Cornstarch Allergy:
Avoiding Many Products And Still
Finding Healthy Snacks

Eliminating corn from your healthy snacks and even your diet due to a cornstarch allergy may sound like an easy thing to do - Right? But in today's marketplace, cornstarch is and can be found almost anywhere in the house or the garage. This is because it is commonly used as an additive to products to prevent dampness from settling in or it is commonly used in the kitchen for preparing dinner.

What Is Corn Starch

As the name implies, cornstarch is the "starchy" portion of the maize grain or the corn kernel. It has double the thickening power of regular flour so only half the amount should be used. To any person with a cornstarch allergy or a corn intolerance, a viable alternative for a substitute is either arrowroot or tapioca starch being used in equal amounts.

Some Hidden Sources Of Corn Starch

• Iodized table salt- check label

• Sauces, gravies and soups use corn starch as thickeners

• Cosmetics

• Toiletries, bath soaps, bath powder etc.

• Prescriptions and over-the-counter medications

• Multi-vitamins

• Some vaccines

• Lactic acid on the ingredient label means corn starch was used during the fermentation process

• Powdered garden chemicals- check label

• Powdered plant food- check label

• (some companies) Charcoal briquettes

• Latex gloves

• Some vegetables and fruits- canned or frozen

• 10X or 6X sugar(confectioner's sugar)

• Baking powder and Baking soda

• Laundry starch

This list is by no means complete but as you can tell, corn starch does show up in some of the most unusual places.

Common Substitutions For The Corn Allergic

• 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour=1 tbsp. cornstarch

• 2 Tbsp. granular tapioca= 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

• 1 Tbsp. Arrowroot flour= 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

• 1 Tbsp. Potato flour or rice flour= 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

How To Use Cornstarch or Its Substitutes