Things tested and I CANNOT eat!

Dairy/Cheese:

Kroger Brand Swiss Cheese - cut off the outside in an attempt to remove any cornstarch from the packaging (1/8 inch off each side) - reaction rating (1-10): 4 - upset stomach within 30 minutes, itchiness on face, foggy headed

Organic Valley Half n' Half - some plants can have cross contamination issues (per OV email correspondence in 11/2009), additionally, carton lining is polyethylene which may or may not be the cause of my reaction - reaction rating (1-10): 2 - mild upset stomach within 30 minutes, itchiness on face

Corn Free Sunscreen! (Recipe)

My husband bought me The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel for Christmas. Because he's such a dear, he decided to give it to me early. The book is not specific to corn allergies, but offers wonderful recipes for home made moisturizers, conditioners, etc. The recipe that raised my interest the most was the one for SunScreen. SunScreen is notoriously difficult to find corn free. I haven't made this recipe yet, but wanted to post it asap for anyone who is in dire need:

3 oz sesame oil
2 oz sweet almond oil
1/2 ounce pure beeswax
4oz distilled water
2 tablespoons zinc oxide

1. Melt the sesame and sweet almond oils and beeswax in a double boiler over medium heat.
2. Remove from the heat, add the water, and blend with a stick blender until uniform.
3. Allow to cool. Add the zinc oxide and other essential oils of your choice, if using. Blend some more.
4. Transfer mixture into a glass jar. You can store this sunscreen cream for up to six months.

Plastic Reaction #5

I don't usually heat things up in plastic ... not because I'm smart but because it's just not my style. Today I had leftover rosemary chicken and nuked it for about a minute.

Sick. Nausea, indigestion, headache, foggy head ... general surliness.

So I did some poking. The container proudly displays the plastic number 5 on the bottom. Here's what I discovered: (blogspot links are still broken: http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/04/what-do-the-plastic-recycling-numbers-mean/ ) ... polypropylene. Now, it's not clear that corn is definitely used in the manufacture of this... but a quick google search clarified that corn fibers can be used as a reinforcing agent in polypropylene composites as well as a corn resin that can be applied to act as a moisture and oxygen barrier.

In summary, American gluttony and wastefulness strikes again. I have a sense of doom that corn allergy sufferers are on the short list for evolutionary failure. Moral of the story, don't microwave plastic ... which shouldn't be news to any of us, don't eat/drink ANYTHING warm or hot out of a plastic container, better yet, don't eat/drink ANYTHING out of a plastic container no matter its temperature.

I'm tired of this.