I could be wrong but I think many are avoiding corn because it has been modified just like wheat has.

Starch and sugar is all corn is.

Something like 90% of the corn and soy grown in the US is GMO. It's up to you whether that's bothersome or not, but that's the main reason given by most people who avoid them.

I eat fresh, local corn on the cob on occasion, but avoid all processed corn products. I read the labels of everything I buy and avoid corn additives. Things like high fructose corn syrup are, I believe, big contributors to obesity in this country.

Organic grains are not modified...

I avoid corn because of the carbs. I try to eat mostly protein and non-starchy vegetables, and fruit for dessert. I avoid corn syrup because it is so prevalent in processed foods. I would rather eat produce and limited sugar, and make my own drinks (coffee, tea, lemonade, fruit smoothies, water).

I don't avoid gluten, but I avoid flour-based foods. I eat limited amounts of most things, but for hunger I go with meat and produce. Anything else is a treat and I have to really want it.

Digestion is so much better with a clean diet.

You've got me....the only things I try to get my family to avoid are excess sugar and fried food (try being the key word here!) I do push fresh fruits and veggies like some sort of carney huckster :) but with teens it is hit or miss. Luckily, we are all very athletic with no weight or health issues so haven't needed to restrict anything. I did read that a gluten free diet is not good for most kids, unless they have celiac disease. Apparently, kids are missing out on certain nutrients by following that diet. I will try to find out where I read that and post. As far as soy, I remember some of the moms in my playgroup freaking out bc there was a study that said kids who drank soy formula developed earlier (precocious puberty) than kids who drank regular formula or breast milk. I remember one mom in particular donating about $100 worth of soy formula to a local shelter bc she would no longer give it to her child. (I guess she wasn't concerned about the poor baby who would be receiving it?) Anyway, that was the last I heard about the danger of soy, and this was about 15 years ago!

Organic grains are not modified...

No. that's a good point, but around here I hardly ever see organic corn for sale, probably because there are such ginormous monsanto tracts nearby that nobody can honestly say for sure their corn is organic, since it's open pollinated.

I don't get the whole fear of GMO grains. Before they did it in a lab, farmers modified their crops to make them better/stronger/healthier with cross-pollination and grafting. Isn't it basically the same thing?

I do understand the objection to putting livestock on antibiotics and growth hormones and stuff like that.

Donna

Isn't it basically the same thing?

No, GMO means putting genetic material from other unrelated species into plants. The primary motivation for doing this is so that they can stand much higher amounts of roundup and pesticides without dying.

I do think that most people who are opposed to GMO would be equally horrified if they understood a lot of common "traditional" seed breeding practices. For instance, since shortly after WWII it's been very common to irradiate seeds to see what happens. And while I love Sweet Tango apples, those are the result of techniques which could never happen in nature, like embryo transfer.

I have a friend (78 years old) who has been gluten-free as long as I've known her, about 10 years. We're in the same book club that we take turns hosting in our homes. I always get gluten-free crackers for her, which I don't mind eating myself.

Last week I hosted the group. When she arrived, I pointed out the gluten-free crackers. She said, "Oh, I'm not doing gluten-free anymore." Interesting. I asked if it no longer bothered her. She said she's now on a diet that's mostly fat. "Like bacon?" I asked. She said yes. Now that's a restricted diet I could embrace.

I avoid corn due to a severe allergy to it and all it's components. Used to LOVE corn products, but now they are life threatening. As some said above, corn products can be in so many items -- and other food items not labeled as corn derived may be "fed" corn products to produce them -- and then spreading the allergen, i.e., xanthan gum, citric acid, some yeasts, etc...

Regarding GMOs -- my fear is that they will splice a corn gene into something else I can eat and I will react to it. Unfortunately, we are not told what genes are being spliced into GMO products -- and it can make a difference in your health.

I don't know about trends. I can't have gluten because of celiac..can't have 90% of dairy out there because celiac somehow ruins whatever is there to absorb lactose properly..within past several years, can't also tolerate any fruits, berries-don't know why..chocolates and crackers even if they are certified gluten fee..half of vegetables out there. It's like my body lost its mind lol, and the autoimmune system runs amok and just fights whatever without much sense.

But I'm not keen about explaining all this stuff to people that gather around dining table or picnic table, and that I've seen a couple times before. I get they are sometimes genuinely interested and ask questions like "and what will happen if you try that?", but I really don't want to answer these questions :)..it's not a great conversational topic for dinner. And I hate being in this doubtful spotlight.

So maybe this person just mentioned being so and so specific-food free, because having free will when deciding on what food to eat feels and sounds much better than having such and such condition. And takes conversation to less personal direction.

That's my guess. Might be totally wrong of course.

I just say "No thank you" when I can't have such and such. Unless I'm among close friends who know me for years

There are many conditions out there I had no idea about until I had to deal with it-myself, or as a mom. Oral allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis..bunch of stuff that you never knew existed, but hey, it does.

PS not soy itself, but soy sauce does contain gluten. unless it's a gluten free soy sauce.

Corn-have no idea. Some people keep low- fodmap diet..then it would make sense, all of it, including the corn.

I was also advised to keep it by the way but I can't have half of what's approved there..))

Writersblock is correct in that corn is one of the top foods that is GMO. The biggest fear people have of anything GMO is that the process would introduce an allergen, and if the transferred genetic material adversely affects human health. I do not know if this has happened in either case but it's the major concern. Soy, papaya, canola, beets, are also on the list of GMO foods.

I still eat corn on the cob. I love it and I buy it from our local farmers every year. Yeah, it's probably GMO and it's probably not organic either but I don't eat it every day.

Corn is not only GMO, but is now, itself, an insecticide.

I haven't read the other answers so this might have been mentioned already but some people might not want to eat soy because it mimics the effects of estrogen in the body so people with breast cancer choose to stay away from it. I think it is considered safe, but some people feel better avoiding it.

April, what types of food are you able to eat?

I think my friend who went from gluten-free to never-mind wasn't just trying things on for size. She's an extremely level-headed, intelligent woman, a licensed acupuncturist, and beset with a variety of health issues, including a recent breast cancer diagnosis. I believe she felt gluten-free was in her best interests, but it wasn't a critical situation.

Well..I can eat eggs. fish, meat. rice. some soups. gluten free bread. cherry tomatoes. potatoes, carrots, bell peppers..when they are prepared somehow. avocado. arugula. (start going alphabetically here lol). cheese. quinoa. buckwheat. gluten free oats. it's not like I'm starving..)))

I just was so happy when they finally diagnosed me. And I went on this strict diet, and it helped. Such a relief. It's not really hard being on a diet. Even when nobody knew yet about this gluten like everybody does now, and there was no special bread etc. It was worth it. Totally. And then it stopped helping...after several years. And things stopped making any sense whatsoever too.

There are much worse things to battle. As we all know. This is just annoying..

Aprilneverends, I have autoimmune issues, too, and have tracked what foods make me feel badly in a very descriptive way that I won't get into here. I have a gluten intolerance but not diagnosed celiac. The challenge that I face is that I will still on occasion eat gluten because it's part of a dinner or party and I don't want to make a deal out of it or offend the host. I know I'll feel it later, but the effects are tolerable--not life-threatening but uncomfortable. I'd rather experience the discomfort than turn down what's served. As I get older, though, I'm finding this just isn't in my best interests.

Fortunately, on a day-to-day basis, I don't have strong cravings and I'm in a position to control my diet. I actually like a limited diet--it takes the guesswork out of grocery shopping.

As a sidenote, I have a family history with Monsanto. It's always bothered me. It's an incredibly opportunistic company.

Here's a great article on soy. Anyone with thyroid issues should be careful.

http://www.thevelvetmind.com/soy-panacea-poison.htm

The other group of foods to watch out for are Goitigens and cruciferous vegetables. Kale is not the end all, be all for everyone.

https://www.verywell.com/all-about-goitrogens-3233164

I can't eat soy and now, since my gall bladder was removed, I find I have issues with dairy. I can eat it in moderation, but for some reason especially nonfat yogurt is not good.

I think the big thing with corn (along with soybeans, sugar beets and canola) is the vast majority of it in the States is now GMO. GMO can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what it accomplishes.

"the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require any safety assessment of genetically engineered crops*"

The bad thing is they are now breeding insecticides into the genetic make up of the plant which means it gets into your system when you eat it which then works on your gut bacteria, doing to them what it does to the insects. That's why GMO corn can be so bad for you. Because corn is wind pollinated, cross contamination becomes difficult to avoid.

april, I'm sure you've tried, but I just want to mention about probiotics, just in case. Sounds to me like your biome, which is responsible for digesting so much of our food, really needs a boost. There are different probiotics out there now, many of which are formulated to survive the stomach and make it into the intestines. There's also kimchi and sauerkraut and apple cider vinegar with mother, and other foods that are supposed to be very probiotic. If worse comes to worse, there's always a stool transplant....

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*Consumer reports on GMO foods

April, I have a friend who is going through this. It has really been eye-opening for me to see how gluten affects her! She has had a tough time.

Thankful that we have local farm produce in season and a great little market that provides produce even during the off-season (much of it from Florida and Alabama) that is mostly organic. I rarely buy produce at a regular grocery store. This kind of talk makes me happy to can/freeze veggies and fruits!

Thank you for your support and suggestions everybody

Would be helpful if they'd diagnosed me when I was a baby or at least a little kid..would save a lot of trouble.

It's a complicated thing, the medicine is...half science half art..since you can't be sure what's going on in so many cases.

Oh well. I wish they'd find the cure for cancer, first of all.

Corn has been GMO forever-it's just that now Monsanto holds the patent to virtually all corn seeds and it's had pesticides spliced into the genes.

I think, however, that people are avoiding corn because it's not digestible. I don't feed my animals any food with corn, and their BM's are very small-they digest more of the nutrients.

I also have a gluten intolerance, I keep saying I'm going to go off gluten again, but haven't made that commitment yet. I have learned that there is a dietary test for food sensitivities-it's very detailed, and I'm hoping to get my dr to order it for me because I suffer from a variety of autoimmune disorders and inflammatory issues-all very much affected by trigger foods.