cornless - corn allergy info

Shampoo bars and fundraising!

2011-10-22T01:25:00.003-04:00

My shampoo bars are cooling/curing now. I did the hot process method in the crock pot and didn't receive even one chemical burn from the lye. and here I was so scared.

The soap looks great! I'm likely going to let it sit for 2-3 days before I give it a try.

After my post the other day I got to thinking about shaving my head again, and decided to do it. St. Baldrick's gets the fundraising and Locks of Love can sell off my short-ish hair (they require 10 inches for a hairpiece) to help supplement their other funding endeavors. I get to do two great things, I get to be bald, I get to escape the trap of shampoo/conditioner ... W.I.N!

However, I will update on the success of the shampoo bar before I have no hair!

By the way, if you are interested in contributing to cancer research via a St. Baldrick's event, please click on the link below:
www.stbaldricks.org/participants/baldheather2011

Making Shampoo Bars TOMORROW!

2011-10-19T19:09:00.000-04:00

It's my first time, the Virgin Voyage, an adventure ... with LYE!

MWAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm tired of hives on my scalp. I'm tired of eyeballing the clippers every few days wishing that female baldness didn't hold such a stigma. I'm tired of mixing up Baking Soda and Vinegar Rinses. I'm tired of my hair looking and feeling awful.

There is hope.

I'll keep you posted.

Dog treats !? - UPDATE

2011-09-21T07:55:00.002-04:00

We have a new puppy and she's a gem, except she poops on the floor - which is not my favorite thing. I decided to take treats outside and give her a treat every time she did her business where she's supposed to - that dog loves food more than any creature I've ever met, so it's going well. Except for the fact that the dog treats are FILLED with corn. I have hives all over my eyelids and jaw from getting that mess on my hands and not washing off right away (I'm outside, remember).

So, I'm going to make my own dog treats! F.U.N.

Here's the recipe adapted from this site:

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c water,

1/2 c. sunflower oil

2 eggs

3 tbsp peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 and lightly grease your baking sheets.

Using a 1/2 teaspoon, scoop out a small amount of the dough into your hand. Press it down to flatten. Place the flattened dough on the greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes then turn off the oven. Let the cooked treats hang out in the oven for at least 20 minutes, so that they will harden.

Makes about 75 small biscuits (36 large)

I'll let you know how they turn out - a little effort, but she's worth it!

-----UPDATE -----

I made them, forgot the eggs and used bacon grease instead of sunflower oil. Moe and Diekon LOVE them. The kids and I like them pretty well too. My husband found the idea of ingesting a bacon/peanut butter treat repulsive so refused to try them. Chicken!

True to it's word, the recipe made about 75 biscuits. It took us three cookie sheets to get them all ready - but now I have a gallon sized ziploc bag about half full of dog treats. I don't know what the total cost was, but in eyeballing the ingredients, it sure wasn't much.

Dutch Pumpernickel Bread - YEAST FREE!

2011-09-18T17:17:00.001-04:00

My daughter has a yeast allergy - so I have to learn to modify recipes for both our allergies now. Can make bread a little tricky! This one was a win. Served with cream cheese (Organic Valley) and baked salmon.

Modified from the Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook, which is (by the way) worth every penny:

Total prep time: approx. 10 mins

1 cup King Arthur All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, crushed
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup Horizon whole milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses (I used Brer Rabbit, and didn't notice a reaction, will update if one arrives later)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion chopped

mix all together and bake at 350 for 50/60 minutes.

The cookbook recommends lining the loaf pan with wax paper. It worked well, but use caution when removing, it will rip the crust off! I used a butter knife to hold the crust down while I slowly pulled the wax paper off.

Cool on a rack before trying to slice or it will fall to bits. It may be that cooling before removing the wax paper would have been a good idea. I'm a little slow sometimes so didn't think to wait.

Everyone loved it, the flavor is mildly sweet. I'm not convinced it would work as a sandwich bread as it's not incredibly 'sturdy' but would go very well with my mom's potato soup!

I will try to update with a picture when we make it again. Unfortunately, yesterday's loaf is already gone.

Environmentally Friendly - Corn Allergic UNFriendly

2011-09-17T18:30:00.000-04:00

I have a great job, a fantastic boss, security, decent pay, wonderful co-workers and a brand new building to work in! YAY! Right?

The building is the newest of the new and so environmentally friendly you could probably eat the carpet. It's true and it's made mostly of corn. Fifteen minutes into my first day and my blood pressure started to drop. I bolted for the door and haven't been back since.

My employer and I have worked up a telecommuting agreement and I now work from home. It's going REALLY well and I feel better now than I have in years. My random mysterious hives are gone. My energy levels are higher. My concentration is improved. It's unbelievable.

Corn really can be an environmental allergy. My allergist did me a huge favor at my last appointment (see previous post) by writing up a letter to my employer about the potential dangers of the workplace. I'm so grateful for her.

On a side note, I've just discovered that my daughter has a yeast allergy. A new adventure begins!

Love my allergist!

2011-06-02T09:30:00.002-04:00

I have an allergist. And I love her.

Consult yesterday lasted for 1.5 hours. She took down my full history. Nodded when I told her I reacted to peaches ('of course you do') and agreed that citric acid was a real issue for corn allergy sufferers. When I told her I was moving into a new office building at work she exclaimed 'oh my goodness, you could be allergic to anything in that building, the paint, the carpet, the air freshener!' when talking about antihistamines she said 'it's going to be awfully hard for us to find you an over the counter that doesn't have corn.' when talking about the grocery store she said 'i bet the detergent aisle gives you hives.' she knows, she understands .. HOORAY!

Bad news, she was very clear that there is no 'approved' treatment for food allergies (as we all know/suspect). Here's the emergency reaction plan she outlined for me.

On first sign of a reaction I am to:

1. Leave the area (if the area is large and will take me more than one minute to leave I am to put on a surgical mask to mitigate the allergen).

2. Take 10mg of Loratadine and 20mg of Pepcid (both I have with me at all times) in an attempt to slow down the reaction and prevent anaphylaxis.

3. Use my Epi-pen (which I always have with me) if the reaction is progressing at a dangerous speed or if after 20/30 minutes the Loratadine and Pepcid haven’t started to mitigate the reaction.

4. If I use my Epi-pen I am to go to the emergency room for additional anti-histamine treatment, steroid treatment and observation of at least 4 hours.

She's also providing me with documentation of my diagnosis the an explanation of the chemical sensitivities that I may experience to cleaning products and other environmental nonsense. I can't tell you how great it feels to sit with someone who really grasps the lengths I go through to simply feel good. The appointment made up for all the times I just knew people were thinking I was crazy or dramatic or just lying when I explained to them how hard it is. It is hard and it is valid and it's something I live with 24 hours a day. While she gave me no hope of a 'cure' or treatment, she did give me support - which means almost as much.

I love my allergist!

corn in pharmaceuticals

2010-11-01T22:57:00.000-04:00

first - thank god for spell check. I can't spell pharmaceuticals correctly no matter what. I try and try.

anyhoo, a member of the Delphi forums posted a question about medications utilizing corn and I became intrigued. like a dog with a bone I made google my bitch and found this bit of fun:
http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/srchcont_rxlist.asp?src=corn&cat=rx-desc

now, that there is a list of all the drugs that have just the word corn somewhere in their descriptive information. sometimes it's a reference to corn syrup and sometimes it's a reference to an ingredient being derived from corn. but it's 230 different drugs. sweet moses! i'm actually tempted to type all 230 of those out into a spreadsheet and then do a search for all of the other hundreds of corn names (dextros, maltodextrin, glycerine,etc.) to see how big I can get this list.

that endeavor would be incredibly satisfying (as I love spreadsheets), but I would likely end up in a ball on the floor crying for the poor families who have to figure out how to medically treat their children who are allergic to 90% of the medications available and are dealing with a hospital and pediatric staff who know bupkis about allergies.

*shakes fist at sky*

skin reactions to something

2010-10-31T12:08:00.000-04:00

Well, the original intention of this blog was to give ME some reference materials to track down reactions and keep track of safe items so I didn't have to rely on my very unreliable memory. So here's the newest issue ... the face rash *sigh* not much swelling, just a fine rash all over my face and up under my jaw and of course on my scalp.

Ingested items for the last 24 hours:
king arthur flours
kroger salted butter
spring tree maple syrup
oscar meyer bacon
fuji organic apples
figs
sweet potatoes
celery

Topical items on the face in the last 24 hours:
Jason Vitamin E oil
Marukan Rice Vinegar
Savonnierie lotion

Hm, now that I've typed it all out I'm second guessing my butter, maple syrup and bacon. I've used all of those before without reaction (or a noticeable reaction I should say). The lotion has given me pause in the past. It should be corn free and the company has been reliable and reputable for the corn free community for quite some time so I would be very surprised if there is corn in the lotion - but maybe there's something else in there I'm reacting to.

To further complicate things, I had a reaction to some mushrooms on Friday ... a delayed skin response isn't out of the question, but this is a more severe response than I am accustomed to. This reminds me of the 'good old days' before I had a diagnosis.

More notes as I fine tune the search and see how the rash heals. Will have to keep things super clean for the next few days.

Pillows and Deodorant

2010-10-29T16:28:00.000-04:00

So, I mentioned the pillow thing to my mom and she ordered me a buckwheat pillow. She also said she would give me the very feather pillow that was under my head at night while I stayed at her house. Isn't she great!?

The pillows of hers that I brought to my bed aren't feather after all. They feel like feather, squishy and all - but are actually some kind of foam. The hives are back albeit better than before. I am excited to see how things go with the new pillows!

After my armpits peeling completely as a result of some Jason brand deodorant I decided to try some crystal deodorant. Mind you, I was skeptical. I live in a VERY hippie town, which generally makes shopping for whole natural foods easier but also means that most of the people in my town smell REALLY bad. Apparently, they aren't using the crystal deodorant that I am. This stuff not only works but my armpits feel great. I was super tired last night and decided to go to bed without a shower. The deodorant is STILL going strong, 36 some odd hours later. Here's what I'm using: http://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Fresh-Deodorant-Crystal-Packages/dp/B001G8Y9LQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1288384053&sr=8-3

Not too expensive and worth every penny.

Traveling Perils

2010-10-25T20:59:00.000-04:00

I was so happy to get to travel to my mothers for an impromptu vacation! Off I go, 5 hours north, rental car that drives like a dream ... and was apparently cleaned with gallons of corny cleaning fluids. I had hives on my face 1 hour into the trip. After the hives appeared I began to pay attention to the hundreds of miles of corn fields I was driving through and started to get a little nervous about this trip.

Got a hotel as there was lots of family at mom's... found I was allergic to EVERYTHING in the hotel, from the sheets to the pillows to the towels to the carpet *sigh*. Back to stay at mom's.

Eating wasn't too bad as I was the designated chef given my allergy.

I had hives for a week and was VERY happy to get home even though I missed all the family I had to say goodbye to.

The silver lining on this red blotchy cloud is that my mother has feather pillows instead of foam. The hives on my scalp (which I have had off and on for at least a decade) cleared completely. I think it was my pillows all along. So when I got home I pulled my mom's feather pillows out of our guest room and have been luxuriating in my non-itchy scalp ever since...

will have to go buy mom some more pillows - or make an investment in buckwheat.

Get rid of what you are not...

2010-09-26T21:45:00.000-04:00

I was very happy not searching for things, and I find myself beginning to think and search about what I am not and all the trappings I hold on to that are not for me.

"Get rid of what you are not."
"Do nothing for your smaller self."

Not Smoking, Yoga & Savonnerie

2010-09-24T16:10:00.000-04:00

I quit smoking - 2.5 weeks ago. I know it seems silly that someone who is allergic to corn would still smoke. I worked very hard to find a cigarette that I didn't react to very much (American Spirit Lights). I also discovered that if I smoked regularly it significantly deadened my reactions.

Of course, now that I don't smoke, I am even more sensitive to corn. It's a curse. Feel better by getting rid of corn, but by god if you are around corn at all you will feel 100xs worse than you did before. Suk!

Yoga doesn't have anything to do with corn ... but it makes me feel wonderful.

I also splurged on shampoo, conditioner, lotion and deodorant from Savonnerie. I'm tired of fighting with my hair and skin ... I'm tired of hives on my scalp ... and believe it or not, I'm tired of mixing up concoctions to rub on my head in hopes of some skin relief.

I've gone all commercial! I'll update with my thoughts on the product.

Hive Treatments

2010-03-09T11:21:00.003-05:00

I shaved my head two weeks early due to a horrible hive reaction from popcorn (I love the movies). As I was wincing at the red scabby spots on my newly shorn scalp, I got to thinking about the best way to treat hives.

I dislike hydrocortizone cream and all steroids. I'll use them if I must - but they make me nervous and I'm a bit of a hippie when it comes to skin care.

So when I get hives here are my options.

1. Wash area well (and gently) with corn free soap (I do well with Ivory and Dr. Bronner's) and washcloth.
2. Pat area with towel but don't rub all of the moisture out.
3. Mix the following in the palm of your hand: 5 drops jojoba oil, 2 drops grapefruit oil, 5 drops vitamin E oil.
4. Rub palms together until the oils mix and melt together.
5. Rub mixture on hives.

If your head is shaved, you can rub it right on your scalp. It's heavenly.

As a bonus, rumor mill has it that jojoba is antibacterial (yay, no more skin infections from scratching) and grapefruit oil will help to tighten pores. I've been using this mixture on my face and scalp regularly. It immediately relieves any itching and my skin looks fantastic.

Happy oiling.

By the way, I am THE SEX with a shaved head.

Shaving the head for Charity!

2010-02-15T11:18:00.002-05:00

And not because I'm having a Britney breakdown. It's for charity.

I'm participating in a St. Baldrick's event. St. Baldrick's raises funds for children's cancer research and provides grants to researches at hospitals and universities across the U.S.

My goal is to raise $1000 by March 12, 2010 (the day the clippers go to work).

You can visit my page here: www.stbaldricks.org/participants/baldheather

Yay, I'm so excited ... it's a great cause and I've always wanted to shave my head! Any and all donations are encouraged, every dollar makes a difference.

Exercise

2010-01-29T14:55:00.001-05:00

I'm getting lazy. The weight has stayed the same since I dropped it all (all 80-ish lbs) back in 2006/07 ... but I'm getting soft and de-conditioned. I bought a bike, a recumbent bike ... one that will let me watch bad movies whilst I condition. One that will allow me to pedal away my non-smoker angst. A new friend and companion. I call it Schwinn:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MXMK94/ref=oss_product

It's a tad pricey, but the reviews are good and apparently if you stare at your Amazon shopping cart for a long time before making a decision their computers get scared. After a good 10 minutes of debating on whether or not to hit confirm ... a message popped up and offered me free two day shipping on the bicycle IF I hit that confirm button within the next 2 minutes. Well, that was all the push I needed (if you read the reviews, the shipping is the biggest concern ... boxes get busted while out on the road, I figure a faster shipping time might increase the odds of a nice tidy shipment).

I was suckered by Amazon's marketing into finally making a good purchase for myself. I love tax returns.

Used my Epi-Pen

2010-01-20T15:09:00.001-05:00

I used my pen on Monday. It was a foolish gamble on my part, Ezekiel hamburger buns. Frankly, I knew better, but since it said 'fresh yeast' I got excited. Anyhoo, about 40 minutes after eating I was slurring my words, my tongue and throat were swollen, and I was stumbling and having trouble keeping my balance. In the past, this is where I would have said, 'I'll probably be okay' - but after reading more in the last few weeks and talking to my allergist I was better informed about how dangerous this can really be and how quickly it can turn.

My husband was with me and he administered the shot into my thigh. It didn't hurt at all (I actually assumed it had malfunctioned and didn't have a needle). Within about 3 minutes of the injection I was shaking all over, but the foggy headedness was gone almost instantly. I shook for about 15 minutes and then settled into feeling very wide awake, but not shaking. It took my tongue about 20 minutes to return to its normal size.

We didn't call an ambulance as my allergist had indicated it wasn't always necessary (particularly if you are conscious). About 2 hours after the injection I was exhausted and my head hurt. A two hour nap set me right as rain and aside from a lingering pain in my thigh (felt like muscle pain) for the next day or so, I was fine.

It's not nearly as scary as I thought it would be and I'm really happy I did it. I know now that I could administer the shot myself. I know that it's not a big deal to take the injection and that 'better safe than sorry' is absolutely true. I feel a lot safer now having used the pen, there's something about experiencing that makes me feel secure in knowing what to expect.

Now I have to put in a call to my allergist to get a new epipen refill.

castille w aloe + rice vinegar

2010-01-17T16:09:00.001-05:00

I discovered that I can use rice vinegar (Marukan brand). Delphi peeps have had good success. Apple Cider Vinegar leaves my roots looking greasy even when they aren't but I need to balance the ph on my scalp or I get dandruffy bits... So, I used the same old standby shampoo (castille and aloe juice) which is still working wonders on my hair. For a rinse I followed up with roughly 2tsp rice vinegar diluted in about a cup of water (measurements were inexact since I didn't have time to prep beforehand and had to eyeball while in the shower).

My hair is soft and really shiny. My roots are a little greasy looking, but I could prolly pull back the amount of vinegar a smidge and be thrilled.

I'm going to keep this up until I have an issue. The results are reminiscent to my early love of white vinegar before the hives drove us apart (I miss you my darling WV)!

Castille/Aloe Vera Juice (Round 3)

2010-01-13T08:32:00.006-05:00

Same recipe as here: http://cornless.blogspot.com/2010/01/castillealoe-juice-shampoo-w-acv-rinse.html

After rinse in the picture.

You should know that I made maybe 1/4 cup of this mix when I first started and I'm still using it. 3 Shampoos later and I've maybe used 1/4 of the 1/4 cup. It's ridiculous.

I used alot this time as I didn't feel I got my hair adequately clean last time. I had lather flying everywhere. I may modify the ratios a bit and pull back on the soap as I clearly don't need quite this much.

Notes: After washing my hair felt a little dry and tangly. I used a small amount of the Dr. Bronner rinse and it came out beautifully. (Note: I didn't dilute like you are supposed to because I'm lazy. I put about a tsp into the middle of my hand, got my hair real wet and combed this through my length with my fingers. It's easier and just as effective for me).

Results:
Day 1 (01.13) - I like this shampoo so much. My hair was gorgeous all day, soft and shiny. Happy me.
Day 2 (01.14) Hair still looks great. I'm going to have to wash it tonight since I have court tomorrow and can't run the risk of it looking even slightly yucky. I'm not going to experiment this time since the last one went so well. More experiments will follow shortly.

Castille soap/Aloe Vera Shampoo (second use)

2010-01-10T22:35:00.007-05:00

Okay, I'm shampooing tonight. Same recipe as here http://cornless.blogspot.com/2010/01/castillealoe-juice-shampoo-w-acv-rinse.html but I'm not going to follow up with the ACV rinse, we'll see how it goes. Shampoo only on the scalp and a concerted effort to keep it off the lengths, that's tricky (unless I grow a few more arms on the way to the bathroom) ... but I'm gonna try. Update soon.

Notes
--keeping it off the ends wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The shampoo is liquidy so I dispense it in a little squeeze bottle. I simply sectioned off my hair and put the shampoo right on my scalp like I was applying hair color (*wistful sigh*). Once I had put a few stripes on my scalp I used my fingers to gently work up the lather. It went pretty well.

--this has absolutely no smell in it's 'virgin' formula. I may add some grapefruit oil to it as I like to smell fruity - but for those sensitive to smells, this is perfect.

Results
day 1 (01.11) Nice. The length isn't tangly at all. My hair is fluffy and a little staticy (but it's -a gagillion degrees outside and my heat runs nonstop), lots of body. Feels a little thick at the roots, but that's likely due to no ACV rinse. I think I'm going to have to toss in an acid rinse periodically or i'll get soap scum. I'm happy. ... oh and so far, no itchiness YAY!
day 2 (01.12) I'm greasy today. It's not awful, but half way through the day I was dreaming of a good wash. My best guess is that I didn't get it washed as well this time since I was trying so hard to keep it only on the scalp. I'm gonna lather like a madwoman tonight and see how it goes tomorrow. I have court on Friday so I figure if I do it tonight I can wash again on Thursday night and have fresh hair for court and still be able to skip a day. it's funny that washing everyday now seems verboten.

Skin Care - Cornless style!

2010-01-10T09:39:00.002-05:00

Moisturizers suck! About a year ago I started using only Jojoba oil on my face, no soap (barring a catastrophe that required a soaping). Here's what I do (this is for you ma').

Required items:
Jojoba Oil (I use NOW brand)
Vitamin E Oil (I use Jason brand)
Aloe Vera Juice
Water
Spray bottle
Washcloth

Daily Maintenance Recipe:
Mix in spray bottle
1 part Jojoba Oil
4 parts water
1 part Aloe Vera Juice

Each morning I spray about 4 squirts of this mixture into my hand and rub on my face, neck and chest area. You can monkey with the ratio based on your own needs. If I notice dryness throughout the day, I simply do the 4 squirt process again. Use as often as you need.

After shower care:
Pat face try and put about 4 drops of pure Jojoba into my hand. Slather on face, neck and chest (I do this full body on occasion, it's heavenly). If my face is REALLY dry I follow up with a few drops of the Vitamin E oil and let it all sit until it's soaked in.

Oil wash (two/three times a week, works well when your kids are in the bath and you have to stay in the bathroom with them):
Washing your face with oil is all kinds of good. It was good enough for the Romans, so why not us? eh? Here's the process.
1. Pull your hair back and get a washcloth very warm with water (not scalding, you aren't trying to cook anything).
2. Hold the warm washcloth on your face until it's room temperature.
3. Warm the washcloth again and repeat. This opens the pores on your face and let's gunk out. 4. Use 4-5 drops of Jojoba oil and slather on face. Rub gently for a bit while you contemplate the value of your skin and the joys of being alive.
5. Warm washcloth a third time and hold it on your face until it's cool.
6. Splash cool-ish water (not cold, you aren't a salad) on your face. This closes the pores and helps seal in the good oil you've just slathered on.
7. Pat face gently with a towel and let dry.

Castille/Aloe Juice Shampoo w/ ACV rinse

2010-01-07T23:13:00.009-05:00

Shampoo
4 parts castille soap (dr. bronners baby unscented)
4 parts 100% aloe vera juice
4 drops jojoba oil
2 parts water

1. mix
2. apply directly to scalp
3. lather
4. rinse

ACV rinse (closes the hair shaft and restores the ph of the length to a more acidic level. leaves hair shiny and reduces 'soap scum' if you have hard water)

1tsp Spectrum Apple Cider Vinegar
16 oz water
5 drops grapefruit essential oil - Now brand

1. pour on ends of hair only

Notes:
-- First of all, this lathered. I mean real, rich, sweet lather. Dr. Bronners doesn't usually do that for me, so I believe the aloe vera juice had something to do with it. It felt like regular commercial shampoo. I didn't work this down my ends as they have been pretty dry recently with the winter air.

-- The ACV rinse often leaves my scalp looking greasy, so I leaned waaay over in the shower and tried to keep the rinse only on my length. I ran my fingers through my hair lightly until it just started to feel slippery and then whipped around to rinse it out while still bending over. Man white vinegar works so much better ... if only it weren't for the hives!

Results:
Straight out of the shower. Towel dries easily, no dripping ends with very little towel work. Combed it out carefully, but it wasn't tangly at all.

* Day 1 (01.08)- Hair is soft and light. No greasies at the scalp. It does feel a little dry, but I'm not going to mess with it yet. It could be shinier, but this is clean ... and I like clean :)
*Day 2 (01.09)- No wash today. Hair doesn't look greasy at the roots yet, still soft (if a little staticky). Doesn't feel so dry. More shine today after decent brushing (boar bristle baby)! I had some mild hives on my forehead and scalp this afternoon that I attribute to a trip to the grocery (damn detergent/candle aisle).
*Day 3 (01.10) - Woke up to greasy-ish hair. Itchiness completely gone. Did a water only wash, still a bit greasy but nothing I can't work with for a day. Prolly going to wash tonight. Will try to wash just the scalp with no ACV rinse and see how it goes. I'm impressed so far.

elusive hair care hunt!

2010-01-07T23:10:00.003-05:00

I posted awhile back about the Dr. Bronner's Shikakai wash for my hair and about going with no shampoo for awhile. Well, I wasn't satisifed with either of those options. See, I'm a bit girly and I want to smell pretty (shikakai wash does not smell pretty). It's shallow, I know. In addition to being a bit girly I'm also really cheap, so buying the Shikai everyday shampoo (at .50 an ounce) or the Savonnerie shampoo (at .80 an ounce) made me cringe to a degree that head shaving became a viable alternative.

My husband is a treasure and bought me a book on how to make your own beauty supplies, but the fool author spent way too much time on picking out mineral makeup and shirked shampoo altogether (she claimed it was easier to just buy *sigh*). So I decided to take on shampoo like I took on cooking for myself. Carefully, methodically and with a zest for happy corn free survival.

We don't need to be deprived, we just need to work harder than others to get what we want.

Thus begins, what will likely prove to be, a series of posts with my shampoo recipes and results.

Things tested and I CANNOT eat!

2009-12-31T19:01:00.003-05:00

Dairy/Cheese:

Kroger Brand Swiss Cheese - cut off the outside in an attempt to remove any cornstarch from the packaging (1/8 inch off each side) - reaction rating (1-10): 4 - upset stomach within 30 minutes, itchiness on face, foggy headed

Organic Valley Half n' Half - some plants can have cross contamination issues (per OV email correspondence in 11/2009), additionally, carton lining is polyethylene which may or may not be the cause of my reaction - reaction rating (1-10): 2 - mild upset stomach within 30 minutes, itchiness on face

Corn Free Sunscreen! (Recipe)

2009-12-20T22:52:00.002-05:00

My husband bought me The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel for Christmas. Because he's such a dear, he decided to give it to me early. The book is not specific to corn allergies, but offers wonderful recipes for home made moisturizers, conditioners, etc. The recipe that raised my interest the most was the one for SunScreen. SunScreen is notoriously difficult to find corn free. I haven't made this recipe yet, but wanted to post it asap for anyone who is in dire need:

3 oz sesame oil
2 oz sweet almond oil
1/2 ounce pure beeswax
4oz distilled water
2 tablespoons zinc oxide

Melt the sesame and sweet almond oils and beeswax in a double boiler over medium heat.
Remove from the heat, add the water, and blend with a stick blender until uniform.
Allow to cool. Add the zinc oxide and other essential oils of your choice, if using. Blend some more.
Transfer mixture into a glass jar. You can store this sunscreen cream for up to six months.

Plastic Reaction #5

2009-12-02T13:36:00.003-05:00

I don't usually heat things up in plastic ... not because I'm smart but because it's just not my style. Today I had leftover rosemary chicken and nuked it for about a minute.

Sick. Nausea, indigestion, headache, foggy head ... general surliness.

So I did some poking. The container proudly displays the plastic number 5 on the bottom. Here's what I discovered: (blogspot links are still broken: http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/04/what-do-the-plastic-recycling-numbers-mean/ ) ... polypropylene. Now, it's not clear that corn is definitely used in the manufacture of this... but a quick google search clarified that corn fibers can be used as a reinforcing agent in polypropylene composites as well as a corn resin that can be applied to act as a moisture and oxygen barrier.

In summary, American gluttony and wastefulness strikes again. I have a sense of doom that corn allergy sufferers are on the short list for evolutionary failure. Moral of the story, don't microwave plastic ... which shouldn't be news to any of us, don't eat/drink ANYTHING warm or hot out of a plastic container, better yet, don't eat/drink ANYTHING out of a plastic container no matter its temperature.

I'm tired of this.

Recipe - Chicken with Rosemary and Apples

2009-11-19T21:23:00.003-05:00

Crock pot recipe ... NOT QUICK but really easy

Again, corn free if you use safe ingredients. I'm not sensitive to grain fed chicken (yet) so proceed with your standard precautions.

2 cups sliced onions
2 apples peeled cored and sliced (you can leave the peels on if you're lazy. I do and it's great)
2 lbs cut up chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup chicken broth (or apple juice)
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp celery seed

place apples and onions in bottom of crockpot
layer chicken on top and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary
wisk broth/juice, yogurt and celery seed together
pour over the top
cook on low 6 - 8 hours

Recipe - Chicken Paprikash/Spaetzel

2009-11-18T21:09:00.006-05:00

I like recipes and need to store them online. An old friend of mine sent out a Facebook plea for recipes so I thought I would start typing them up.

These should all be corn free provided you use corn free ingredients. I will mention brand names where it matters...

Chicken Paprikash (love you uncle Joe)

24 oz. cut up chicken breasts (you can use thighs but dark meat sucks)
12 oz. sour cream (Daisy)
48 oz. Chicken broth or corn free Apple Juice
1 large coarsely chopped onion
3 - 4 tbs Hungarian Paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ginger
2 bay leaves
1 tbs safe oil
1 tbs garlic

Saute chicken and onion in garlic and oil until browned. Add 1/2 of the broth/juice. Add all spices. Simmer over low-ish heat until cooked (start spaetzel now). Once cooked, use rest of broth/juice with 1tbs of flour to thicken.* Continue to simmer over very low heat until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir in sour cream.

Serve over Spaetzel or don't bother.

Spaetzel

1/2 cup Horizon Vit D milk
1 1/2 cup King Arthur flour
1 egg

Mix ingredients above. Dough will be relatively thin, think a little thicker than cake batter. If it's too thick, add a bit more milk. Bring a large pot of water to a high boil. Pull out a metal tsp measuring spoon (make sure it's metal). Dip the spoon in the hot water and scoop up a spoonful of dough. Since the spoon is hot the dough should slide right off into the water. Repeat this process until all of the dough is in the pot. If it appears that your little spaetzels are sticking together, grab a big wooden spoon and give the pot a stir. This will need to boil for a good 20 minutes.

Drain spaetzel from water and VOILA!

*For those of you who are new cooks, there's a trick to thickening with flour. Get yourself a small rubbermaid or other plastic container with an air tight lid. Toss a tbs of flour in the bottom of the container and about 2 tbs of some fluid (water, juice, broth, etc.). Pop the lid on and shake like mad until the flour no longer clumps to the bottom of the bowl. If you pour this concoction SLOWLY into your pan while continually stirring .. you are likely to add thickener without accidentally creating lumps.

A word of warning, my brother seems to think that flour doesn't need to cook. Technically that's true, but then it tastes like a mouthful of flour, which is awful. My rule of thumb is that flour needs to be at a simmering temperature for at least 10 minutes before you can consider it edible.

Cherry Habanero Jam

2009-11-11T11:54:00.003-05:00

Delish, corn free and eeeeezzzzzzz!

1 lb frozen private selections (fancy kroger brand) pitted cherries
1 lemon
2 habanero peppers

1. thaw cherries for 30 - 45 mins on the counter in a bowl
2. cut lemon in half, place half in ziploc baggie and toss in the fridge
3. cut remaining half of lemon up in small-ish chunks
4. toss 1/2 lemon, thawed cherries and habanero (pull off the stem please) into a food processor
5. dump processed pulp into a pan with 1 cup sugar
6. bring to a simmer and simmer until all sugar is melted

voila!

I canned mine, and I'm not sure I did it right, so won't bother putting the canning directions here. Warning ... it's hot!

Sourdough!

2009-11-11T11:51:00.003-05:00

Yes, I made it ... and yes, it's fantastic! I used King Arthur flour (all purpose) and my starter finished in only one day, my sponge proofed for 10 hours and my dough rose in about 1.5 hours... it was delicious!

TIP: I used an old spaghetti jar for my starter and put the lid on it ... bad idea, there's gas buildup that needs to get out. Also, I believe the metal in the lid reacted with the starter and killed the first one I made. Best solution I came up with was using a rubber band and a piece of cloth over the top. This let the gas out of the jar as well as keeping flies and such at bay.

Follow the Directions here: http://www.prismnet.com/~sjohn/sour.htm (blogspot link won't work... sorry you'll have to copy and paste into your browser)

Safe for me!

2009-10-27T21:49:00.006-04:00

I've decided to compile some of the 'safe for me' foods in one place for easy reference. Please know, I am not as sensitive as some and more sensitive than others - in other words, proceed with caution, read labels and know your own allergy! We are all very different in our sensitivities to various derivatives.

Waaay more to come, this is just off the top of my head tonight.

Pasta:
Kroger brand 100% Durham Wheat pasta - all varieties.
Kroger brand long grain rice.

Sauces/Condiments:
Kroger brand Natural Selections pasta sauce
Goya Coconut Milk
Trader Joe's Mayonnaise
Trader Joe's Yellow Mustard
Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Louisiana Hot Sauce

Dairy:
Kerry Gold Cheese All Varieties
Black Diamond Cheddar Cheese
Kroger Brand Natural Selections Parmasean (whole block, not shredded, grated, etc. - those contain cellulose powder to prevent caking and have cause reactions for me.)
Horizon Whole Milk, Half n' Half and Heavy Whipping Cream (cardboard carton causes me no issues)
Fage yogurt, 2% and whole (I haven't tested skim .. becauses I like the fat - also haven't tested the honey they serve with some of their yogurts)
Greek Gods plain yogurt
Presidente Brie

Bread:
n/a

Crackers/Cookies/Cereals/Chips:
Triscuits
Kroger Organic Sea Salt Potato Chips
Nature Valley Oan & Honey granola bars
Sesmark Rice Thins Rice Crackers - Brown Rice
Kroger Brand puffed rice - check label
Cream of Rice hot cereal
Old Fashioned Quaker Oats

Toiletries:
Dr. Bronner's Soap
Dr. Bronner's Shikakai Soap
Ivory Soap

Beverages:
LaCroix flavored waters
Stash Black Tea (English Breakfast Tea)
Folgers coffees (unflavored only, I'm not into froofie coffee anyway so haven't tested the flavored varieties)
Starbucks Komodo Dragon
Starbucks Anniversary Blend
Keurig cup - Green Mountain Sumatra
Keurig cup - Green Mountain Nantucket Blend
Keurig cup - Tulley's French Roast
Keurig cup - Caribou

Flour/Cereals/Sugars/Oils:
Sugar in the Raw
Kroger Brand Private Selections Turbinado Sugar
Domino Brown Sugar
Domino Sugar
King Arthur Flours
Red Star Yeast (three packs NOT the jar stuffs)
Kroger Brand Safflower Oil
Spectrum Apple Cider Vinegar
Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
McCormick's spices (individual spice bottles, not spice mixes)

Fruit/Veggies
Organic Chiquita Bananas (always buy green)
Kroger Canned Green Beans
Kroger Canned Black Beans
Kroger Canned Red Beans
Kroger Canned Pineapple Chunks
Kroger Canned Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
Dried beans have never been a problem for me - always check labels

No shampoo! - Water Only, wait ... what?

2009-10-21T15:54:00.003-04:00

yeah, I'm not kidding. I started washing my hair about every three days or so and then just stopped because I'm lazy. Nothing. Hair is great, smells good (like cloves which I put in my stash tea rinse the last time I washed), looks great and my dandruff I've had my whole life... magically gone.

Weird. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm pretty surprised by the results.

Oh, by the way. Organic Salt and Ground Black Pepper Kettle chips ... not corn free. I know, I know... no one ever said they would be - but a girl has to take chances.

Shampoo Update!

2009-10-09T12:09:00.002-04:00

It just gets better and better. I am still using the Shikakai soap below for my hair and my body and my scalp feels fantastic! I have to smooth on a wee bit of Joboba Oil (NOW brand) on my wet hair after shower because it was getting a little dull and dry, but now it's lovely.

WORD OF WARNING: After poking about online a bit I discovered that some of this brand are scented ... these scented bottles often contain Organic Zea Mays (Corn) Starch.

As always, read labels carefully... reread them EVERY time before you buy! Ingredients change without warning. Be smart.

Shampoo!!!

2009-10-06T08:55:00.005-04:00

I've been searching for shampoos that don't give me hives ... and it's been a long horrible battle. I tried going no-poo, but just couldn't take it. This works wonderfully. The PH is very alkaline, so I follow up a wash with a good Twinnings Black tea rinse (Edited to add: Twinnings gave me hives ... Stash tea gives the same results without the hives ... ), and so far so good....

From what I can tell online, Dr. Bronner's Citric Acid is not corn derived (their regular castile soap shows up on the cornfree list). Organic, Fair Trade and very concentrated. I use about 4 squirts to wash all my hair (just below my shoulders) so although it's pricey ($8/bottle), I have a feeling it will last for quite some time.

Ingredients: Organic Shikakai Extract (Organic White Grape Juice, Organic Sucrose*, Organic Shikakai Powder), Saponified Organic Coconut* and Olive* Oils, Organic Hemp Oil, Citric Acid, Vitamin E. *Certified fair trade by IMO. Oregon Tilth Certified Organic.

Medical Alert Tattoo?

2009-07-10T08:40:00.002-04:00

I'm contemplating. I really hate wearing the bracelet and think a medical alert tattoo might be a nice option ... question is - would medical professionals look or actually honor it?

Interesting reads:
http://lauriescidance.blogspot.com/2008/02/medical-alert-tattoo.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-05-13-medicaltattoos_N.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/DiabetesResource/story?id=4028385&page=1

I'll have to think about it some more. It seems like they are becoming more common, but what if this corn allergy just suddenly goes away ... i'm dreaming, right?

Biodegradable Cups, etc.

2009-07-02T09:10:00.002-04:00

I am torn between my appreciation of technical advances to support and protect our environment and, of course, my corn allergy.

Eco-Friendly buyer beware: http://www.biodegradablestore.com/index.html

Kettle Chips - Salt and Black Pepper - NOT CORN FREE!!!

2009-06-28T22:06:00.003-04:00

You will see my post here: http://cornless.blogspot.com/2009/06/kettle-chips-salt-and-black-pepper.html praising the Kettle company for allowing me one little glimmer of culinary happiness in an otherwise 'snackless' world. Salt and Black Pepper chips are nuggets of bliss - unfortunately, despite what lovely Janet has to say about the subject .. these chips do indeed have corn, likely in the form of citric acid or yeast extract.

I am sad, and pissed off and sick, sick, sick. Nausea, headache, weak, etc. Same old same old.

Suk!

Definitely 'corned' list

2009-06-26T08:15:00.005-04:00

Kangaroo Pita
Kashi Autumn Harvest Cereal
Starbuck's Christmas Blend
Starbuck's Pike Place
Kroger Brand Monterey Jack
Non-organic banana
Honey - multiple kinds *sigh*
Arnold's Potato Bread
Prairie Farms Half n' Half and Milk
Pita Chips (naked)
Kettle Chips, Salt and ground black pepper

There's more coming, I just wanted to get this list started ... some of these are obviously corny - some not so much.

Crunchy Granola Recipe

2009-06-22T11:03:00.004-04:00

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cup C&H Brown Sugar or Domino Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 8 cups Quaker Oatmeal
• 2 cup additional stuff
o Kroger Unsweetened Coconut
o Flax Seeds
o Kroger Raisins
o Sunsweet prunes
o Nuts still in the shell (shell before preparing, but buy in shell)

Directions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and reserve.
Combine brown sugar and water in a 4-cup microwave proof glass measuring cup or bowl. Place in microwave on high for 5 minutes and cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from microwave, add vanilla extract and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, and brown sugar syrup mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Spread the granola onto cookie sheets and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and crunchy.

When the mixture comes out of the oven, it is still very pliable. You may choose to add in dried fruit as a finishing touch at this time. When granola has cooled completely, store in an airtight container.

Kettle Chips - Salt and Black Pepper - CORNY!!!

2009-06-09T20:05:00.003-04:00

UPDATED 06.28.09 - THESE DO HAVE CORN. SUK! I'm nauseous, headachy and drunk feeling. The ingredients clearly indicate citric acid and yeast extract ... but I didn't listen to my gut, i trusted Janet (below). Dammit Janet!

These are my favorite! a little hearty tang of soy sauce, smidge of salt .. perfect. Alas, with the corn allergy I'm scared and haven't tried them. Then today, out of the blue, Dottie (an angel from above) posted the item below in the Delphi Avoiding Corn Forum:

My husband won a contest, for guessing how many bags of potato chips can fit into a VW bug--so he gets a year's supply of free chips!! When I was on the phone to the company rep today about that, I mentioned to her how I was allergic to corn and how helpful her company had been to me a few years ago in answering my questions. (Most of their products do contain it.) Right away she said, "Oh, so you can't have maltodextrin or ctiric acid in anything, " and I was so impressed that she knew that right off the top of her head. She went on to say that the plain unsalted, the lightly salted, and the salt and black pepper chips are definitely corn-free, and all the other flavors are not, unfortunately. I also can use their peanut butter, which is delicious. If you want more info, this very nice and helpful woman's name is Janet Wilson and her contact info is:
Janet Wilson
Consumer Affairs
Kettle Foods
503-586-1507
jwilson@kettlefoods.com

--Dottie

It may not be clear to you how much I love these chips - or this forum. God bless Dottie!

that's some cool shit!

2009-06-04T16:32:00.001-04:00

Whenever I corn myself, I inevitably start poking about online to learn stuff. Here's the latest cool stuffs I've learned:

http://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/health_food_addiction.html

Reaction(s) Again...

2009-06-04T13:16:00.002-04:00

Kashi - Autumn Wheat. I've eaten this every day for lunch since Monday (that's four days in case you don't want to look it up). Today: nausea, drop in blood sugar, thick tongue, tight throat, weepiness, weakness and lethargy. Kashi website says that they won't divulge the items included in the 'natural flavor' heading of their ingredients as it is proprietary. Screw you Kashi! You know what's proprietary and not available for your sad ass ... my MONEY!

Also, I had literally a smidge of honey on Sunday when it got on my finger after opening a honey stick for one of the kids ... hives. no shit.

what's for dinner? - Veggie Rice

2009-06-01T19:31:00.004-04:00

In pressure cooker:
Brown 1lb ground beef
Add 1/2 onion
two bell peppers
salt
cumin
turmeric
celery seed
louisiana hot sauce

when browned and peppers tender, add 2 cups rice and brown rice in oil.

Blend together 2 med tomatoes, 1 green pepper, 2 hot peppers, 1/2 onion and 1 cup water in blender. Add to pressure cooker. Add 2 cans kroger brand pinto beans. Seal and cook for 20 mins after jiggle.

Kids each ate two servings, I ate 2.5 ... heavens!

Fried Chicken?

2009-05-31T19:26:00.002-04:00

See here's the thing. I love fried chicken. Love it - but just can't eat it prepared by anyone else. I've never tried making it myself ... but I'm going to have to. I just can't not have it.

I found recipes for kfc online ... kfc?! I'll let you know how it goes:
http://www.e-rcps.com/pasta/main/fowl/chick_kfried.shtml
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1739,142187-255193,00.html
http://www.kfcchickenrecipe.com/

Not KFC ... but sounds delish:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Southern-Fried-Chicken-Look-out-Kfcl-Paula-Deen-108364

Regarding the 11 secret herbs and spices ... rumor mill has it they are these:
3 cups sifted flour - not a spice ... but gives you a ratio idea.
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons onion salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried powdered rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried powdered thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Cake? Oh god please ...

2009-05-30T19:57:00.004-04:00

I want cake. PMS is closing in on me and I want cake. I'm not going to make it until mid-week, assuming I can hold out. I'm contemplating not doing chocolate and doing lemon juice instead ... i love lemon loaf.

Shamelessly, I have stolen this recipe from the delphi forums: http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac/messages/?msg=70956.1

Egg Free Chocolate cake --------------------------------
I got this cake from a Croation web site ,it is so yummy !!! Easy to make , everyone loves it.To make the cake realyy fast I use yogurt cup(6 oz) to measure all the ingredients.
3 yogurts (plain 6 oz each)
3 yogurt cups flour (used Mireille's flour blend)
2 yogurt cups sugar
1 yogurt cup oil
3 tbs cocoa powder ( next time will add more cocoa powder )
2 tsp baking soda
Preahet oven to 375 .In a large bowl pour all ingredients ,mix 2-3 minutes. Grease 9x13 pan with butter .Pour the batter into the prepared pan,bake for 35 min or until toothpick comes out dry.Let it cool.

Local coffee house, yergochev ... corn free single tear

2009-05-25T18:19:00.002-04:00

Yergochev, Ethiopian Yergochev ... how good is it? Spec-freakin-tacular! And doesn't make me sick. Now, for some odd reason, they don't carry dairy that I can drink, so I have to bring my own half and half ... but the coffee is what matters. Success.

I can't help but wonder if tobasco sauce is causing me trouble ... elusive good hot sauce, I need a recipe.

Made Perogi's tonight, yum ... waaay too much hassel, but delish nonetheless.

you cannot eat fried chicken ... you cannot eat fried chicken ... you cannot-

2009-05-23T14:45:00.002-04:00

I don't want to believe it. So far fried chicken is the only thing I've discovered that I don't have what it takes to turn down. I bought an 8 piece for the kids, there was a breast left today and I swore I wouldn't eat it ... until lunch time came around and I couldn't find anything to eat.

It was delicious, and I feel awful. Why am I so stupid?

corned by half and half ... scary one

2009-05-15T19:47:00.002-04:00

I got sloppy and they didn't have my normal horizon half and half in the store (damn walmart). I bought C.F. Burger half and half, I also consumed three large cups of coffee within the first hour of rising. A half an hour after my blood pressure dropped and I mean dropped. I laid down for about three hours but I was nervous. That's probably the worst reaction yet.

I was nauseous too, but it really took a major back seat to the blood pressure and foggy head. After I got up from my three hour nap, I drove to the grocery to get a few things for the week. I took my bp there and it was 98/55 .. which is a little lower than my normal 100/60. It sucked.

12 hours later I'm still nauseous off and on, but my head feels normal thank goodness. Today made me wonder if I would really know when I needed an EpiPen. How do you know? It was scary and stupid.

New Reactions ... Interesting Change

2009-05-13T10:59:00.005-04:00

Saturday - ate a handful of frozen cranberries ... felt nauseous within about 15 minutes, passed quickly, nothing serious. Hmmmm

Sunday - had two kettle chips that I thought would be okay ... felt nauseous within about 15 minutes, passed quickly, nothing serious. Hmmmmm, again.

Monday - Tofu (see below)

Tuesday - 1/4 cup Ezekiel 4:9 Almond cereal, fucking delish in yogurt ... tongue swelling, mild foggy head, passed in about 2 hours. Nausea in the evening when I ate anything. Hmmm, more reaction than the others.

Tuesday - trip to movie theater. Didn't eat anything, throat was scratchy and sore when I left.

Wednesday morning - general nausea, itchy face, scratchy throat - and I haven't done anything wrong yet!

It does seem like the reactions get progressively worse if I take in small quantities consistently, which makes sense. The residual reactions are pretty clear as well based on how I feel today. I'm not really interested in playing with this stuff anymore, it sucks and even small reactions make me nervous.

The popcorn breathing was interesting. I brought my EpiPens just in case, I'm a bit dramatic that way, but was glad I didn't need them.

Ingredient Lists

2009-05-11T22:20:00.002-04:00

It's not hard. Read the ingredients and NEVER ASSUME. Tofu got me last night, I didn't check the ingredients, there was corn starch. *sigh*

Good news though. The symptoms are more manageable and I notice them even with smaller quantities. Essentially, I don't eat enough to build up a huge reaction. I didn't eat much of the tofu, thank goodness. But at mom's this weekend I had some contaminated cranberries. I ate five or so then walked away ... testing them. Within 20 minutes I was mildly nauseous. Score!

Kroger Pasta - cornless.
Premium Selections (Kroger) - Organic Potato Chips with Sea Salt - cornless.
Kroger cheese - confirmed to have corn by kroger themselves (bastards!!).

Bulk Peanuts - salted

2009-05-06T14:59:00.002-04:00

I love peanuts in the shell and they should be fine, but these were bought in bulk and were salted. Maybe that's the problem... Swollen tongue, foggy head, nausea, lethargy and weakness. Same old same old. I can't buy snacks for shit.

Navigating social pressure

2009-05-03T08:43:00.003-04:00

I fell into the trap of my being more concerned about other people's feeling than my own health. Offered an item that 'appeared' to be corn free. Friend offering clarified that it didn't list anything that looked like corn. Sure it had cheese cultures in it, enzymes and what not. Sure it was packaged in India ... and of course all of the ingredients would be listed right?

I've learned my lesson. I'm two days past the event in question and just now getting past the swollen ankles (which I just realized was connected to the allergic reaction) and the itchy scalp.

Time for me to grow a backbone, I'm just going to have to be okay with hurting feelings to spare my own.

Corned mystery...

2009-04-29T14:21:00.005-04:00

Please note the first line of my last post. I'm an idiot (you're an idiot!).

So I had tuna last night, modified tuna salad ... no mayonnaise, i'm not that corn illiterate... right? So tuna is one of the things I might be allergic to. Had to test it, chose Kroger brand tuna (Light Tuna, water, vegetable broth (carrot, celery, and soy bean) and salt.)

ingredients:
tuna (above)
acorn squash
red bell pepper
flax seeds
sea salt
sweet relish

I believe I've corned myself. I'm having a reaction, it could be the tuna (from corn in the can they don't mention or an actual tuna allergy), it could be sweet relish because you know what, I DIDN'T EVEN READ THE GODDAMN CAN! I can't believe it. It never occurred to me that sweet relish should be read, I just tossed it in.

mother of god

welcome back to nausea, tight itchy throat, foggy head, feverish feeling ... I ate it last night with no issue except some mild indigestion (I assumed it was from eating so much of that yeast bread with it). Had it again for lunch today and my stomach started reacting within about 15 minutes.

like clockwork, this allergy stuff.

Yogurt is my Friend

2009-04-28T16:39:00.002-04:00

I've got the corn free thing down ... down pat.

What I don't have down is getting my digestive system back to working well. I don't know if this is residual from the corn issues or if my digestive system is just bunk all the way around. I've started eating yogurt like it's going out of style and it seems to be helping.

I ate ALOT of bread this weekend (yeast bread too ... see recipe below ... big YUM) - and I think the yeast is giving me issues. No vagaygay reactions yet, but I have to up the yogurt just to make sure. It also seems to be helping my gas. I need to get some acidophiles that is corn free, but just haven't had the gumption to go out and get it. Instead when I get gas I eat a bowl of plain yogurt ... seems to have the same effect but without the corn starch...

Yay

Acid/Gas pain

2009-04-26T07:37:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking that there are two issues going on with my stomach pain. The corn allergy was DEFINITELY the major factor, but even with the elimination of the corn I seem to be having this acid/gas issue off and on.

To be fair, some of the acid/gas may be corn related (since corn is in everything).

The long and the short of it is that I needed something to help with the acid this morning and I don't keep tums in the house. I could have done baking soda, but instead I took 1/2 tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar in 8 oz of water. Viola! Acid gone.

I remember eating mustard packets while I was pregnant and getting the same impressive result. Mustard is all kinds of corn, but diluted vinegar does the trick.

I should look into a full spectrum digestive enzyme for a bit to see if that helps ...

Yeast Rolls

2009-04-25T08:18:00.003-04:00

Ingredients
1 cup 'corn safe' milk
2 pkg red star yeast
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cane sugar
2 eggs
41/2 cups king arther all purpose flour

eat at 6:30?
start cooking at 3:15

Preparation
1. warm milk
2. add 1/3 milk to yeast and let sit until bubbly
3. combine remaining milk, butter, salt, sugar
4. add beaten eggs and bubbly yeast
5. add flour 1/4 cup at a time while beating
6. knead for 5 minutes
7. grease bowl, turn to grease top
8. cover and let rise 1 hour
9. punch down dough and roll out to 1/2 inch thick
10. cut into 3'' circles
11. place pat of butter in each circle, fold over and pinch
12. place in pans and let rise again 45 minutes
13. bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes

yields 24 rolls

Ridonkulous

2009-04-24T19:27:00.003-04:00

This is ridonkulous.

Kids get corn dogs and mac&cheese for dinner, i'm a cool mom ... even if I have to eat my homemade crackers, hummus and fruit, i'll let my kids indulge in a little preprocessed, prepackaged junk food night.

My throat is swollen. how's that? you say. Yup, swollen throat. I handled the corn dogs, sure. I cut one up for the littlest, of course. I didn't ingest it, but my throat is definitely swollen. Not unbearable, but tight. This is unbelievable!

I still miss corndogs.

multipurpose bread dough

2009-04-24T14:37:00.004-04:00

I made crackers AND pita bread with this ... the seasoning you can substitute for whatever you want, I was making it to go with my hummus:

1.5 cups king arthur all purpose flour
1.5 cups king arthur whole wheat flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup safflower oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp turmeric

mix and form into 12 balls. let sit for 30 minutes. roll out into 6 - 8'' circles and cut into cracker sized bits.

place crackers on cookie sheet, poke with fork and bake at 450 until golden
-OR-
place 8'' circle in heated cast iron skillet and brown on both sides

crackers are best when completely cooled. pita is good anytime (but really hot if still in the skillet)

be sure to turn off oven and burner when finished

Corn Smoker?

2009-04-24T09:53:00.004-04:00

I quit smoking in February in response to my stomach pain. On a whim, I decided to try to locate the ingredients of my brand of choice to see if I was smoking corn. The list below comes from the Parlaiment UK website as an appendix to a legal filing regarding cigarettes ... I didn't read the whole thing, but I like to imagine that legal evidence is pretty reliable information. Potential corn allergen information comes from the connor site which is linked on the right.

Camel Lights 84 mm
Substances on Product in decreasing order of addition level

Glycerol (can be corn derived)

Honey (can be corn contaminated)

Propylene glycol (can be corn derived)

Citric acid and its tri-potassium and tri-sodium salts (can be corn derived)

Corn allergy? for gods sake don't smoke...

Gas pain relief = acidophilus

2009-04-23T18:15:00.003-04:00

So I had some orange juice this afternoon, this shouldn't be a corn issue based on the juice in question. About an hour after drinking, my stomach swelled and the gas pain was astronomical. I spend two hours looking online for a quick resolution, drinking baking soda, taking gas x and trying not to cry. Finally, someone online (I can't remember where or I would link to the site for credit) said to take acidophilus for stomach bloating and pain. Said relieve in 10 - 15 minutes.

worth a shot, i thought. I grabbed my bottle of chewable acidophilus and chewed up 5 of them before I lay down on the couch and prayed for relief. 20 minutes later I was up and around, struggling to remember how gas can cause that much pain.

it's a miracle!

Roti Bread (bread spoon)

2009-04-23T18:07:00.003-04:00


Ingredients 1 cup king arthur whole wheat flour 1/2 cup lukewarm water 1/4 tsp kosher salt	Preparation 1. mix ingredients, knead dough 15 mins 2. use flour sparingly, you need the moisture 3. cover with damp cloth and let sit for 30 mins 4. preheat cast iron skillet to griddle hot 5. separate dough into 8 balls, 6. drop a ball into flour for a quick dusting 7. flatted ball with hand and stretch out, 8. dough should be roughly 1/4 inch thick when you drop in pan 9. brown on each side

There are those who will make this MUCH more expertly than I. Mine didn't puff up, but they were delicious with hummus. The kids called them bread spoons.

Epi-Pen and Medical Alert Bracelets

2009-04-22T16:35:00.002-04:00

I had an appointment with my GI specialist yesterday and he felt that my corn allergy could explain ALL of my gastrointestinal issues. He recommended that I continue with the corn free diet for another six weeks and if my symptoms persist despite my confidence in my 'cornlessness' that I should come back for some testing.

That's a relief. I called my allergist today to request a script for an Epi-Pen. I'll likely never need it, but my reaction to a few things has been pretty severe low blood pressure ... i didn't realize that low blood pressure was anaphylactic shock. I also bit the bullet and ordered my medical alert bracelet.

Apparently taking this thing seriously is expensive! But I'm coming to terms with it bit by bit.

I miss corn dogs.

Testing Diet Pepsi

2009-04-20T15:54:00.004-04:00

Started drinking at 3pm, drank 32 ounces in an hour. After 20 minutes my head went foggy and my face started to tingle, nausea set in about 35 minutes after start ... mind you, i'm still drinking away. I'm committed to this experiment and damn have I missed Diet Pepsi. Now I'm a full hour out, having trouble typing without making errors, head is really foggy and my throat is tight.

citric acid or aspertame? does it really matter?

Ooh, weird. My fingers are swollen too, I think that might account for the typing errors. This is so crazy it's almost fascinating. It's almost 7pm and my throat is still tight but not frightening anymore, nausea has passed and I'm on to abdominal pain. I just ate some meatloaf in hopes that I can dilute my reaction with safe food. I likely continue to be foolish, but at least I'm still eating... right? .... right?

Modified Swope

2009-04-19T06:52:00.004-04:00

Made my Swope yesterday. Separated into two batches, mixed 1/2 cup flax seeds and 1/2 cup raisins into one batch and baked into mini muffins. Did the other batch as a loaf.

As suspected, baking at 350 is preferable to 450.

Muffins are good, but awfully chewy, I baked them for 30 mins which might have been a bit much.

Both the bread and the muffins are making me sick today, but I just can't trust anything as I was sick on waking up with an empty stomach. I think today is not a day for testing anything.

Eating Out Failure #1 - Village Deli

2009-04-18T19:47:00.003-04:00

Chili salad, it seemed relatively safe. Lettuce and chili and hot sauce. I was nervous but it was the only thing on the menu that looked like it could even possibly be safe.

I'm so nauseous and sad and tired. I have to just accept it and work with it instead of pretending it's not real or not that serious. Granted, it's not going to kill me, but it's ridiculous to take these kinds of chances. I would have been better off sipping my water and eating later at home.

Symptoms are extreme nausea, lethargy, irritability, foggy head and lump in throat. My face itches but it has been since Friday afternoon so I can't say that's related for sure.

General Update #2

2009-04-15T16:40:00.002-04:00

I'm getting there. Man corn is just in alot of stuff. Frankly, it's become clear that I have to stick with a handful of 'safe' foods until I get myself stable. Once stabilized, I can test foods carefully and methodically to determine what I can and can't eat. A list of my current 'safe foods' has been posted to the left, I may have left some things off, but for now that will get me started.

Yesterday I had no reactions and today only a mild reaction to some cheese. I was feeling pretty good this morning and think I have identified the general 'schedule' of my symptoms. See below for a draft of how I think this goes. It will be interesting to see if this holds true after the cheese incident.

START: Ingestion of offending item
15 - 30 mins later: first symptom (nausea, swollen throat, swollen tongue, headache)
2 hours - 3 hours later: abdominal pain
Day 2: constipation and lots of gas
Day 3: itchy scalp and face
Day 4: all clear

Cheese

2009-04-15T13:20:00.007-04:00

Whole day went well, up until this afternoon when I had approximately 1 oz. of Kroger Monterey Jack cheese. 15 minutes later I had a reaction that I honestly would not have noticed two weeks ago. My throat swelled a bit, I started slurring my words and felt like my tongue was swollen. Head got a little foggy (this is not foggy like the pita bread, just a little drunk feeling) and a mild stomachache.

ingredients are: "pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto (for color)."

response from Delphi member: "I'm afraid pretty much every ingredient in there could have corn! Milk from corn-fed cows, the cultures and enzymes derived from or grown on corn, and I believe that annato could have corn too. Oh, and then there's the lovely fact that corn starch is used on some cheeses to keep them from sticking to the packaging. Cheese is an iffy business."

Add cheese to the list of foods that I shouldn't gamble with. Good news is, no reactions yesterday, and only this one today - I'm getting the hang of this.

Folgers has no corn ... that's what they say anyway.

2009-04-14T16:32:00.005-04:00

Folgers confirmation! I just received confirmation from Folgers that:

"there is no corn in our ground coffee, instant coffee, singles, or whole bean coffee." YAY! I love Folgers and man is it cheap. I have been drinking it without issue, but am not very sensitive so please proceed with caution if you decide to test this on your own.

update corn free status of Folgers confirmed with members of Delphi forum. Several members are able to partake of the caffeinated nectar without reactions.

Bananas?

2009-04-13T16:42:00.005-04:00

I bought bananas on Friday, I don't know what brand (they were chiquita and very ripe) ... they were a little more yellow than normal but were clearly bananas. Bananas don't have corn right, fresh fruit, here I come!

Now, I still had two bananas left over from the last bunch and I'm AR about eating them in order, oldest to newest, so didn't pop one of the new ones off until this morning. I had swope (yum), banana and coffee (heavy whipping cream and raw sugar... all safe). 19 minutes later I was nauseous. Strange no?

Went to work, did my thing and suffered with the nausea and foggy headedness that had kicked in. Got hungry about 11 am and had my traditional late morning mini-meal of a banana and a bit of bread. Imagine my surprise when I got sicker!

Did you know that they gas some bananas? Uh huh, some sort of corn bullshit gas designed by satan to make my life HELL! I'll have facts for you at a later date, right now I'm mad and sick. *shakes fist at sky*

Okay, I'm back to add more information. It's ethylene gas that is used to ripen bananas ... the idea to avoid them is 1) aim for organic always, some say chiquita is okay ... please see my experience above and 2) buy green bananas (clearly not ripened). It also appears that this method can be used for avocados (avoid the 'ripe today' stickers), mangos, pineapple and tomatoes.... I have no idea how you could tell the last three, I guess you look for organic and pray?

Noooooo .... Starbuck's Sumatra!

2009-04-11T14:45:00.006-04:00

I was so smart, brought a plastic bottle of my own half and half, used sugar in the raw just like at home. It shouldn't have been an issue, except that the coffee was different.

I'm so sad and frustrated. I can't do anything right, I can't eat any of the stuff I used to. I gave up smoking because of this shit, gave up coffee and learned to like tea, found out i'm allergic to tea so went back to coffee ... now this crap with the coffee. I could cry. I want to cry.

My head hurts like hell, i'm nauseous still (drank it at 11am, but it was a venti!), my stomach hurts ... and worst of all, I can't sleep because of all the caffeine so I can't even sleep it off. I feel awful and I'm embarrassed that I keep doing this to myself.

update: I've sent Starbucks an email asking them if there is anything at their shop I can drink. I'm doubtful, their website is pretty non-committal about allergens. doesn't appear they want to even touch the subject. Sad for them, I used to spend something like $4 a DAY there. the recession is my fault.

Swope Bread

2009-04-10T17:25:00.018-04:00

Ingredients
* 2 cups all purpose King Arthur flour
* 4 cups whole wheat King Arthur flour
* 1 cup sugar in the raw
* 2 tsp kosher salt
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 6 tsp apple cider vinegar
* 4 cups Horizon Whole milk

Preparation
1. preheat to 350
2. grease 2 loaf pans
3. mix
4. bake 60 minutes

feedback fresh from the oven. okay, it would likely be best if you bake it at 350 instead of 450 ... that being said, for a bread that was 100 degrees hotter than it should have been for the full 60 minutes, it is wonderful. Both of the girls love it. Sweet but not overly so, rose about 2 inches which surprised me. This is a loaf that I could toast, make sandwiches with ... *sigh* I could run away with this bread. squee!

General Update #1

2009-04-10T16:24:00.006-04:00

It's been over a week now and I've had three reactions, two to the great pita bread from Kroger (god I was hard headed about accepting that one) and apparently the perfectly delicious sunflower/flax/prune bread I made. Now, buying in bulk was likely really dumb, but it takes time to accept all the limitations of this.

All of that being said, huge changes in my body all the way around:

abdominal pain and nausea limited to just those three occasions as opposed to daily and constant.
raccoon eyes seem to be fading.
down about four lbs (mostly water as my ankles seem thinner at night).
having regular bowel movements.
not hungry all the time.

The last one has really surprised me. I find myself eating very very well and ALOT less. Makes corn seem like some enchanted devil food that you keep eating and only makes you hungrier. This is the first time in a LONG time I have felt really satisfied after eating, not hugely full, just satisfied. It's something.

I may have the kids tested too, the oldest is very hyperactive, particularly when ingesting any kind of candy ... makes you wonder, eh?

Get Things Moving Loaf

2009-04-08T21:57:00.020-04:00

Ingredients:
* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
* 1/2 cup flax seeds
* 2 cups oats
* ½ tsp baking soda
* 3 tsp apple cider vinegar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup sugar in the raw
* 2 cups chopped prunes
* 2 cups milk
* 1 cup sour cream
* 2 tablespoons safflower oil

Preparation:
1. Preheat to 350
2. Grease pans with butter.
3. Mix all ingredients in large bowl.
4. Cover bowl with towel and let stand in warm place for 20 minutes
5. Separate in half and form into 2 balls. Place balls on buttered pans.
6. Bake 50 - 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

feedback fresh from oven - delightful, even the oldest liked it. Seeds are wonderful and prune/sugar didn't come out as sweet as I thought (which is good). Insides seemed a little doughy still at slicing, but I think that might clear up after sitting overnight. Crust was crispy and a little crumbly.

potential allergic reaction noticed after third serving ... buying seeds/prunes in bulk may have been a bad idea, but I'm poopin like a champ. abandoning this as potentially NOT cornless.... but man it should be.

Basic Wheat QuickBread

2009-04-08T19:42:00.007-04:00

Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1 cup King Arthur wheat flour
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp baking soda
3 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preparation:
1. Preheat to 450.
2. Stir ingredients together and form into ball.
3. Place on greased pan
4. Bake for 20 minutes with pan of water under it
5. Eat fresh from the oven and slather with butter until it runs down your arm.

feedback fresh from oven: crust was very crunchy and yummy, insides moist and soft, flavor was VERY grainy - could use some sweet to cut the grain flavor, texture was perfect. Youngest loved it, oldest did NOT. I think it's an excellent first try.
next day: oh my, still good. I bagged it a bit too early and there was a bit of condensation in the bag, but the bread will be gone before it's an issue. I won't be able to tell you how the bread keeps for the long haul.
overall: good standard recipe. I think this is a base that needs added to. It's a bit too grainy for my tastes, could use more salt and sweet.