An allergy to corn can often go undetected in the United States due to its high prevalence in processed foods. Corn, in one form or another, can also be found in almost every fast food item. On top of that, corn allergy symptoms vary greatly from person to person. While some only need to smell popcorn to have a severe reaction, others are somewhat more tolerant and have a less severe reaction that is hard to relate to corn.

The best way to know if you are allergic to corn is to have an allergy test performed by a qualified allergist. Barring that, keeping a food journal can be very helpful in checking and verifying which foods were found to be offensive. But what symptoms are associated with a corn allergy?

Those who suffer from corn allergy, in its severe form, can go into anaphylactic shock. Most people with this severe corn allergy know what they are allergic to. However, many suffer their entire lives with symptoms ranging from obesity to inflammation and sinus congestion.

Inflammation is one of the most common symptoms. A person allergic to corn may not even realize they are bloated because they have gotten used to it. If you wake up tired, have trouble getting to your knees, think you may have arthritis, notice swollen ankles or general body pain, you may actually be allergic to corn. If it’s not corn, you may be suffering from some other allergy and it would be wise to visit an allergist to be sure.

Most people with a corn allergy are exhausted, and as they get older, it usually gets worse. They feel better before eating than after. They usually have trouble getting through the day, and by late afternoon, they almost have it. Many who have corn allergies have been diagnosed with other illnesses. The exhaustion is so terrible at times, that after being exposed to corn, all a person allergic to corn can do is sleep.

Abdominal disorders are extremely common among people with corn allergies. Some have been misdiagnosed with IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or other bowel-related illnesses. Your doctor may have told you that you need more fiber. After eating, your stomach swells severely. You may experience excessive burping or gas. At extreme times, you may have been in the ER throwing up, or experienced what some doctors call “outbursts,” where you struggle with alternating constipation and then sudden diarrhea.

Chronic sinus problems are a tell-tale sign that you may be suffering from a food allergy. My own son suffered for years with dark circles, tired eyes, a stuffy and runny nose, as well as postnasal drip. All those symptoms were related to corn. He had trouble breathing and even episodes of sleep apnea as a child.

Prediabetic and insulin resistance symptoms may actually be corn allergies. A few times, after nearly passing out after eating, I wondered if I was becoming diabetic. He had all the symptoms of a prediabetic, of someone who was resistant to insulin. I even took medication for hypothyroidism. These, of all the symptoms, were by far the scariest. I felt dizzy, in a fog and cold most of the time. She couldn’t garden or exercise because she was afraid she would start shaking. Something was clearly wrong.

As we cut back on high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, monosodium glutamate, dextrose, and eventually switched to sea salt, our corn allergy symptoms began to disappear. My son and I experienced a kind of rebirth. My son’s nose is clean and his dark circles are gone. I planted two trees without fainting. The swelling in my ankle was almost gone and we both lost a significant amount of weight without dieting. It is simply a miracle that we discovered the connection between corn and our symptoms. Now, we are on our way to recovery and the quality of our lives is absolutely a thousand percent better.