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Fresh corn on wooden cutting board

Corn Allergies and Sensitivities

Home » Blog » Elimination Diets » Corn Allergies and Sensitivities
April 28, 2023 by Jenny Askew

Updated 4/2023

Table of Contents

  • Corn Sensitivity Food Guide
  • Why is corn so hard to avoid?
    • Ingredients and food items that may be derived from corn
  • Corn Sensitivity Symptoms
    • Tips for following a corn-free diet
      • Work with a professional
      • Clean up your diet
      • Check medications and supplements
        • Corn free supplements
      • Skincare and beauty products

Corn Sensitivity Food Guide

⚠️Spoiler alert for today’s post: If you have a corn allergy or sensitivity and need to avoid corn, you have to read the ingredients list on everything you eat. Corn is everywhere!

You can find corn in almost anything, including:

  • Foods you wouldn’t expect
  • Medications
  • Supplements
  • Even your beauty products

Why is corn so hard to avoid?

The hardest thing about finding corn on an ingredients list is that it is not always listed simply as ‘corn’ – corn can be listed under many different names.

We’ve worked with many clients who think they’re avoiding corn but still have allergy or sensitivity symptoms.

  • As registered dietitians and food sensitivity experts, we naturally begin with education and reviewing food journals, medications, and supplements, and it usually turns out that the things our “corn-free” clients are consuming do, in fact, contain corn.
    • Yes…even our most diligent, well-educated clients with the best intentions still have difficulty avoiding corn without proper guidance and a little hand-holding.
    • The good news is that these patients feel much better upon removing the problematic foods, supplements, etc.
  • Here’s what’s really important to understand: because corn is found in so many products under a wide variety of names, it is very easy to ingest corn without knowing.

Ingredients and food items that may be derived from corn

The list provided below contains ingredients and food items that may be derived from corn, but the ingredients may also be derived from other sources.

  • If you need to avoid corn, and these ingredients are listed in what you are eating, it’s a good idea to call the food or drug manufacturer to ask if the ingredient in question is derived from corn.  This list isn’t all-inclusive, but it’s very comprehensive – making it a good place to start.
  • If you’ve scanned the ridiculously long list below, you may be wondering WHY corn is EVERYWHERE. The truth is that corn is a super cheap material (largely because it is a genetically modified crop – more on that later), and it’s very versatile so it has a variety of uses.

Acetic acid

Artificial flavorings

Ascorbates

Baking powder

Blended sugar (sugar dextrose)

Calcium fumarate

Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA)

Carbonmethylcellulose sodium

Cellulose, powdered

Citric acid

Confectioners sugar

Corn flour

Corn sweetener, corn sugar

Cornstarch, cornflour

Crystalline fructose

Decyl polyglucose

Dextrose anything (such as monohydrate or anhydrous)

Drying agent

Ethanol

Ethylene

Ethyl lactate

Flavorings

Fruit juice concentrate

Gluconate

Gluconolactone

Glucose syrup (also found in IV solutions)

Gluten feed/meal

Glycerol

High fructose corn syrup

Hydrolyzed corn

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose

Iodized salt

Lauryl glucoside

Lysine

Malic acid

Malt, malt extract

Maltol

Methyl gluceth

Methylcellulose

Modified cellulose gum

Molasses (corn syrup may be present)

Natural flavorings

Polydextrose

Polysorbates (e.g. Polysorbate 80)

Potassium gluconate

Propionic acid

Saccharin

Simethicone

Sodium erythorbate

Sodium starch glycolate

Sorbic acid

Sorbitan tri-oleate

Starch (any kind not specified)

Sucrose

Tocopherol (vitamin E)

Unmodified starch

Vanillin

Vinyl acetate

Xanthan gum

Xylitol

Zein

Alcohol

Artificial sweeteners

Ascorbic acid

Barley malt

Brown sugar

Calcium gluconate

Calcium stearate

Caramel and caramel color

Cetearyl glucoside

Citrus cloud emulsion (CCS)

Corn alcohol, corn gluten

Corn oil, corn oil margarine

Corn syrup, corn syrup solids

Crosscarmellose sodium

Cyclodextrin

Dextrin

d-Gluconic acid

Erythorbic acid

Ethocel 20

Ethyl acetate

Ethyl maltol

Food starch

Fumaric acid

Gluconic acid

Glucosamine

Glutamate

Glycerides

Golden syrup

Hominy

Hydrolyzed corn protein

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP)

Lactate

Lecithin

Magnesium fumarate

Malonic acid

Maltitol

Maltose

Methyl glucose

Microcrystalline cellulose

Modified corn starch

Mono and di glycerides

Olestra/Olean

Polylactic acid (PLA)

Potassium citrate

Powdered sugar

Propylene glycol

Salt (iodized salt)

Sodium carboxymethylcellulose

Sodium fumarate

Sodium stearoyl fumarate

Sorbitan

Sorbitol

Stearic acid

Sugar (not identified as
cane or beet)

Treacle (aka golden syrup)

Vanilla, natural flavoring

Vegetable anything unspecified

Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Yeast


Alpha-tocopherol

Artificial sweeteners

Astaxanthin

Bleached flour

Calcium citrate

Calcium lactate

Calcium stearoyl lactylate

Cellulose microcrystalline

Choline chloride

Coco glycerides cocoglycerides

Corn extract

Corn starch

Corn, popcorn, cornmeal

Crystalline dextrose

Decyl glucoside

Dextrose (found in IV solutions)

Distilled white vinegar

Erythritol

Ethylcellulose

Ethyl alcohol

Fibersol-2

Fructose

Germ/germ meal

Glucono delta-lactone

Glucose

Gluten

Glycerin

Grits

Honey

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein

Inositol

Invert syrup or Invert sugar

Lactic acid

Linoleic acid

Maize

Malt syrup from corn (barley malt ok)

Maltodextrin

Mannitol

Methyl glucoside

Methylcellulose

Modified food starch

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Polenta

Polyvinyl acetate

Potassium fumarate

Pregelatinized starch

Propylene glycol monostearate

Semolina (unless from wheat)

Sodium citrate

Sodium lactate

Sorbate

Sorbitan monooleate

Sorghum (syrup /grain can be mixed with corn)

Stearoyls

Threonine

Triethyl citrate

Vanilla, pure or extract

Vinegar, distilled white

Vitamins and supplements

Zea mays

Corn Sensitivity Symptoms

While corn can cause the symptoms below, it’s important to understand that these symptoms aren’t specific to just corn. These are symptoms of adverse food reactions that can occur from any food someone is sensitive to.

  • With any food reaction, people respond in different ways. For example, corn could give one person hives, and another person might get a severe migraine from corn.
  • As you’re looking at the symptoms below, be open to the fact that corn could be the culprit behind your symptoms, but so could any food, really.
  • We love using LEAP MRT to help clients address food and chemical sensitivities. Without an accurate test to guide you, elimination diets are based on educated guessing. Our LEAP MRT Program takes the guesswork out of food sensitivities.

Symptoms of adverse food reactions can include any of the following:

  • Fatigue 
  • Insomnia 
  • Anxiety 
  • Mood swings 
  • Food cravings 
  • Brain fog 
  • Headaches 
  • Migraines 
  • Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) 
  • Sensitivity to sound
  • Rashes or hives 
  • Eczema or psoriasis 
  • Flushing 
  • Itchy skin 
  • Sinus issues 
  • Canker sores 
  • Lung congestion 
  • Red, swollen, watery, or itchy eyes 
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Urinary tract issues 
  • Joint pain or stiffness 
  • Muscle pain, spasms, or cramps
  • Irregular heartbeat 
  • High blood pressure 
  • Heartburn or reflux 
  • Stomach or intestinal pains or cramps 
  • Constipation 
  • Diarrhea 
  • Bloating 
  • Gas or burping 
  • Nausea 
  • Vomiting 
  • Painful elimination 
  • Fluctuating weight
  • Water retention 

Tips for following a corn-free diet

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, there are several ways to make following a corn-free diet easier.

Work with a professional

Meet with one of our registered dietitians (we specialize in food allergies and sensitivities) for additional guidance and support.

  • One service our clients with food sensitivities find really helpful is our personalized grocery store tours. Why spend two or three hours perusing grocery store shelves if there is an expert who can guide you along on a tour?
  • Also, check out our Clean Living Amazon Store for some of our favorite Amazon food products. They are all very clean with short ingredient lists, so there is less of a chance of “hidden” corn ingredients 😀. 
  • It may also be worth ruling out other food sensitivities using our LEAP MRT Food Sensitivity Testing Program. 

Clean up your diet

Many ingredients derived from corn are found in processed food; removing processed food from your diet will reduce the amount of “hidden” corn you may be consuming.

  • Getting rid of processed foods also means less label reading – because whole foods (or foods that come from the earth and are minimally processed) will not contain added ingredients. When trying to consume more whole foods, think of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and high-quality meat and poultry.
  • If you’re sensitive to or allergic to corn, it may help to alleviate symptoms if you consume meat from grass-fed cows. Many cows are fed corn, and it’s possible for someone highly sensitive to corn to react to beef from a corn-fed cow.

Check medications and supplements

  • NEVER stop taking a prescription medication without your doctor’s permission. If you realize you’re taking a medication that contains corn, you may be able to have it compounded at your local compounding pharmacy. When a medication is compounded, the offending ingredient (in this case, corn) is removed.
    • This can be expensive, so be sure to check with the pharmacy on the pricing of the compounded medication to make sure it fits your budget. Your doctor may also be able to prescribe a similar medication that is manufactured corn free.
  • Vitamin C is almost ALWAYS derived from corn! So if you have a corn allergy and take a multivitamin or a vitamin C supplement, you could be ingesting corn. 
Corn free supplements
  • Vitamin C – Acerola/Flavonoid by Pure Encapsulations
  • Multivitamin – Basic Preventative 5 by Douglas Labs
  • Omega-3 fatty acids – OmegaThera by Klaire Labs

Skincare and beauty products

  • Based on our experience working with clients, if corn is in your beauty products and you do NOT have skin issues you’re trying to clear (acne, rosacea etc), it’s probably okay to continue using those products.
  • If you have skin problems and corn is in your beauty products, it’s probably worth switching to corn-free beauty products to see if that makes a difference.

 

Category: Elimination Diets

About Jenny Askew

Jenny is the owner of The Nutrition Clinic for Digestive Health and a registered and licensed dietitian. She has worked in the health and wellness industry since 2006. She’s passionate about food, fitness, and helping her patients get to the root causes of their health issues. This passion has led her to pursue further training in the area of Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy.  When she is not working, you can find her in her garden, doing yoga, running, or spending time with her family, friends, and beloved Dalmatian.

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