of sensitivity and reactions we all experience.

Check out our list of favorite commercial baking mixes too at: Our Top 5 Favorite Gluten and Corn-free Baking Mixes

If you have found this page through a search engine then you have probably already learned that you are allergic to both wheat and maize. You have undoubtedly been suffering with some type of extreme allergic reaction, chronic illness, or auto-immune disorder for months, if not years. It is quite a shock when you discover that you or a loved one has an intolerance to both wheat gluten and maize, as these two ingredients are a staple in the modern American diet.

As a multiple allergy sufferer this poses quite a challenge for you when it comes to ingredient purchases and meal preparation.

I have devoted a special section of this website for people allergic to both wheat and corn, hoping to spawn a community of readers that will interact together with tips and recipes to share. (more…)