Corn and Wheat Allergy Discovered. Help!

Please just don't "go Paleo".

Does your son have symptoms, such as vomiting, nausea, skin conditions, digestive problems, pain, constipation, fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances or any of the many problems that can be caused by allergies? Are you concerned about his physical well-being? Is he sick often?

How were your son's allergies diagnosed? Did he have biopsies, skin prick testing, blood tests?

Did a medical professional diagnose him or was he determined to have allergies by a chiropractor or a person who sells supplements?

Does he have celiac disease (diagnosed by scopes, biopsies and blood tests)?

Did the professional use the words sensitivity or allergy? Or was this a suggestion, to try eliminating certain foods to see if certain symptoms might improve?

If your son has medical conditions or symptoms, then, if you haven't already, please have him professionally evaluated by a medical doctor (an allergist or gastroenterologist or internist) and then ask him or her for an explanation of your son's condition. Is it a true allergy, or a sensitivity? Take notes.

Then see a nutritionist or dietician whom the doctor recommends. If your son is old enough to read and discuss this, get him involved with the nutritionist.

If these "allergies" are a recommendation by someone who does acupuncture or who sells supplements or who is a life coach or someone who has "read" your son by looking at him or feeling his wrists or listening to him breathe,or someone whose child had allergies and is "sure" your son has the same problems, then walk away and if you feel your son has medical problems, get to an internist or allergist.

Don't just google Paleo and change everything without a nutritionist's advice (that's fine if you just feel like eating according to the Paleo plan and don't have a growing child to consider, but if someone has medical needs, a medical specialist needs to be involved). A doctor will make sure that his or her patient will have proper follow-up care and the right resources.

My daughter is truly allergic to some unusual foods (diagnosed by blood tests and skin tests and biopsies and other tests) and after seeing the allergist and the GI specialist and the internist, and seeing the hospital dietary/nutrition counselor, we all got great information and education. We learned how to make sure she was getting the nutrition she needed, how to read menus, how to read labels, how to advocate for her (what to do when people say "oh nobody's allergic to that, it's a great health food", but yes - she is truly and medically allergic to it!), how she can advocate for herself, and how to make intelligent substitutes.

I would recommend switching him to a Whole Foods diet. It will be the easiest way for him and you to make sure that he is getting good nutrition and make life simple. It will also be easy to look for recipes. Many gluten free recipes should be able to be used.... some may have corn in them though. It will seem hard at first but it gets easier the more you do it. Meal prepping will be your friend as well. There are lots of Instagram accounts as well as blogs devoted to recipes for diet restrictions such as these. Things like coconut oil, oat flour, fresh veggies and fruits will all be your best friends. :)

I agree, and try to focus on what he CAN eat. As luck would have it, you now have to eliminate a lot of processed food from his diet, because you are right, wheat and corn is in a lot of it. But you know what? I make Korean and South Asian food for a living. MOST of the food I make is wheat and corn free because that is how they eat over there (not so much Korean food, their bean pastes often have wheat in them).
Start a list of the foods he can eat and post it in the kitchen. Keep lots of fresh fruits and veggies around for him to snack on. If he likes a particular snack like granola bars, learn to make a wheat/corn-free version at home. Use rice noodles in place of pasta. There are tons of cookbooks out there for this kind of allergy, too.

It sounds as if you haven't seen a nutritionist or dietitian yet --? Please get the allergist who diagnosed him to refer you, ASAP, to a registered dietitian who has experience in guiding families who are coping with news about food allergies/sensitivities. If the doctor did not do that right away without being asked -- he or she really should have done it! You can drive yourself crazy going online about things like this; remember, ANYONE can post anything they like somewhere online, and you could end up seeing a site that looks "professional" or reliable when it's some crank's personal pet idea that has no basis in medicine.

So get to a doctor-recommended professional who will sit down with you and go over all the places where these things lurk.

I had a friend (adult woman) who was diagnosed with a very bad allergy to corn and all corn products, and it turned out one of her kids had it too. She had to spend a lot of time up front opening every single cupboard in her house and removing everything from her pantry to check labels. It was time-consuming but worth it and she weeded out a lot of packaged and processed foods -- that is where the problems usually lie. My friend worked with a dietitian for just a few sessions to lay out eating plans, learn how corn really affected her, etc. and she said it was very useful.

Like others say, focus on all the things your son CAN eat. And please remember, this is a whole-family issue. If the rest of the family is chowing down on corn on the cob and he has to sit there eating something else -- it's sending him a signal that "You're different," and kids don't do well with that. I would be sure to change the entire family's eating habits at home almost all the time. The result usually is that everyone is healthier because there are few to no packaged or processed foods being used.

Also, does he have a wheat sensitivity or full-on celiac disease? I'm guessing it's not diagnosed as celiac since you don't say so. Celiac is to be taken very seriously -- it can keep the person from getting nutrients from all their foods, not just wheat-based foods. Someone posted that your son's allergies were "reversible" but didn't say how -- this is the kind of claim I'd watch out for and I would take to a doctor if you want to ask about it. Don't do things on your own; this is why there are registered dietitians and nutritionists. But be sure to go to one who comes recommended by an allergist.