Top 10 Mold Sensitivity Foods to Avoid

If you believe you may have a mold sensitivity or if you have mold present in the home; here are 10 foods you may wish to avoid consuming.

Mycotoxins from mold laden foods can make a person with mold allergies experience a miriad of illnesses ranging from a sore stomach, skin rashes to even more serious problems such as asthma.

 * Please refer to the Mold Glossary for words highlighted in blue

1. Wheat and all wheat products. Depending on many conditions, it is very common for wheat and wheat products to have mold mycotoxins present on its surface. FHB or fusarium head blight is the fungal disease that may effect wheat and is responsible for billions of dollars of wheat loss every year. In fact, algriculture guidelines for dealing with moldy wheat givne to feed cattle are to either dilute the grains with mold-free grains or to spray the grains with a strong biocide chemical. In addition, wheat may also contain another form of mold; alternaria discovered during harvest times.

2. Corn. Many corn products which make it to the kitchen table may also have mycotoxins from fusarium head blight just as wheat above. In addition, corn may turn to sugar during the digestive process and further exacerbate yeast growth in the digestive tract.

3. Barley. Once again, barley may also have mycotoxins from fusarium head blight during the growing process.

4. Rye. Rye may also have alternaria mycotoxins and it is believed that the fungal growth may occur during the storage process.

5. Peanuts. Of all foods, peanuts is the most widely known food which may have mold spores during it's consumption. It is believed that over 1% of adults have a peanut allergy and up to 4% of children under the age of 18. Toxins from molds found on peanut and peanuts shells are referred to as aflatoxin.

6. Cottonseed and cottonseed oil. As many as seven different mold species have been found on conttonseeds during harvest. Samples of cottonseed oil have identified these same species of mold during random sampling.

7. Sorghum. Just as other grains, sorghum may be infected by fusarium during its growing period and harvesting. Even though surghum is not commonly found in foods in the U.S. and Europe, it is commonly added as an ingredient in many alcoholic beverages. 

8. Sugar. Sugar produced from cane or sugar beets in certain regions may also be afflicted by fusarium and other molds. However, it is becoming known that the high consumption of sugar may also decrease immune function and yeast related illnesses of the digestive tract.

9. Alcoholic beverages. It is a little known fact that ethyl alcohol (the kind found in alcoholic beverages) actually contains mycotoxins from moldy yeast. Ethyl alcohol is a mycotoxin by-product produced by the brewer's yeast  (a.k.a. saccharomyes yeast) during its manufacturing process. Depending on the beverage consumed, it may also contain mold related mycotoxins from various fruits and/or grains.

10. Cheeses. While all cheese products will develope mold growths in given time there are some tips for dealing with moldy cheese. Grated cheeses and soft cheeses that have visible mold spores should be discarded immediately. Hard cheeses may resist the mold growth from penetrating its surface and the mold growth may be cut back a minimum of one inch.

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