Allergy to Corn Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup

[theduhaimes]

We just found out last week that my DS7 is allergic to corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. We are booked to go to Seaworld and WDW in December. I have 4 kids but have never had to deal with a food allergy before (therefore have zero experience). I have read that Disney is great about handling food allergies. Has anyone had any luck with this one. It is in EVERYTHING! Any advice or help is appreciated!

 

[sb682]

Corn is so tricky! Disney should still be great at accommodating you, since they specifically mention on the Special Diets website that they can help those with corn allergies. People have all kinds of unusual allergies and have a great time at WDW. Email special.diets@disneyworld.com and ask for their most recent information related to corn allergies. They should send you a PDF with their alternative food choices, and you can research which ones will work for your son. For example, they can make Mickey waffles with Bob's Red Mill or Namaste mix, but Bob's has corn starch and Namaste does not.

On any ADR's you make, note your son's allergy. Call about a week before your trip and ask to speak to the chef about what they can do for him. And at CS restaurants, they have a giant binder with the ingredients in every item, so you can figure out what he can eat. I'm sure someone else can chime in with more info.

 

[disfan07]

Is he allergic to all corn or just corn syrup and HFCS? That would make a difference in accomodations. I was just wondering because you specifically mention corn syrup and HFCS, not just corn allergy.

If its all corn, mark the corn allergy on all your ADRs. You can also email special diets and they should be able to give you more information.

When you eat at CS meals, you can tell the cashier that there are food allergies and they will get you a manager who will discuss the options with you.

I'm not allergic to corn but I do have a long list of allergies and WDW has been wonderful with it.

 

[theduhaimes]

At this point in time we have only eliminated corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. He can still have other forms of corn. Thank you for the information. I will definitely email Disney!

 

[ddevito]

Hello, I have so many food allergies that it is easier to tell people what I can eat rather than what I cannot. I am allergic to yeast, nuts, corn, watermelon, bananas (all latex and latex type foods), molds, cottonseed oil, etc.

I just got back from Disney a few weeks ago. They were fabulous at accommodating my allergies. One chef went above and beyond getting creative so I could eat. It was great! I never got sick, never had to use my epy pen - it was totally stress free.

Good luck!

 

[MSSANDRA]

When you go to TS meals, you will need to be very clear with the chief on what you need to avoid. My DS has a resolving egg allergy. He is fine with eggs cooked in foods, but we avoid things like dressing and mayo and of course straight eggs. He also has a PA allergy that require total avoidance. We learned at WDW that if we mention the egg allergy, they wanted to exclude any items like breadings that may contain eggs but were totally safe for him. You may need to spell out to them exactly what you need to avoid. I would expect that most TS places would have no problems providing desserts with out this, but many of the CS desserts may be off limits.

 

[theduhaimes]

Thank you for all the responses! We go to WDW in December and I am hoping by then to be more comfortable with his allergy and have a better andle on what he can and not eat.

 

[Piper]

At one point in time, my daughter was allergic to all corn. It is in everything!! Corn starch, corn flour and of course corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup! I avoided the problem by doing all from scratch cooking! You are lucky that it is not all corn products! Fortunately, years of allergy shots took care of the problem!

 

[ddevito]

At one point in time, my daughter was allergic to all corn. It is in everything!! Corn starch, corn flour and of course corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup! I avoided the problem by doing all from scratch cooking! You are lucky that it is not all corn products! Fortunately, years of allergy shots took care of the problem!

Really? I am surprised as my allergist said there were no shots for food allergies, just pollen. Really interesting.

 

[CuteAndFluffy]

My husband has a sensitivity to corn and its by products. He has severe gastric distress/IBS flare ups when he eats Maltodextrin, modified food starch, HFCS, etc.. I will say that it's a much easier time to avoid those ingredients than it was just a few years ago!

All the advice here has been good--note it on you ADRs, check out the ingredient books at CS, bring your own snacks and a few safe pb&j sandwiches. Buffets are GREAT if you can chat with the chef. Disney is a world leader in helping people with allergies, so it should be smooth sailing.

I have lots more general tips that have worked for us, but we fall into the sensitive camp, not a life threatening allergy, so they may not apply to you. Feel free to PM me with any questions. I'm happy to help. You'll have a great trip and a great time!

 

[Piper]

Really? I am surprised as my allergist said there were no shots for food allergies, just pollen. Really interesting.

My daughter, my son and I all took allergy shots for several years. This was many years ago as my daughter is now 45 and she was young. I was taught to administer them and had vials for each person (marked for them.) My daughter always wanted me to give hers in a freckle on her arm!

I am surprised to hear that you were told they weren't available. My doctor's office gave me the vials. At the end of 1 and again at 2 years they repeated the testing, and the reaction had lessened at 1 year and was gone at 2. She was also allergic to strawberries and spinach. My son was allergic to green beans, chocolate, and tomato. I had various allergies that are gone now and developed others in my 60's. I just avoid those foods.

 

[JennyDrake]

While I can comment on WDW, I can tell you that I had the SAME allergy as a child, and YES, it is in almost everything. I was also allergic to green beans and tomatoes. I know everyone is different, but around age 12 I was able to eat small amounts of ONE of the foods at a meal. I did take allergy shots. By age 16 all three allergies were banished. The only food allergy I retained (to this day) is black pepper.