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.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Baby Steps: Decreasing the amount of soy in your life
Soy is not an easy thing to eliminate from your life, and full disclosure, there is still soy in my diet (in the form of bread and crackers and some snackfoods), but there are some things you may not have thought of that are actually pretty easy to switch or make on your own. The things that I have the biggest problems with are almost entirely pure soy (mayonnaise, shortening, margarine, icing, etc.) so those are the things I cut out first. In general, given the choice between two like items where one contains soy and one does not, I choose the item without soy, provided I'm not compromising on taste/texture. Given that my allergy is not a life threatening one, when a soy-free version doesn't exist, I do still consume the regular item, but I try to buy as few items with soy as possible.
Reading Labels
Start by getting yourself to read labels. If it comes in a box or a jar, you need to read it. Depending on the severity of your allergy, this is going to become a part of your life. Learning to shop the perimeter of the store rather than the interior will also gradually become a part of your life. Things you wouldn't expect: tea, mixed nuts, bread, crackers, cake, cookies, canned icing, popcorn, popping corn, cake mix, chocolate, candy, the list goes on. Over 60% of prepackaged foods in America contain soy.) For some of these things (like tea, nuts, and popcorn), you should be able to find a brand on the shelf that doesn't have soy in the ingredients list. Remember it and you won't have so much trouble finding it next time.
Peanut Butter- Try JIF Naturals
Most peanut butters contain soybean oil. The only one that has ever given me hives is Reese's Peanut Butter(pretty instantly actually-i ate one spoonful from a jar and 10 minutes late someone asked me if i had gotten burned because there was a very large blister on my face). After that experience, I started paying more attention to labels. Most mainstream peanutbutters contain soy and most natural ones taste very different. I buy JIF Naturals- it's their natural brand and it's soy free, but it still tastes like regular JIF. I want to say that smuckers also has a soy free peanut butter, but I've never tried it. You should be able to find JIF naturals next to all the other peanut butter at your usual grocery store. Even our small town grocer carries it.
Margarine-Replace with butter
This is a no-brainer. Unless you have a whole slew of allergies including dairy (and I feel for you if you do), you can have real butter. Studies show that butter really isn't that bad for you. Provided you're eating a well balanced diet and not sucking down butter with a spoon, you should be fine.
Shortening- Replace with butter or canola oil
Every shortening I have ever found in a store is almost 100% pure hydrogenated soybean oil. In general, I find it better to substitute butter for vegetable shortening in baked goods and icing, but there are other types of shortening that you can buy online or from places like Trader Joes. They cost more and in my opinion don't work well for frying and generally perform less satisfactorily in baked goods. Spectrum Organics (http://www.spectrumorganics.com/ and on amazon.com) makes a palm kernel shortening. I don't recommend it for frying and suggest canola oil for frying instead (which is what most restaurants use in their fryers). This is one of those things where it is better to adapt to a different product that does the same job rather than finding a soy-free version of the product. It's expensive, it's not available in any store in my area (i checked Wegman's, Walmart, Giant, Karns, Weiss, and the local grocery store. We don't have a trader Joes). I could drive further to the Natural Foods store and probably find it, but again, i've tried it, i wasn't wowed, it's better to use something else.
Vegetable Oil-pick a type of oil rather than generic vegetable oil.
This is one of the easiest. Switch to just about any other oil. For most things, i use olive oil. For baking, I use canola oil.
Chocolate- http://www.soyfreesales.com/
This website sells soy free chocolate, gum, and cake mixes. I personally have not cut chocolate out of my life. If you look for gourmet chocolates in general, soy lecithin is used to replace cocoa butter as an emulsifier and make the chocolate cheaper to produce.
Mayonnaise-Try Canola Mayo or replace with oil or make your own
Spectrum Organics makes a canola mayonnaise which you can find on their website, amazon.com, or natural food stores. You can substitute olive oil (or even herbed olive oil) for sandwiches, and eggs for crabcakes, and If you've got a blender, you can make mayo with an egg and olive oil. *I did not like mayonnaise before I became allergic to it. As such, I have never tried canola mayonnaise and do not frequently make mayonnaise.
Popcorn-Try Nature's Promise Organic White Popcorn
Popcorn isn't usually an issue for me, but in an effort to decrease the soy in my life, I do try to eat soy free popcorn. Read the labels. Most of the microwave popcorn on the shelves (and even some of the jars of kernels for popping in a pan) contain soy. You can buy kernels (without soy of the label) and microwave in a brown paper bag or try Nature's Promise Organic White (not the buttered) which is on the shelf with all the other popcorn or also in the organic aisle. This may seem flavorless. I like to add seasonings (like old bay, cracked pepper, basil, etc.), olive oil, or butter (remember, you're allergic to soy. As long as you aren't allergic to dairy, real butter is fine). I worked in a movie theatre so I have some ins on that. In general, popping oil is palm kernel oil (and the counter attendant should know what their popping oil is, and if they don't it is written on the box), even though the buttery topping is soybean oil. Beware of small store or restaurant poppers which may use a packaged popcorn kit with the buttery flavoring already in the mix.
Icing/Frosting- make your own buttercream
This one requires a little more work. There aren't a whole lot of canned icings out there to begin with, but I'm pretty sure all of them are made with vegetable shortening (which is pure soybean oil). The easy fix is to make your own. Homemade buttercream frosting(made with butter- NOT shortening) is the fastest, easiest, and least noticeable replacement for convenient canned icings. It's pretty much butter and powdered sugar and doesn't take long.
Salad Dressing-make your own
Salad dressing is really easy to make, but almost all store bought dressings contain soy. Look for recipes online, or flavor packets that don't have soy in them. Vinaigrettes are pretty much an oil and vinegar combined with herbs and/or dried fruits or juices. Creamy dressings are usually sour cream and a flavor item (herbs, seasonings, cheeses) with an oil for thinning.
Bread & Other Baked Goods-make your own
I honestly have not encountered soy-free bread or crackers on the shelves in my grocery stores. If you have a small town bakery, ask them about soy free bread. I'm also told that stores like Trader Joes, Safeway, Albertson's, Fred Mayer's, etc sell soy free bread, but I don't have any of those in my area. The full disclosure is that I still eat baked goods that contain soy, and generally don't have problems with them TOO frequently (but sometimes I do. This is one of the items I've noticed I react to more readily with alcohol. I don't get hives from alcohol alone). At some point, I intend to invest in a bread machine and make my own. If soy is a real problem for you or your child, I feel this is something you will need to do. In general, I make my baked goods from scratch, but I won't refuse one that came from a box. In general, the icing that came on the store-bought cake/cupcake is more of a problem for me than the cake itself.
You can find: pretzels, chips, tortillas, and tortilla chips without soy. You'll need to read the labels, but they are on the shelf.
Restaurants
If you're anaphalactic, you already know that a restaurant will not be able to guarantee that what you're eating won't come into contact with soy in some way. I work in restaurants, and frankly there is just no way to make that promise. It's like people who want assurance that their food never came into contact with latex- there's just no way to guarantee that unless you slaughtered it yourself. You also probably already eat a very produce-heavy diet with few carbohydrates. If you are not anaphalactic, I really wouldn't bother with any special requests- for the most part, they can't accomodate you. You should stick to ordering things you know don't contain soy: proteins, vegetables, rice, mashed potatoes if they are made in house with real butter. Pasta is usually okay and pizza crust made in house is also usually safe.
For those that need an idea of why there's no point in telling them you can't have soy: the restaurant will make their best attempt not to give you anything with soy in it. This includes sandwiches, mayonnaise, salad dressings, and any sauce that comes of out of jar(like salsa), as well as anything breaded. Basically, they'll tell you what i just told you- meat and vegetables or salads without dressing. At best, you can ask whether they use butter or margarine and what type of oil is in their fryer(usually canola). If using oil and vinegar, clarify that it's olive oil(which it should be). Otherwise, stick to the "safe" produce items or eat at your risk, knowing that you could have a reaction. I generally go with the latter approach, though i do request that mayonnaise be left off of my items. I'm still at a point where knowing that i could get hives isn't going to keep me from ordering what I want. Some people don't have that luxury.
Reading Labels
Start by getting yourself to read labels. If it comes in a box or a jar, you need to read it. Depending on the severity of your allergy, this is going to become a part of your life. Learning to shop the perimeter of the store rather than the interior will also gradually become a part of your life. Things you wouldn't expect: tea, mixed nuts, bread, crackers, cake, cookies, canned icing, popcorn, popping corn, cake mix, chocolate, candy, the list goes on. Over 60% of prepackaged foods in America contain soy.) For some of these things (like tea, nuts, and popcorn), you should be able to find a brand on the shelf that doesn't have soy in the ingredients list. Remember it and you won't have so much trouble finding it next time.
Peanut Butter- Try JIF Naturals
Most peanut butters contain soybean oil. The only one that has ever given me hives is Reese's Peanut Butter(pretty instantly actually-i ate one spoonful from a jar and 10 minutes late someone asked me if i had gotten burned because there was a very large blister on my face). After that experience, I started paying more attention to labels. Most mainstream peanutbutters contain soy and most natural ones taste very different. I buy JIF Naturals- it's their natural brand and it's soy free, but it still tastes like regular JIF. I want to say that smuckers also has a soy free peanut butter, but I've never tried it. You should be able to find JIF naturals next to all the other peanut butter at your usual grocery store. Even our small town grocer carries it.
Margarine-Replace with butter
This is a no-brainer. Unless you have a whole slew of allergies including dairy (and I feel for you if you do), you can have real butter. Studies show that butter really isn't that bad for you. Provided you're eating a well balanced diet and not sucking down butter with a spoon, you should be fine.
Shortening- Replace with butter or canola oil
Every shortening I have ever found in a store is almost 100% pure hydrogenated soybean oil. In general, I find it better to substitute butter for vegetable shortening in baked goods and icing, but there are other types of shortening that you can buy online or from places like Trader Joes. They cost more and in my opinion don't work well for frying and generally perform less satisfactorily in baked goods. Spectrum Organics (http://www.spectrumorganics.com/ and on amazon.com) makes a palm kernel shortening. I don't recommend it for frying and suggest canola oil for frying instead (which is what most restaurants use in their fryers). This is one of those things where it is better to adapt to a different product that does the same job rather than finding a soy-free version of the product. It's expensive, it's not available in any store in my area (i checked Wegman's, Walmart, Giant, Karns, Weiss, and the local grocery store. We don't have a trader Joes). I could drive further to the Natural Foods store and probably find it, but again, i've tried it, i wasn't wowed, it's better to use something else.
Vegetable Oil-pick a type of oil rather than generic vegetable oil.
This is one of the easiest. Switch to just about any other oil. For most things, i use olive oil. For baking, I use canola oil.
Chocolate- http://www.soyfreesales.com/
This website sells soy free chocolate, gum, and cake mixes. I personally have not cut chocolate out of my life. If you look for gourmet chocolates in general, soy lecithin is used to replace cocoa butter as an emulsifier and make the chocolate cheaper to produce.
Mayonnaise-Try Canola Mayo or replace with oil or make your own
Spectrum Organics makes a canola mayonnaise which you can find on their website, amazon.com, or natural food stores. You can substitute olive oil (or even herbed olive oil) for sandwiches, and eggs for crabcakes, and If you've got a blender, you can make mayo with an egg and olive oil. *I did not like mayonnaise before I became allergic to it. As such, I have never tried canola mayonnaise and do not frequently make mayonnaise.
Popcorn-Try Nature's Promise Organic White Popcorn
Popcorn isn't usually an issue for me, but in an effort to decrease the soy in my life, I do try to eat soy free popcorn. Read the labels. Most of the microwave popcorn on the shelves (and even some of the jars of kernels for popping in a pan) contain soy. You can buy kernels (without soy of the label) and microwave in a brown paper bag or try Nature's Promise Organic White (not the buttered) which is on the shelf with all the other popcorn or also in the organic aisle. This may seem flavorless. I like to add seasonings (like old bay, cracked pepper, basil, etc.), olive oil, or butter (remember, you're allergic to soy. As long as you aren't allergic to dairy, real butter is fine). I worked in a movie theatre so I have some ins on that. In general, popping oil is palm kernel oil (and the counter attendant should know what their popping oil is, and if they don't it is written on the box), even though the buttery topping is soybean oil. Beware of small store or restaurant poppers which may use a packaged popcorn kit with the buttery flavoring already in the mix.
Icing/Frosting- make your own buttercream
This one requires a little more work. There aren't a whole lot of canned icings out there to begin with, but I'm pretty sure all of them are made with vegetable shortening (which is pure soybean oil). The easy fix is to make your own. Homemade buttercream frosting(made with butter- NOT shortening) is the fastest, easiest, and least noticeable replacement for convenient canned icings. It's pretty much butter and powdered sugar and doesn't take long.
Salad Dressing-make your own
Salad dressing is really easy to make, but almost all store bought dressings contain soy. Look for recipes online, or flavor packets that don't have soy in them. Vinaigrettes are pretty much an oil and vinegar combined with herbs and/or dried fruits or juices. Creamy dressings are usually sour cream and a flavor item (herbs, seasonings, cheeses) with an oil for thinning.
Bread & Other Baked Goods-make your own
I honestly have not encountered soy-free bread or crackers on the shelves in my grocery stores. If you have a small town bakery, ask them about soy free bread. I'm also told that stores like Trader Joes, Safeway, Albertson's, Fred Mayer's, etc sell soy free bread, but I don't have any of those in my area. The full disclosure is that I still eat baked goods that contain soy, and generally don't have problems with them TOO frequently (but sometimes I do. This is one of the items I've noticed I react to more readily with alcohol. I don't get hives from alcohol alone). At some point, I intend to invest in a bread machine and make my own. If soy is a real problem for you or your child, I feel this is something you will need to do. In general, I make my baked goods from scratch, but I won't refuse one that came from a box. In general, the icing that came on the store-bought cake/cupcake is more of a problem for me than the cake itself.
You can find: pretzels, chips, tortillas, and tortilla chips without soy. You'll need to read the labels, but they are on the shelf.
Restaurants
If you're anaphalactic, you already know that a restaurant will not be able to guarantee that what you're eating won't come into contact with soy in some way. I work in restaurants, and frankly there is just no way to make that promise. It's like people who want assurance that their food never came into contact with latex- there's just no way to guarantee that unless you slaughtered it yourself. You also probably already eat a very produce-heavy diet with few carbohydrates. If you are not anaphalactic, I really wouldn't bother with any special requests- for the most part, they can't accomodate you. You should stick to ordering things you know don't contain soy: proteins, vegetables, rice, mashed potatoes if they are made in house with real butter. Pasta is usually okay and pizza crust made in house is also usually safe.
For those that need an idea of why there's no point in telling them you can't have soy: the restaurant will make their best attempt not to give you anything with soy in it. This includes sandwiches, mayonnaise, salad dressings, and any sauce that comes of out of jar(like salsa), as well as anything breaded. Basically, they'll tell you what i just told you- meat and vegetables or salads without dressing. At best, you can ask whether they use butter or margarine and what type of oil is in their fryer(usually canola). If using oil and vinegar, clarify that it's olive oil(which it should be). Otherwise, stick to the "safe" produce items or eat at your risk, knowing that you could have a reaction. I generally go with the latter approach, though i do request that mayonnaise be left off of my items. I'm still at a point where knowing that i could get hives isn't going to keep me from ordering what I want. Some people don't have that luxury.
Makeup & Skincare
For the most part, topical soy doesn't affect me. The only exception I've found is eyeliner, which can be a really unpleasant experience. However, in an effort to be as informative as possible, I'm going to share some soy free skincare, as I know that some people have really severe reactions to topical soy application. I actually don't use soy in pretty much any of skincare, makeup, or haircare- though I am able to. For those that could use a little help in the area, here's some links to get you started in natural skincare:
Silk Naturals-http://www.silknaturals.com/creb
I've been using this makeup since its early days and I love it. A lot of mineral makeup companies are sensitive to the need for anti-allergen makeup and skincare, but silk naturals takes it to a beautiful level. Most of their products are both gluten-free and soy-free, and a vegan line is also available. They offer makeup, skincare, and haircare, and are always adding new things. More importantly, they're budget friendly and the products are quality. Whether you have an allergy or not, this stuff is great. All the ingredients are available on each product page.
For Your Nose- http://www.foryournose.com/
This place doesn't list their ingredients, but I get my shampoo here and as I love it and it is soy free, here are the ingredients for their 2 in 1 shampoo and body wash from the sticker on my bottle:
De-Ionized water, hampene NA2(detergent and preservative), plantaren APB(foaming agent), Aloe Vera Gel, Citric Acid, Sodium chloride, witch hazel extract, lavender extract, chamomile extract, aloe extract, sage extract, sesame seed oil, wheat germ oil, avocado oil, germaben IIE (natural preservative), fragrance
Natural Soap Wholesale- http://www.naturalsoapwholesale.com/Ingredients_ep_42.html
Not everything they make is soy free(ironically enough, most of the bar soaps have soy), but the link to the ingredients page lists the ingredient for pretty much every product, and their liquid soaps and bath salts are soy free.
Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft- http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/
Ingredients are listed page by page, but most of their products are soy free.
Silk Naturals-http://www.silknaturals.com/creb
I've been using this makeup since its early days and I love it. A lot of mineral makeup companies are sensitive to the need for anti-allergen makeup and skincare, but silk naturals takes it to a beautiful level. Most of their products are both gluten-free and soy-free, and a vegan line is also available. They offer makeup, skincare, and haircare, and are always adding new things. More importantly, they're budget friendly and the products are quality. Whether you have an allergy or not, this stuff is great. All the ingredients are available on each product page.
For Your Nose- http://www.foryournose.com/
This place doesn't list their ingredients, but I get my shampoo here and as I love it and it is soy free, here are the ingredients for their 2 in 1 shampoo and body wash from the sticker on my bottle:
De-Ionized water, hampene NA2(detergent and preservative), plantaren APB(foaming agent), Aloe Vera Gel, Citric Acid, Sodium chloride, witch hazel extract, lavender extract, chamomile extract, aloe extract, sage extract, sesame seed oil, wheat germ oil, avocado oil, germaben IIE (natural preservative), fragrance
Natural Soap Wholesale- http://www.naturalsoapwholesale.com/Ingredients_ep_42.html
Not everything they make is soy free(ironically enough, most of the bar soaps have soy), but the link to the ingredients page lists the ingredient for pretty much every product, and their liquid soaps and bath salts are soy free.
Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft- http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/
Ingredients are listed page by page, but most of their products are soy free.
So now you have an allergy...
Some people are born with an allergy, some discover it in childhood, and some- like me- live a completely normal childhood only to discover an allergy later in life. I was 21.
From my sophomore year to my senior year of college, I discovered unknown allergies to penicillin, wasps, and soy (in that order). The first two are pretty manageable- don't take penicillin, don't get stung. It's easy to say "Ok, don't eat soy", but if you have a food allergy, you'll learn that avoiding it isn't as easy as it sounds.
My background:
Firstly, I'm not a doctor, and don't claim to give medical advice in any way. I'm just a girl who's life got more complicated, and I find a lot of the information out there insufficient or not entirely relevant for me. My allergy manifests through hives and tummy troubles- not anaphalaxis. As of yet, it's not going to kill me.
How I discovered my allergy:
I've never been a particularly great eater, and when I went to college without my mom to make sure i got all my food groups, lack of nutrition became pretty obvious. By my senior year, I was 21. Everyone said how great soy is for you and how it's full of good protein, so I tried soymilk. I vaguely remembered not really liking soymilk, so I tried a chai flavored one and it was delicious, my healthy indulgence. Every few weeks or so, I'd break out in hives without knowing why. It was my mom who figured it out since our conversations usually consisted of "how are you eating?" "I'm ok, mom. I'm drinking soy milk". I stopped drinking it and all was well...for awhile. Then I got hives from buttered popcorn (FYI movie theatre butter is pure hydrogenated soybean oil that's melted with a heater). Then protein bars, then chinese food, then a sandwich with mayo on it, once a spoonful of peanut butter. By the time I was 23, I was getting hives on a multi-weekly basis. Up to that point, my allergy had been an annoying inconvenience, but now it was something I couldn't ignore, and I started doing some research. I challenge you to read the labels in your cupboard. Most articles agree that over 60% of all pre-packaged American foods contain soy.
Facing a new life:
Suddenly, I was facing the challenge of removing soy from my life. I'm not all the way there yet, but if you're reading this blog for someone else or are new to your allergy, here's some of the things I'm not supposed to eat (from a store):
-Bread
-Crackers
-Pretty much any prepackaged carbohydrate, including cakes, cereals, and snack mixes.
-Margarine or buttery topping
-Mayonnaise or salad dressing
-Most types of peanut butter
-Technically chocolate and candy(though i don't usually have a problem with chocolate)
Things I've learned:
-Alcohol in conjunction with a soy food item is more likely to give me hives than the food item alone.
-You don't always get hives all the time from something. A lot of things come into play; how much you've had to eat that day, what types of things, how much soy you've taken in, and the state of your body in general. I get hives most often on days where all I had to eat at that point was something with soy, if i had an alcoholic beverage with a soy item, or during that time of the month.
-Some things give me hives more readily than others. Pure soy items (soy milk, hydrogenated soybean oil) affect me more often than dilluted or cooked items (like crackers). I've never gotten hives from soysauce. Why? Because food allergies (actually most allergies) are an allergy to a protein. Your body marks that protein as a threat (not because it's actually harmful, but because your body thinks it is) and send out histamines to fight the threat resulting in a reaction (for me, hives). Soy sauce is fermented, and the protein is broken.
From my sophomore year to my senior year of college, I discovered unknown allergies to penicillin, wasps, and soy (in that order). The first two are pretty manageable- don't take penicillin, don't get stung. It's easy to say "Ok, don't eat soy", but if you have a food allergy, you'll learn that avoiding it isn't as easy as it sounds.
My background:
Firstly, I'm not a doctor, and don't claim to give medical advice in any way. I'm just a girl who's life got more complicated, and I find a lot of the information out there insufficient or not entirely relevant for me. My allergy manifests through hives and tummy troubles- not anaphalaxis. As of yet, it's not going to kill me.
How I discovered my allergy:
I've never been a particularly great eater, and when I went to college without my mom to make sure i got all my food groups, lack of nutrition became pretty obvious. By my senior year, I was 21. Everyone said how great soy is for you and how it's full of good protein, so I tried soymilk. I vaguely remembered not really liking soymilk, so I tried a chai flavored one and it was delicious, my healthy indulgence. Every few weeks or so, I'd break out in hives without knowing why. It was my mom who figured it out since our conversations usually consisted of "how are you eating?" "I'm ok, mom. I'm drinking soy milk". I stopped drinking it and all was well...for awhile. Then I got hives from buttered popcorn (FYI movie theatre butter is pure hydrogenated soybean oil that's melted with a heater). Then protein bars, then chinese food, then a sandwich with mayo on it, once a spoonful of peanut butter. By the time I was 23, I was getting hives on a multi-weekly basis. Up to that point, my allergy had been an annoying inconvenience, but now it was something I couldn't ignore, and I started doing some research. I challenge you to read the labels in your cupboard. Most articles agree that over 60% of all pre-packaged American foods contain soy.
Facing a new life:
Suddenly, I was facing the challenge of removing soy from my life. I'm not all the way there yet, but if you're reading this blog for someone else or are new to your allergy, here's some of the things I'm not supposed to eat (from a store):
-Bread
-Crackers
-Pretty much any prepackaged carbohydrate, including cakes, cereals, and snack mixes.
-Margarine or buttery topping
-Mayonnaise or salad dressing
-Most types of peanut butter
-Technically chocolate and candy(though i don't usually have a problem with chocolate)
Things I've learned:
-Alcohol in conjunction with a soy food item is more likely to give me hives than the food item alone.
-You don't always get hives all the time from something. A lot of things come into play; how much you've had to eat that day, what types of things, how much soy you've taken in, and the state of your body in general. I get hives most often on days where all I had to eat at that point was something with soy, if i had an alcoholic beverage with a soy item, or during that time of the month.
-Some things give me hives more readily than others. Pure soy items (soy milk, hydrogenated soybean oil) affect me more often than dilluted or cooked items (like crackers). I've never gotten hives from soysauce. Why? Because food allergies (actually most allergies) are an allergy to a protein. Your body marks that protein as a threat (not because it's actually harmful, but because your body thinks it is) and send out histamines to fight the threat resulting in a reaction (for me, hives). Soy sauce is fermented, and the protein is broken.
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