Things you should know about soy

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm
http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/living-with-a-soy-allergy/

Before I discovered my food allergy (at 21), I was pretty oblivious to soy in my diet. It wasn't even on my radar. It took 2 years of increasingly frequent reactions to soy before I finally started reading articles. I'm not going to attribute these things, as usual there's the disclaimer that I am not a doctor and am not qualified to give nutritional advice, but these are the interesting things about soy that I've learned that will affect not only how I eat, but how my future children will eat. I'm not convinced that such a large amount of soy in the diet is a healthy thing, and worry about the repercussions we will see in future generations.

Soy is in over 60% of prepackaged foods in America
I've done the shopping. I've read the labels. I am a believer. If it comes in a box or a jar, it probably has soy in it. Even hot dogs and sausage or self-basting turkeys can have soy in them. There are drinks with soy in them. I've mentioned on pretty much every page in this blog that soy is in almost every pre-packaged carbohydrate: bread, cookies, cake, crackers, donuts, mixes (cake mix, pancake mix, etc), snack foods, chocolate, candy, condiments, anything canned, anything with "artificial or natural flavoring", anything imitation, anyting smoked, sauces, many dairy items, anything labeled as vegan, vegetarian,  or non-dairy, anything diet, fried, breaded, and even herbal teas, hot cocoa, and your spice cabinet. Depending on the severity of your allergy, you can learn to prioritize which of these can be removed from your life and which pose minimal threat.

Soy can disrupt your hormones
Soy contains a natural chemical that mimics estrogen. Some studies show that this chemical can alter sexual development in animals. One study shows that 16oz(2 glasses) of soy milk daily contain enough estrogen to alter a woman's menstrual cycle in the course of a single month. One studied showed that the isoflavones in soy significantly accelerate the onset of puberty in rodents.

Soy has to be heavily processed for human consumption
Soy, in it's natural state from the plant, is not digestible for human beings. It's even considered toxic in its raw form. It has to be heavily processed to become digestible and is highly resistant to techniques that would remove harmful materials from other legumes (like long cooking) Soy also has higher levels of phytic acid than any other legume (all legumes have phytic acid), which blocks the absorption of certain minerals (like iron and calcium) that our bodies need, and people with large amounts of soy in their diet often show those mineral dificiencies. They also contain enzyme-inhibitors that can severly impact the digestive system specifically the digestion of protein. Soy also contains high levels hemagglutinin which causes red blood cells to cluster and hinders their ability to absorb and distribute oxygen to the body. These factors are considered growth-depressants. The only way to ensure that these growth depressants are removed from soy is through fermentation- cooking does not do the job. One of these processing methods is acid washing in aluminum, and soy formula has 1000% more aluminum that milk based formulas.

Over 90% of soy is genetically modified
Soy also has the highest concentration of pesticides among produce.

Soy allergies are not just for children
Soy allergies used to be an allergy that wasn't taken very seriously. It generally manifests in children and disappears after their toddler years. As someone who didn't develop this allergy until adulthood, I am living proof that this is not just a toddler allergy.

Soy can pose a threat in any form
Some doctors will tell you that soy is only dangerous in it's purest form and that soy that's been treated (like hydrogenated oil) won't cause an allergic reaction. This is a lie. Most of my worst reactions to soy are to hydrogenated soybean oils. Soy milk causes the most severe reaction, but naturally I no longer drink that.

Soy is in most skincare
I have not been able to find an actual percentage of soy in skincare, but it is in an alarming amount of skincare and even ink. For those with topical allergies, this is a real problem

Not everyone's reactions are the same
As with all allergens, not everyone's allergies are to the same severity. Mine is not very severe. I get hives, my tummy never feels quite right, and i get headaches. I don't react to soy in skincare, but there are some people who will get horrible rashes, hives, and inflammation from shampoo, soap, lotion, newspapers, etc. There are some that can die.