If you're thinking of trying a gluten- and corn-free diet, you're part of a growing trend: new gluten-free products are springing up on grocery store shelves everywhere, and an increasing number of people are avoiding corn as well, in part because of health concerns involving high-fructose corn syrup. The good news is, it's possible to eat a healthy and balanced diet focused completely on gluten- and corn-free foods.
Significance
About one in every 133 Americans suffers from celiac disease, a genetic condition in which gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye grains, attacks your small intestine, according to the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders. People with celiac disease or gluten intolerance need to avoid all gluten-containing foods, and some also find they have an additional intolerance to foods that contain corn. In addition, it's possible to have an allergy to corn, which means you need to avoid it.
Identification
To eliminate gluten and corn foods from your diet, you first need to know where those ingredients might hide. To avoid gluten-containing foods, you need to look for the words "wheat, barley and rye" on ingredients lists, according to Colorado State University. However, the foods still might be lurking under some other name, so your best bet is to look for a "gluten-free" label, indicating there's no hidden gluten. For corn, look for the words "corn," "maize" and "high fructose corn syrup," which sometimes is abbreviated "HFCS," according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Types
In practice, you'll likely find that all but a small handful of processed foods are free of both gluten and corn. For processed snack foods, you can turn to potato chips, and for dessert, you might find ice cream made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. Cereals you can eat might include some forms of rice crisps and cereals based on alternative grains, such as quinoa.
Benefits
Fortunately, almost all fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and poultry products, will be safe on a gluten- and corn-free diet. You can enjoy virtually unlimited selections from the produce department, as long as you avoid any jarred or canned fruit that also includes syrup. Meat and other protein sources should be fine as long as they don't have sauces or marinades added to them in processing.
Considerations
A few specialty companies have developed products for people allergic to both gluten and corn, and options include cookies, candies and some other baked goods, according to Colorado State University. In addition, you should be able to find plain bread made with gluten- and corn-free flour. If you're in doubt about what foods you can and can't include on your gluten- and corn-free diet, you might want to consider consulting a dietitian, who can help you learn to read ingredient labels and identify hidden forms of both foods.
