Hold the Sauce...

One thing that I am always careful of when I am not eating at home, is the sauce. Ketchup, Salad Dressing, Sweet and Sour, Mayo, Barbecue... and the list goes on...  If I am eating out or eating at a friend's house, if I cannot see the label for the "sauce" I will not eat it.  This also goes for marinades used in grilling meat.

Ketchup- When I first learned about my reaction to Corn Syrup I was quite sad that ketchup was deleted from my diet...I mean, who doesn't love a good ol' french fry in ketchup every once in a while...  GOOD NEWS, there are several brands that now have CS free Ketchup.  Hunts being one of the biggest.  I also am a fan of organic ketchup (I actually like the flavor better too).  

Barbecue Sauce- There are VERY FEW barbecue sauce brands/flavors out there without CS.  The only one that I can find on a consistent basis is "Bulls Eye".  It has variety in flavors and is actually quite yummy!  I can now make pulled chicken or bbq on the grill!  Yeah!

*UPDATE- Bulls Eye changed their BBQ sauce to now include corn syrup with no change in label.  I complained to Kraft about this and received an apology and coupons for many Kraft products. 

Mayo and Salad Dressings- completely have to shop by label for these!   Too bad for us, the "reduced fat" kind often time have CS where the regular ones do not...hmmm...

If there is a restaurant I frequent, I will check with them on a certain sauce that I would get.  For instance, our "Chili's" ranch dressing is CS Free!!   Olive Garden HAS CS in ALMOST EVERYTHING.  I usually leave OG hungry!

Bread

One of the things that surprised me the most was that Corn Syrup is in many "bread" products.  Most of your generic bread loafs, many crackers, bread crumbs, and most hamburger and hot dog buns have corn syrup.  If I want to buy bread, I either have to check out the bakery section (watch out for corn syrup disguised as "corn sugar") or the best brand name I have found without corn syrup in many of their products is Arnold's many of their breads (still check) and sandwich thins are CS free!  


Tip for Eating Out:  If you want to order something that usually comes on bread, ask if you can replace the bread with a tortilla shell (SAFE), or order it with no bun at all!  :-) 


**PANERA BREAD has MANY safe breads to eat!  The one by my house has an ingredient book stashed right behind the counter.  I just have to ask for it, find the meal I want and scan the ingredients.  It is SUPER and usually free and clear!


Tip for summer barbecues:  If you know you are going to a "grill out" or a church or school function where you know that hamburgers or sandwiches are going to be on the menu, stash a tortilla shell or Arnold Sandwich Thin in a ziploc bag in your purse.  This makes it easier, less messy and less annoying (I just get sick of asking people to check ingredients)


PS- Hamburgers are almost always safe (unless something is mixed in the meat) Hotdogs are almost always NOT safe.

How my body's rejection led me to a healthier lifestyle

As an introduction to the blogging world, let me tell you a little bit about myself. In 8th grade I had migraine headaches for 3 months.  Many of which forced me to be in bed for days at a time.  At the time we started to think that the culprit was sugar, because every time I would drink soda, or have something with a high sugar content, I would quickly spiral into a migraine.  After eliminating sugar, a friend of ours told us how she was sensitive to corn syrup and wondered if that might be the cause.  After reintroducing sugar, we found that indeed, corn syrup was to blame.  At first, it only was a problem if it was in the first few ingredients.  Then, my jr. year of collage, I was sick for 2 months before realizing that there was corn syrup in the bread with which I was making my lunches.  I then needed to start really reading ALL labels and being VERY careful.  3 years after that, I again was becoming sick very often and realized that I was not only sensitive to eating it, but I started reacting to corn syrup in the air (syrup on pancakes, french toast sticks at school etc...) .

Anyways, due to this, I had to make some major changes in diet throughout the years, and I also needed to start educating those around me, in my workplace, in my classroom etc...  I also went through many attitude checks as I matured, and learned, and accepted this new way of life.  I also learned, that as a person with a sensitivity, allergy, or whatever you want to call it, I needed to learn how to advocate for myself without making others feel guilty about what they were serving or eating.  This has taken a while to learn, and I have not always had the best of attitudes, but I have learned alot.   The purpose of my blog is to share the information on how to eat "corn syrup free" and still function.  It's easy at home.  It's not easy out to eat, at your friend's dinner party, or at the relatives for Christmas.  I have found creative ways to do all of these things, and also just tips on what to look out for and what to use as substitutes!  I would welcome any tips from anyone on success stories of yours as well.