Category: Tips

Clearing Up Some Misconceptions About Corn Allergy

When you google “corn allergy”, the top links you get back seem to convey a picture of corn avoidance that is far less complicated than what I experience, and what the folks in my support groups and who contact me directly through my blog experience. Now, I’m not trying to bum anybody out here, but I am trying to keep everybody safe. Which does seem to bum people out a lot. But hey, I like being alive so I’m not bummed at all to know things that keep me that way.

Here are some of the things I see a lot of the most popular google hits on corn allergy get wrong. I’ve included references where I can, but in a lot of cases research on these kinds of things just haven’t been funded. So for some items all I really have is my own experiences, my own critical thinking, and reports from the patient community to go on. I would much prefer solid statistics and rigorous studies. If you would like to explore some of these topics in that manner, let me know and I will help you find volunteers to participate.

In the meantime, this is what I know, based on as much peer-reviewed research as I can find, the reports of 8,000 members in a support group, and many dozens of direct messages between myself and members of the corn allergy community:

Misconceptions about Corn Allergies
  1. Corn allergy reactions are only to the protein.
  2. If you have to avoid derivatives and traces of corn, you can do so by reading labels.
  3. If you have to avoid derivatives and traces of corn, you can do so by calling or emailing manufacturers and asking them if their product “contains corn”.
  4. Airborne reactivity to corn is impossible or at least incredibly rare.
  5. Coping with a corn allergy only involves avoiding foods that contain corn.
  6. The symptoms of a food allergy are limited to hives, hay-fever type symptoms, severe facial swelling, or throat closing.
  7. Food intolerances cannot cause serious reactions.

Incorrect: Corn allergy reactions are only to the protein. Starches, sugars, alcohols or other items synthesized using corn products as a starting material cannot cause an allergic reaction.

Actually:

Allergens can be more than just proteins.

Continue reading “Clearing Up Some Misconceptions About Corn Allergy” →

Sick of Being Sick: Letter from a Reader

Following is a letter from Travis that I feel is an all too common story. I’ve pasted his entire letter below with his permission, but the summary is that he has finally figured out that food is at least part of what is making him feel so sick, however he’s feeling overwhelmed and frustrated in trying to figure out WHICH foods, and how to eliminate them without starving.  My lengthy response is also below. Spoiler: I can’t really tell him what to do, but I can offer some direction on how to figure it out.

Hi Corn Allergy Girl,

I feel weird calling you that but I don’t actually know your name. Since I was about 10 years old I’ve always felt sick experiencing symptoms that have affected nearly every functioning piece of my body. It started out with just the and swelling of the joints in which I would take an over-the-counter NSAID of some sort and later, see my doctor in which he would denounce as growing pains. Sometimes the pains were so intense I’d start bawling because my shoulder or knee were throbbing and there wasn’t a pain reliever on or off the market that would touch the pain. At thirteen the symptoms spread to my stomach. A lot of things I consumed would hurt my stomach sometimes leaving me in the fetal position in so much pain. Later on, I’m diagnosed with an infection known as h. pylori found by a colonoscopy. The doctor treats me for it and my stomach doesn’t hurt as bad for a while. When we go back for a reevaluation I tell her my symptoms are still present but she says the ailment probably left me with Irritable bowel syndrome so I accept that.

Continue reading “Sick of Being Sick: Letter from a Reader” →

Corn Free Canning

Spring is here, and for those who need to avoid grocery store produce due to sprays and cross contamination, that means food preserving.  I have done a little bit of canning, but I’m no expert: I’m here to talk about avoiding corn in canning supplies. If you have questions about how to actually do the canning safely or how to make your canned goods taste *good*,  that is a question for someone else.

Avoiding Corn in Canning

Lids & Jars

The standard glass canning jars available in the grocery store are perfectly safe for a corn allergy. Rather, it’s lids are the single biggest concern for corn allergy in canning. The new Ball BPA-free lids are NOT corn free. I don’t think anyone has been able to get a detailed answer from Ball about what exactly is in the resin, but something in it is causing many corn allergics to react, and NOT just the most sensitive folks. Some are even breaking out in a rash from touching the lids. I had thought for a time I was okay with them because I was able to store non-canned food in them. Turns out that the resin in the seal was simply staying on the lid and not touching the food. Once I water-bath canned dozens of quarts of (expensive, mail-order) mandarin oranges, I discovered that when the boiling water melts the resin and creates a seal, it also infuses all of the water with corn. My non-allergic friends and family have been enjoying my delicious, now-corny mandarins all winter.

One possible option other than the Ball canning lids is Tattler reusable canning lids.

I’ve been using the Tattlers and so far, so good, but I’ve done basically two batches of applesauce so far and not much else. Updated August 2015: Yeaaahh I think I had a mild reaction to applesauce canned with the old school tattler lids. On top of that, right after I bought a bunch of them they changed their lids to be “new and improved” and have a better seal. No definitive reports on safety.

Another alternative is to use the Weck canning system. These are reported safe by several corn allergics. I haven’t tried them quite simply because they are expensive. The seals on the Weck jars are natural latex rubber, so NOT safe for a latex allergy.

I suggest you give tattler or Weck (if you aren’t allergic to corn) a careful try with one or two cans and see how it goes. If you do not tolerate either, unfortunately you’re stuck with freezing and dehydrating.

There are a couple other kinds of canning lids, but I don’t know anything about them. If you have some options and links and contact info to the companies, please comment below.

Ingredients

As always, any ingredients you use in canning need to be safe for you. Application of heat can denature some allergens for some people, but so far I haven’t heard of anyone with a corn allergy being able to eat corn just because it had been cooked enough.  Here are the biggest concerns with canning:

Salt

Salt can most definitely be corny, so use something that you know is safe for you. Any safe salt should work fine instead of “canning salt.” The main reason to use canning or pickling salt is that it will not have minerals which may alter the appearance (but not taste or safety) of your canned items.

Sugar

Sugar can be cross contaminated with corn. Make sure to use something you know is safe for you.

Lemon Juice or Vinegar

Botulism requires an anaerobic (no air) environment and low acidity to grow. Adding an acid is a common way of making a low-acid food item such as a vegetable or some varieties of tomatoes safe for water-bath canning. Both pre-squeezed lemon juice and vinegar are commonly corntaminated. In the case of vinegar, it’s actually typically  made *from* corn. There are vinegars that are not made from corn, though many of them are contaminated in some way. If you have a safe premade vinegar, great. Do NOT use your own homemade vinegar though, unless you have a way to be 100% sure that it is ph 4.5 or below. Similarly, the FDA’s official recommendation on lemon juice is to only use the bottled stuff because it has a standardized acidity. Of course this standardized acidity can be achieved by adding corn-derived acids, so that is no good for us. If you have a bottled lemon juice that works for you, great.

If you don’t have safe vinegar or lemon juice, probably skip these recipes and convert them to pressure canned recipes instead, which do not require a high acidity since the high heat of the pressure canner will kill all botulinum spores.

General Canning Resources

If you are new to canning, I recommend that you read up on canning safety. Even if you have some basic familiarity, you may want to review. Safety recommendations have changed in the last decade or two, so what you learned from your grandmother may not be safe.  Botulism is a real concern with canned goods, even today, so it is important to follow temperature, acidity, and cook time guidelines in well-tested recipes. The below resources can teach you about canning in general, but be aware that the recommended ingredients may not be safe for you.

National Center for  Home Food Preservation (UGA)

Ball/Jarden Official Website

Pick Your Own

Punk Domestics

Corn-tamination Series: Where’s the Corn in Cheese?

Cheese is actually a difficult prospect for many folks with corn allergies. In fact, I’ve had some of my most surprising severe reactions from cheese. It seems like such a simple product, and I’ve had a few cheeses that nearly sent me to the hospital from just one bite!

I don’t know if I have the whole story here, but here are potential corn allergy issues I’ve identified with cheeses:

  • Production: -corn starch dusting mold and I think also sanitizers which are almost always corn based used on equipment.
  • Packaging: Plastic wraps dusted in corn starch, wax papers waxed with corn-based wax or dusted with corn starch. For rounds that are coated in wax, the wax itself could be corn based or could contain a dye that is corn based.
  • Re-packaging. When cheese shops and grocery store cheese counters cut the wheels and repackage slices, their equipment may be cross contaminated with corn products, the cleaner on it is cleaned with a corn based sanitizer, and the plastic wrap itself is often dusted in corn starch.
  • Starter cultures, rennet, and enzymes. The Wikipedia entry on Rennet has a good overview of what rennet is and how it is produced.  There are 5 types of coagulants in cheese making:
    • Animal Rennet: Enzymes that coagulate cheese are harvested from the stomachs of calves. While this is a problem for vegetarians, it is one of the safer cultures in cheesemaking for a corn allergy. However that doesn’t mean it’s always safe. Animal rennet can contain all kinds of preservatives that are commonly derived from corn. This ingredients list for a liquid animal rennet contains: propylene glycol, caramel color, flavor, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, all of which are likely from corn. So the safety of the cheese will just depend on the source of the rennet.
    • Vegetable Rennet: Many plants produce coagulating chemicals. This can be a variety of sources from caper leaves and thistles to phytic acid from soybeans, and yes, probably corn. I can’t find any evidence that coagulating chemicals are ever extracted from corn, just guessing. However even if they aren’t, the same preservatives listed above are often included in the vegetable rennet packaged for resale. Here’s one ingredients list that includes acetic acid and sodium acetate.
    • Microbial Rennet: Molds that produce coagulating enzymes are cultured to produce the coagulants. Can be cultured on a corn sugar medium and of course can be preserved with corn-based chemicals similar to animal rennet.
    • Fermentation-produced Chymosin. This is a genetically engineered product. Rennet producing genes are extracted from animal stomachs and inserted into various bacteria, fungi, and yeasts to make them produce chymosin when they wouldn’t normally. Then the chymosis is produced similar to microbial rennet, via fermentation, probably on a corn sugar medium.
  • Dyes. Many cheeses are colored with anatto, which can be from corn, or another dye that is corn-based.

So How Do I Find Safe Cheese?

For me personally, I find that artisan cheeses imported from cheese-loving european cultures such as France are better bets. I really don’t know the details of why that’s true, but I am guessing all of the possibilites for “incidental corn” listed above are just lower in those cultures due to small-batch and traditional practices. I have found a couple american-made cheeses that are okay, but the percentage is very small and often they worked for only a time before something changed and I started reacting. The problem is that corn-based chemicals are so widely available here for so many things that eventually the suppliers upstream of the cheese producers will change and previously safe food will become corny.
Something else I am finding is that I have to buy whole rounds.. when big grocery store counters cut the wheels and repackage, their equipment is not just cross contaminated, but also the cleaner on it is cleaned with a corn based sanitizer, and the plastic wrap itself is often dusted in corn starch. I could work with a small shop to cut me a fresh piece from a wheel using equipment cleaned with safe cleaners, but I just haven’t taken the time, instead buying products that come from the manufacturer individually packaged. Provided that the original packaging is safe of course.

Barbecue Season: Grilling Out Corn Free

It’s grilling season. Even if you don’t have safe meat or don’t eat meat, all *kinds* of other foods are delicious when cooked over charcoal.

Wait, I have to worry about corn when I grill out?  Even if I’m not cooking any food with corn in it?

But of course.

  • Propane: The gas itself is corn-free, but the distinctive rotten egg odor added to it is from ethyl mercaptan which is typically sourced from corn. I personally don’t have a lot of concerns about reacting to the fumes in a well ventilated area, or about food cooked over it in a pan, but wouldn’t want to be in an enclosed room with it, and wouldn’t want to eat food that was on a grill directly over it with a closed grill top.
  • Charcoal Briquettes: Briquettes are bound into shape using a starch, often corn but sometimes wheat, potato, or rice as well. Less sensitive people may be fine with being near or even cooking over corny charcoal as long as the food doesn’t touch it directly, but I personally can’t even be around it let alone eat food that was cooked over it.
  • Charcoal lighter fluid: Often contains ethanol from corn. And also smells terrible even if you aren’t allergic.
  • Grill and utensils: If cast-iron, can be pre-seasoned with a problematic oil. Corn oil is rarely used in pre-seasoned cast iron, however soy oil is very common, and even for those who are not soy allergic, many pressed vegetable oils contain citric acid as degummers and other contaminants that will be problematic for a corn allergy.
  • Grill and utensils: Can be cross contaminated. This is a big concern only for the truly sensitive. I discovered through experimentation that if I carefully clean a grill that has previously had corny charcoal burned in it, I can handle meat cooked over lump charcoal with the lid open. If, however, I close the lid and let the smoke infuse through the meat, I react to the meat. Somehow residue from the old allergens cooked in the grill remain even after I scrub and cook into the meat. Same with my oven. If I use a brand new grill with the same charcoal and close the lid, I’m fine. Porous foods get corned even with the lid open. Again, you probably have to be crazy sensitive to worry about this, but I know first hand that it is possible.

 What do I use instead?

Since some briquettes are bound using non-corn starches, you *could* research a brand that uses one of the alternative starches. However, they could change their source or formula at any time. I prefer to avoid binders entirely and use  lump charcoal that is only made from wood, no fillers. Check my product list to see which brands I am using safely. Note that some brands of lump charcoal are extremely poor quality and people have found things like carpenter’s nails in them because they are made from scrap wood. Check online reviews before you purchase a brand and make sure that it’s a high quality product.

Lump charcoal is far more temperamental to light and keep lit than briquettes. That’s why people use briquettes. To get it lit without lighter fluid, I use an electric charcoal starter. You pile the coals over it and plug the starter in, and the coals light in a relatively short time. Because the charcoal isn’t infused with the natural tinder of corn starch, a quality grill that retains heat well and allows for good airflow is important. I got a cheapo grill that had great reviews on Amazon and have found that my lump charcoal doesn’t seem to want to stay lit in it, so will probably need to upgrade. Our  more expensive but corny grill has no such problems with the same charcoal, so I do know that it is the grill causing the issue not the fuel.

Are All Lump Charcoals Safe?

Probably not. The issues I would be concerned about are:

  1. Quality control
  2. Packaging

Typically lump charcoal “should” be just fired wood, but depending on the source of the wood lots of other stuff could end up in there. Check out this FAQ about lump charcoal. 

“Since making lump charcoal is often done under somewhat crude conditions, it is normal to find a few rocks or pebbles in lump charcoal. However, a few other oddball items have been found like a mouse, human hair, a tootsie roll wrapper, varnished wood, and black shiny objects commonly referred to as moon rocks. Personally, in over two years and hundreds of pounds of lump charcoal, I’ve found 3 rocks and a tootsie roll wrapper. It shouldn’t be a great concern.”

Even if one isn’t concerned about allergens, that’s just kind of gross.

Then after that, it could be possible that the facilities are shared with something allergenic or whether the bags might be dusted with corn starch or made out of plant fiber or lined with corn plastic (PLA).

One could call and ask about all of these things, but I just guinea pigged the Royal Oak and it’s been okay, so I stick with it.

Cross Contamination

Barbecues are often chaotic. People are usually milling about,  moving dishes around and touching things constantly. If you are preparing both safe, and non-safe food, keep a close eye on what food is touching what utensils and surfaces and don’t let your corn free food come into contact with those things. Probably set yourself up a completely separate prep  and staging surface for your food, and consider using a separate grill top if not an entirely separate grill for the corn-free food.

I actually have to use a brand new corn-free grill, as I am so sensitive to cross contamination and traces that  corny foods cooked in an enclosed space like an oven or closed-top grill will stick to the walls in such a way that they contaminate other foods cooked in it. When I cleaned our grill top and tried to cook food on our old grill that had had the cornstarch-charcoal cooked in it, I was able to eat something that had been cooked for just a few minutes with the lid open, but reacted to a mushroom cooked for a long time with the lid closed.

Wash your hands frequently and keep an eye on your guests and family members, especially if they are drinking alcohol. One friend of mine that doesn’t really know much about my allergies constantly tries to “help” and ends up touching things he really shouldn’t with cross contaminated hands.  Another friend was standing near my “safe” grill and absentmindedly put some corny trash into my burning coals.  It was just the end of a hand-rolled cigarette (corn in the adhesive) and not enough to affect my food, but it could have been something much bigger.  Another dear friend is usually VERY careful about cross contamination, and after a couple of beers walked up to my safe grill and stared at the rack of short ribs roasting on it, then reached out and POKED IT WITH HIS FINGER. I think lasers probably shot out of my eyes, because as soon as he did it, he took three steps back and went, “Oh DUDE, I am SO SORRY.”  The rib was fine BTW, as he’d just washed his hands before doing that and had only touched his relatively clean beer bottle with his other hand.

Corntamination Series: Corn Free Tattoos

I’ll just go ahead and spoil this post by saying that I haven’t actually negotiated a corn free tattoo.  I’m sure it’s possible to do, I just haven’t done it. This question just comes up a lot so I wanted to cover what we *do* know about corn allergy concerns with tattooing.

The Ink

Tattoo ink consists of a pigment that imparts the color, and a carrier or base for the pigment to make it flow freely so that it can be injected into your dermis with the tattoo gun. The carrier for the ink is typically ethanol or glycerin. Ethanol can be from a number of things but is usually corn. Glycerin is usually from corn, soy, or palm. The pigments could be corny but usually are mineral based. It will be harder to find out about what is in the pigments than what the carrier is. You will need to get ahold of your artists ink supplier and get THEM to talk with you about the carrier, don’t expect your artist to know what’s in them.

I have heard that some tattoo inks use witch hazel for the carrier, however not only is witch hazel often actually witch hazel extract in a corn ethanol base, but I have heard that witch hazel tattoos age poorly. I have also heard that some artists mix their own inks from a dry pigment base, but I would be concerned with getting the correct concentration each time. But I’m not an expert: that level of detail is where you need work directly with your artist. You’ll need to find someone that has a proven track record of good art that ages well, and who is willing to work with you to keep you safe.

Everything Else

In addition to the ink itself you may need to be concerned about:

  • antiseptic used on skin before the work
  • plastic tubing (that ink runs through)
  • ointment applied after the tattoo
  • plastic ink cups
  • plastic soap bottle and soap inside it
  • plastic wrap or other sheeting that may be used to cover surfaces
  • paper towels (he uses to wipe away excess ink as he works)
  • gloves
  • sanitizer used to wash any surfaces
  • the artist’s hand soap
  • the artist’s personal care products such as deodorant or aftershave
  • Any bandage or wrap used to cover the tattoo after work is finished.
  • Adhesive used to attach the bandage, wrap, or cover.

A tattoo shop may be limited in what they can and can’t use depending on state and local regulations, so it’s important to  choose an artist that will communicate clearly with you and takes your concerns seriously. Never get a tattoo from someone you don’t trust and who doesn’t treat you kindly. That’s just generally good advice  even if you don’t have any allergies.

I haven’t yet found a corn free tattoo ink.  I have many tattoos but I got them all before becoming very sensitive to corn and have been afraid to get more work since then. I really haven’t been trying hard though: finding safe food has been a higher priority so I haven’t contacted any ink manufacturers yet. If you find a corn free ink please let me know, and if you happen to find one that is free of soy and palm as well that would be just dandy.

Corn Free Travel (Reprise)

[Updated 1/2018.]

It’s getting to be my travel season again, and while I haven’t solved most of my problems, I’m at least getting better at working around them.

My first travel post was in 2013 and was my first major trip since developing an intense sensitivity to corn, multiple food allergies, and becoming airborne sensitive:

Corn Free Travel: To Baltimore and Back Again

Since then I have traveled to:

  • Austin, Texas for the Housecore Horror Film Festival (yes, as in movies! But they didn’t serve popcorn so I could actually go!)
  • Oakland and San Francisco, CA (twice!)
  • Baltimore 3 more times for Maryland Deathfest
  •  NYC twice, for Martyrdoom, and also to hug friends.
  • Bend, Oregon for a specialist doctor.  (This got me my EDS diagnosis)
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota, for another specialist doctor.  (This got my my MCAS diagnosis.)

After a few trips like this, I am somewhat of an old hand at traveling. It doesn’t really get less awkward, but I just am more resigned to it. I refuse to quit living my life and doing things I enjoy just because my body is a jerk, so I am going to keep going through this effort and expense.

The topics covered in my previous post are still germane, and I still have a water problem that is not corn. I haven’t solved this water problem. I am still shipping my water ahead. Here’s a rundown of my travel “routine”:

Continue reading “Corn Free Travel (Reprise)” →

Ask Corn Allergy Girl: Glycerin

The Question

Hi there,  I was just diagnosed with a corn allergy and your website is so helpful.  Thank you for all the time and care you have put into sharing your knowledge!!  Question — I know some glycerin can be corn derived.  I have a hand cream that has glycerin and I emailed the mfr…they said the product is corn free and the glycerin is a synthetic form.  Does this answer the question?  I am not educated enough to know if this guy is not educated enough to answer me properly!!
Thanks so much.
Valerie

The Answer

Hi Valerie,

Your instinct to question the accuracy of that answer is totally correct. It’s not usually that manufacturers are trying to lie to you, it’s just that they don’t really know enough about chemistry to be able to answer your questions. When people say an ingredient is synthesized, always ask: “Synthesized using what?” You can’t just create something out of thin air, after all. There must have been some starting materials.  If they say something generalized like “citrus fruit” or “plant cellulose,” ask WHICH fruit, WHICH plants. And then still try carefully. 🙂 
 
As it turns out, it is actually possible to synthesize glycerin from a non-corn source. Here’s the big secret of how I figured that out: I looked it up on Wikipedia. Under the section about production, they mentioned that it can be from vegetable fats or indeed that it can be synthesized. If you click on the links for the materials they list as the building blocks for synthesis, you’ll see they are all petroleum sources. That’s interesting though. I have literally never seen anyone say they use glycerin from that source. It’s always vegetable. 
 
Best of luck with your new diagnosis. It’s a wild ride, but if you just take it one step at a time you’ll be fine.
 
Cheers,
B. 

Ask Corn Allergy Girl: Finding a Compounding Pharmacy

The Question

Hello,

I recently developed an allergy to ALL of my prescription medications. I take several of them and they are medications that I desperately need. Everytime I take them I have itching. I researched all of the ingredients and found that they all contain the same fillers & inactive ingredients. The common ingredient is magnesium stearate, but I’m not sure if it is the specific culprit. There are so many. I am having trouble finding substitutes that do not have all of the same exact fillers or any fillers for that matter! This is so frustrating! I don’t know what to do. Even OTC meds have all the same crap. I have prescriptions that need to be filled right now, but I am afraid to. My pharmacist thinks I’m crazy and we got into an argument over it. I live in a rural area where there aren’t any compounding pharmacies. Do you know of a reputable national compounding pharmacy that uses pure medication without fillers? I am going to an allergist next week. I hope she believes me & is will to try a REPUTABLE compounding pharmacy that uses pure medication without using crushed pills. Please I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thank you!
Sheri

Some Background: There’s Corn In Medications?

If you look at the inactive ingredients of just about any prescription medication, chances are you will find at *least* one item from the corn allergens list, very likely corn starch. What to do then? Sometimes you may be able to find a version of the medication that is either corn free or has little enough corn that you can tolerate it. If not, you may need to have some of your meds custom-made for you with ingredients you tolerate. There are pharmacies called compounding pharmacies that can do this for you.

My Response to the Question

I have been exactly here and it’s scary and frustrating.

First, are you on the Facebook Corn Allergy group and/or the Delphi Avoiding Corn Forums? If not, join one or both of them immediately. You need some support, and there may even be a member of one of those groups who is in your state and already has a pharmacy they are working with.

There are a couple of reputable national compounding pharmacies. College Pharmacy is one. However the “big guys” that can ship to every single state rarely use custom filler, and I find it highly likely that you will need to provide your pharmacy with a custom filler you know you tolerate. If not now, you probably will later. So rather than go for a national compounding pharmacy, it would be better if you can find someone more local to you via the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board. (Choose “PCAB Compounding Pharmacy” from the dropdown if in the USA, or “Canadian PCAB Certificiaton” if in Canada.)

If I were you, I would use that registry to find someone near you, either in your state or in a neighboring state, and ask them:

1) Do they make their custom prescriptions out of the pure drug, without fillers, and mix in their own fillers on site if fillers are needed? (Some “compounding” pharmacies get the drug already diluted with corny fillers, and this will not work for us.)
2) If fillers are required, are they able to use a filler that YOU provide, if you are unable to tolerate any of the fillers they stock?
3) If you do not tolerate the soap they use to clean the capsule machine (many use Dawn which is corny), would they be able to use a different soap for you?
4) If you do not tolerate the gloves they use to handle the meds, are they able to switch to a different type?

The answers to all of the above should be yes in order for you to do business with a pharmacy. Even when they answer all your questions correctly, be prepared that the first time you fill a script, it may not be successful, so don’t go ordering a 90-day supply to begin with.

Note that I personally do not need to have them use a custom soap on their capsule machines, however my pharmacy is willing to do so if needed and that is comforting to me. At the time of writing I have them use Karlin’s Finest Baking Soda for a filler and Letco brand gelatin capsules. They don’t use custom soap on their capsule machines but they do refrain from stuffing their bottles with cotton and I have asked them to not use packing peanuts when mailing my prescriptions.

Getting Medications Compounded on News for Corn Avoiders

My Additional Notes on Getting Medications Compounded

Tips on Saving Money at the Farmer’s Market

Eating the way I have to is expensive, and I don’t have any choice but to find a way to afford it. I am financially lucky compared to many, and I still have a difficult time affording it. Over the summer as I’ve been stockpiling food for the winter, I’ve found a few ways to cut costs and thought I would pass on what I’ve learned.

  • Ask about buying large quantities. Farmers will often cut you significant deals if you are buying a 25lb box instead of just a couple of pounds. Of course you’ll have to find ways to preserve and store that quantity.
  • Show up late in the day for discounts on items that the farmers don’t want to pack home. Showing up late may cause you to lose out on the fast-selling items though, so be aware of that before you make this decision.
  • Ask about the “seconds” or the “uglies.” These are items that are physically blemished but often perfectly edible. Often these are not out for display and are kept under or behind the counter somewhere.
  • See if you can work out a trade. I have had more than one vendor tell me that if I showed up early to help them unload the truck, he’d cut me a deal on the produce I bought. I didn’t end up taking them up on it, but I don’t think they were joking. If you have a marketable skill like website design, you could look at trading that kind of work for food, as well.
  • Keep a friendly, polite, open line of communication with your farmers. Being a good and frequent customer can get you some discounts, but if you don’t speak with your vendor enough for them to know you and remember you, they may not realize what a good customer you are.

If you have SNAP/EBT benefits, there are many farmer’s markets that accept EBT cards. Here is a list of Farmer’s Markets that accept them. (This is the official Food and Nutrition Service document, and is a Microsoft  Word document. If you don’t have Word, I will try to keep this Google Doc version updated.)