Group Guidelines - Getting Started

October 15, 2023

(We've moved our rules list to this blog in hopes of a better method of communicating them to members. If you have questions on any of this, please address the Group Admins privately. Most of this is already addressed in the Group's pinned posts, so you can also search the group for more information. )

Getting Started!

Please feel free to ask any questions about foods, reactions, allergy, or intolerance no matter how stupid you think it might be or how crazy. Often if you're wanting to ask, there's someone else wanting to know the answer as well. Almost everyone who is new to this group (or new to our sister group at Delphi) is overwhelmed within minutes of coming here.

Being overwhelmed, or thinking that we're all f'n crazy, is pretty normal. We've all been there, and we've all had that moment of "OMG they're not crazy. I'm so screwed."

Breathe!

We strive to be pretty corn-free here, and free of corn in lots of ways that aren't obvious just from reading a label. So don't worry too much if we tell you that the product you've been enjoying is full of corn. It's not personal, nor a judgment about how good or bad of a person you are, it's merely to point out to others, who may be more sensitive to corn than you are, that the product may not be safe for everyone. This is also why we are extremely careful about calling anything "corn-free", because very very little actually is.

Keep in mind, corn avoidance as we do it, has a HUGE learning curve. Most members need at least 6 months of active striving to get anywhere near a handle on it. You're not alone. You're going to make mistakes. We're here to help!

Newbies - If you are finding products that you think might be corn-free, and it's a major label product, it is highly likely that product has corn. If you're very sensitive, you'll want to ask before you try it.

Also keep in mind that (with the wide range of sensitivities here) a product recommendation may not be safe enough for you, or products that you do well with may not be safe enough for someone else. When taking recommendations, make sure you watch the product label yourself and test with caution. Try to find a person in the group who seems to be as sensitive as you are to buddy up with and compare successful products. It makes it much easier and safer to navigate this allergy.