YEARS ago we realize that sugar was insidiously included in everything from salad dressing to tomato sauce.
And, incredibly 200 years ago American con turned about two pounds of sugar a year. An average American now eats three pounds every week! Hard to believe. Sugar is one of the biggest factors in the growing incidence of obesity and diabetes and it’s hard to find products without it.
Which is Worse: Corn or Sugar?
But sugar isn’t the only ingredient that has adulterated our diet. Gluten surfaced as a major contributor to Celiac disease (related to leaky gut syndrome) with symptoms for digestive disorders to migraine headaches, arthritis, and depression.
Gluten intolerance has skyrocketed with the acceptance of hybridized wheat as the grain of choice from breakfast cereal to crackers and baked goods.
Wheat is included in many gravies, puddings, ice cream-even hot dogs and deli meats, and is as pervasive and hard to avoid as sugar. Thousands of Americans have iden tified gluten as the cause of multiple symptoms.
Recently, corn has raised its head as the culprit underlying a long list of allergic reactions. Few people realize the connection between their symptoms and the rampant inclusion of corn and corn derivatives in a growing list of foods and personal care products. The truth be told, corn (most commercial varieties are genetically modified) may be worse than sugar or wheat.
Most commonly recognized symptoms of an allergic reaction occur within two hours (respiratory difficulty, rashes, face and/or throat swelling, and digestive disturbances). Delayed onset reactions to corn are linked to hundreds of conditions from disturbed sleep to joint pain, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, hyperactivity (especially in children), lethargy, eczema, headaches, and recurrent infections.
Because delayed onset allergies to corn are often undetected, they may be behind many chronic “unknown” causes. People can suffer for years (or a lifetime) without suspecting that their health problems are related to corn. The best and perhaps only treatment for a food allergy is to completely avoid the food.
This includes all ingredients derived from it.
As with the avoidance of sugar and wheat, avoiding corn is not as easy as it sounds. It is not as simple as staying away from corn on the cob and corn syrup. Obvious other sources are corn starch, corn oil, and high fructose corn syrup are found in everything. Another problem is that manufacturers are not required to identify the presence of corn in their products as with peanuts and other allergens.
If corn is used as part of the preparation or the packaging process, it is exempt from being listed as an ingredient (think of cornmeal baked into bagel and pizza crusta) Hidden sources are everywhere. Corn is found in baking powder (corn starch), iodized salt (as a part of the anti-caking additive), caramel, vanilla, confectioner’s sugar, margarine (corn oil), artificial flavorings and sweeteners-even in beer.
Corn is commonly used in the manufacture of personal care products that are absorbed through the skin and can be just as problematic. Corn derivatives are in toothpaste, mouthwash, lotion, hand soap, shampoo, and in some medications and supplements. Corn starch is found on the inner lining of food wraps and in the powder that lines surgical gloves. So you can see that avoiding corn may be the most difficult of all.
There is no agreement, yet, on the number of people with hidden allergies to corn. One study indicated that two percent were self-reported as allergic.
Corn allergies can be difficult to diagnose using standard skin or blood tests due to cross-reactivity between corn and grass pollen. This makes it even more difficult to identify the problem. If you have any of the symptoms mentioned earlier (and there are others) consider corn as a possibility. With allergies on the rise, everyone ought to be on the alert for a hidden allergy to corn. Much suspect corn may be a bigger demise to our health than sugar.
So what do you feel which is worse or better: Corn or Sugar? Comment below your thoughts.
