For some people, body pain is a daily struggle, but the solution for a more comfortable life may be as close as your menu. If you have food sensitivities or allergies, certain items in your diet can trigger a spectrum of symptoms, including pain in your back and joints, explains the Woodlands Healing Research Center. Foregoing the common allergens wheat, corn and soy can help you identify whether you're sensitive to these foods and may potentially reduce your pain as a result.
Step 1
Read food labels. Thoroughly checking the ingredients list on all your foods will ensure you don't accidentally ingest an item you're trying to avoid. Along with appearing as wheat, corn or soy in ingredients lists, these items can masquerade behind a variety of other terms. Wheat can be listed as bran, bulgur, couscous, durum, einkorn, enriched flour, gluten, farina, graham flour, cereal extract, whole-wheat flour, wheat malt, wheat starch, whole-wheat berries, sprouted wheat, vital gluten, high-protein flour or high-gluten fiber. Alternative terms for corn include maize, polenta, corn extract, hominy, grits, posole and nixtamal. Soy can fall under the names of miso, shoyo sauce, hydrolyzed soy protein, tempeh, tofu, textured vegetable protein, soy sauce, soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, soy flour, soy nuts, soy milk, soy grits and soy sprouts.
Step 2
Identify likely wheat-, corn- or soy-containing foods when a list of ingredients is unavailable. When you're at a restaurant, attending social events or dining at someone's house, you may not have access to the food's original packaging to check ingredients. In such cases, note that wheat is generally found in bread, breakfast cereals, beer, cake, cookies, pastries, donuts, muffins, pancakes, bread stuffing, thickened soups, waffles, biscuits, pretzels, crackers, some ice creams, thickened salad dressings, malted milk, lunch meats, breaded meats and vegetables, meatloaf, Worcestershire sauce, gravy and soy sauce. Foods with corn include popcorn, some frozen or canned vegetables, polenta, some breakfast cereals, hominy, grits, corn bread, tortillas and many Mexican dishes. Soy is an ingredient in soy milk, some pastas, tofu, some coffee substitutes, instant coffee, hot chocolate mixes, lunch meats, vegetarian meat or cheese substitutes, canned soups, hard candies, some brands of ice cream, margarine, some salad dressings, soy nuts, tamari sauce, imitation bacon bits and some types of granola.
Step 3
Look for alternatives. Because avoiding wheat, corn and soy means cutting a significant number of foods from your diet, you will need to find other items to substitute. Look for breads, pastas, cereals and other starch-based foods made from oats, barley, potato, rye, quinoa, millet or tapioca. Swap soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and other off-limits condiments for salt, chili powder, herbs, nuts or other flavor enhancers. Instead of eating breaded fish, meat or vegetables, eat these foods baked, roasted, boiled or fried. Choose soups with a water base containing no noodles, corn kernels or monosodium glutamate, MSG.
Step 4
Avoid derivatives. In some cases, eschewing only direct wheat, corn and soy ingredients may not be enough to prevent reactions such as joint and back pain; also, you may need to avoid additional ingredients for pain relief. Foods that may contain traces of wheat, corn or soy include modified food starch, gum, vegetable starch, modified starch, natural flavoring, gelatinized starch, vegetable broth, vegetable gum, flavorings, alcohol, ascorbic acid, caramel and caramel color, citric acid, maltol, lecithin, inverted syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, saccharin, confectioners sugar, sorbic acid, vanilla flavoring, yeast, fructose and fruit juice concentrate.
Step 5
Inquire at restaurants. If you are unsure whether a menu item contains wheat, corn or soy, alert your server of your specialized diet and ask about the ingredients of the dish you want. Many restaurants will cater to individuals with food allergies or even explicitly prepare a dish without the offending ingredients.
Tips and Warnings
- Products labeled "gluten free" will not contain wheat but may still contain corn or soy. Check the ingredients label before consuming. Because soy oil lacks allergenic proteins, it typically does not cause allergic reactions like joint pain in soy-sensitive individuals. When possible, cook at home. This gives you control over the ingredients.
- If you find a wheat-, corn- and soy-free diet to be too limiting, consult a dietitian to design a meal plan that covers all your nutritional bases.
References
- "Woodlands Healing Research Center"; Food Allergy: Even the Best of Foods Can Make You Sick!; February 2007
- Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford: Wheat Allergy Diet
- Corn Allergens: Corn Allergen List
- The Cook's Thesaurus: Corn
- Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford: Soy Allergy Diet
