I have been making my own baking powder for 3 years, due to my corn allergy.  An allergy to corn is a tricky one, because corn is hidden in so many things, and so many things are made from corn.  Also, companies are not required to label corn on their packages.  Until corn is considered a major allergy by the FDA, corn can be in a package without any labeling required.

Here is an example.  Dried fruit.  You can buy a bag of dried dates, and they don’t have to tell you that the bag was dusted with corn starch to prevent sticking, because it’s a part of the packaging, not an ingredient.  This website has an extensive list of corn derivatives (for example: dextrose is made from corn; if you see dextrose on the label, then it most likely has corn in it.)  Corn might be used in the preparation, or packaging of a food, or it may have something added (like the vitamins I mentioned in the rice milk post) that are in a corn solution.  The best way to avoid corn, is to avoid packaged food- which is what we should all be doing anyway!

As an aside, I often express thanks for my food allergies, that force us to make healthier eating choices, because two of us can’t eat most of that stuff anyway.

I have been surprised by corn in:

• confectioner’s sugar (corn starch)
• xanthum gum (grown on corn)
• meat (with maltodextrin added for flavor)
• rice milk (vitamins added)
• other vitamins (the capsule, or other vessel)
• prescription and over the counter meds (my synthroid and allergy meds had corn starch in them)

Here is my baking powder recipe:

• 6 tbs cream of tartar
• 6 tbs arrowroot
  
• 3 tbs baking soda

I measure each one into a jar, and then screw the lid on, and shake it up!  These ingredients are cheaper bought in bulk, and it might seem expensive, but it’s much cheaper than buying a corn-free baking powder.  (The corn-free ones have potato starch usually, instead.  Since potato is a mild allergen that I use in a rotation diet, I prefer to be potato free in my baking powder as well).

This is part of a 31 Days series on Less Stress in Allergy-Free Eating.  To view a list of all the posts in the series you can go here. To subscribe to my posts via email, you can go to my homepage, and type in your email address in the box on the right-hand margin.  To view the list of over 700 bloggers participating in this 31 Days blogging challenge go here!