[Sca-cooks] My Lenten Corn Fast

Kingstaste kingstaste at comcast.net
Mon Mar 24 16:13:43 PDT 2008


This year I did not try to do a medieval diet, but I did a fast
nevertheless.  I did an herbal cleanse during the entire run of Lent (herbs
and LOTS of fiber, capsules morning and night) so it coincided well.  I
chose to give up corn and corn products for the duration.  It is a New World
Food, so in that, I did apply some of the spirit of a medieval prohibition.


I did not think I had a problem with corn as far as an allergy goes.
According to the blood type diet, corn is a neutral food for me, neither
beneficial nor harmful.  Mind you, I've found the blood type diet
suggestions to be fairly accurate, but not 100%.  I discovered that I am
allergic to wheat, and that coincides with my blood type (A).  
But corn is not just a yellow plant; it finds its way into EVERYTHING today,
so I did my best to avoid the many products manufactured from corn as well.
In this, I failed miserably.  My very first morning, I had some pulled pork
bbq meat and put some bbq sauce on it, and then thought "DOH! High Fructose
Corn Syrup!".  It is everywhere.  I managed to give myself food poisoning in
the late part of February, and the only thing I was able to hold on my
stomach for a while was ginger ale - more hfcs.  However, I did my best, I
did not actually eat corn itself, nor a tortilla chip or much Mexican food
at all.  I did eat one corn cake (like a rice cake, but made from corn) on
one Sunday.  I also drank a few more sodas, but only on Feast Days (the
occasional Wednesday and Sunday).  I bought a few natural sodas made with
cane sugar, and found several I liked.  As for derivatives, I read labels
(as always) and avoided the ones I knew (maltodextrin, dextrose, etc.) but
didn't delve deeply into what other common chemicals are derived from corn,
I just found out this morning that Sorbitol is one.  I'm sure I ingested
many.  

I found myself looking forward to my first chance to eat popcorn, I even
chose not to go see a movie in a theatre so I didn't have to smell popcorn
and not eat it.  I was at a party over the weekend, and a friend had brought
2 boxes of Fiddle Faddle.  He gave one to me, and on Easter Morning, I
opened it and have now finished the box - popped corn covered with corn
syrupy-caramel-goodness :) I never did eat a jelly bean, but I've had corn!
LOL

So I've determined that I really don't have any reactions to eating corn,
not like I've found with wheat and some other foods, so that's all good.  I
did loose some weight, but I can't distinguish the corn reduction from the
food poisoning diet, which is pretty darned effective (but not recommended).

I will continue to try and avoid corn derivatives, although that is a
loosing battle, especially when even the food wax they spray on fresh apples
is made from it!  

A friend sent me a link to this ABC News Diane Sawyer interview about the
documentary "King Corn":
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=6964215
The clip isn't very long, but addresses many issues regarding corn
consumption in the US.  They lay out a table of foods and other objects that
all have corn in them, and have hair tests done to determine their carbon
sources.

Here's hoping everyone found out something about themselves during their
Lenten Fasts, and had a wonderful Easter as well! 
Christianna





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