SLIDE #11 – Corn Allergy ITEM #08: Aspartame

Aspartame (Artificial sweetener), trade names NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel. It is a non-saccaride sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sucrose or sugar. Aspartame has some pretty broad debates surrounding it and all it really takes is a quick google search to find out why. I won’t join in the debate as it is rather irrelevant to me. I have to avoid aspartame all together anyway and would advise that to anyone without a corn allergy. I just kind of figure if I can’t have it, it’s probably not all that good for everyone anyway. It is an artificial sweetener and as I’ve mentioned before; artificial is pretty much a nope zone for those with a corn allergy.
As a tabletop sweetener, Aspartame is spray dried with hydrolyzed Corn Starch, this is why it is not safe for those of us with a corn allergy. While the corn proteins may be removed in processing, this does not guarantee no reactions for those with an allergy to it. I experience reactions with no corn protein present and while my reactions vary both in response time and actual reaction, it’s safe to say aspartame has definitely caused me a reaction or two in some pretty otherwise would be safe foods.
While aspartame has its uses in beverages to snacks, it’s a commonly used sugar substitute. It is not broken down in labels as to how the aspartame is processed. I always avoid aspartame in all my products due to my allergy and would highly suggest anyone dealing with a corn allergy to avoid it all together.

References:
https://foodinsight.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aspartame/
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Aspartame
https://cornallergygirl.com/2013/04/19/corn-allergy-emergency-room-safety-doc-text-only-version/

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