Corn-free diet (1972)
Key points below
Learn how to protect someone from a reaction, if they have a corn allergy.
If your child is allergic to corn, it’s important that they do not eat foods or use products that have corn in them. This will help prevent an allergic reaction. The word corn may not be in the label’s ingredient list. Use this teaching sheet to know what to avoid.
Avoid foods that have corn or any of these ingredients:
- Baking powder that has corn starch
- Corn (all types, such as whole kernel, creamed)
- Corn bran
- Corn flour
- Corn meal
- Corn malt
- Corn starch
- Corn oil that is expeller pressed, cold pressed or extruded
- Grits
- Flaked milled corn
- Hominy
- Maize
- Polenta
- Popcorn
Read the label
Be careful. Corn is sometimes found in foods or products with these ingredients:
- Maltodextrin
- Modified food starch
- Starch
- Vegetable gum
- Vegetable starch
It is important to find out if there is corn in the items above. If the ingredient list does not list the source, do not eat the food or use the product until you call the company who made it to ask about
the source.
If it is made from something other than corn, it is okay to use.
These ingredients are okay to use:
- Aspartame
- Corn oil (that is not expeller pressed, cold pressed or extruded)
- Corn sugar
- Corn sweeteners
- Corn syrup
- Corn syrup solids
- Dextrin
- Dextrose
- Fructose
- Glucose
- Golden syrup
- High fructose corn syrup
- Lactic acid
- Potato starch or other non-corn ingredients
- Sorbitol
- Treacle
- Xanthan gum
All information is based on content from the Food Allergy Corn Nutrition Therapy published in the Pediatric Nutrition Care Manual by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Corn-Free Diet Baking Tips
Corn-Free Baking Powder Recipe:
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
Mix together. Use in place of baking powder in your recipes.
Commercial Corn-Free Baking Powders:
- Ener-G Baking Powder: www.ener-g.com
- Hain Pure Foods Featherweight Baking Powder: www.hain.com
Corn-Free Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar Recipe
In a coffee grinder, blend together 1 tablespoon potato starch and 1 cup granulated sugar. Blend until it is not grainy. It may need to be blended twice.
If you have other questions, contact your dietitian.