As I am on a contiunous journey trying to find Soy Free foods and recipes, I have come across this site a few times "Choosing Voluntary Simplicity" they are also on a soy avoidance diet, she has this wonderful eye opening article that I have copied for you here, of all the foods we avoid, and the reactions we deal with. Now Charlie has a Soy Intollerance, which is different than an allergy in that, she will react in proportion to the amount of soy she has (ie, a box brownie might give her a slight case of hives and a flushed face, but tofu may send her into anaphalaxis) and her reaction can be delayed (up to 48 hours after she injests soy).
Anyway -- Read her article, it might be enlightening as to why I hate grocery shopping, and cooking has become my biggest job.
CREDIT http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/living-with-a-soy-allergy/
Living With A Soy Allergy
More and more people are developing soy allergies. Could this have something to do with the fact that soy is used in over sixty percent of all processed food and accounts for over seventy-five percent of Americans’ consumption of vegetable fats and oils? It isn’t an exaggeration to say that soy is present in almost every aspect of our lives, and that it is extremely difficult to avoid it.
So what does a soy allergy look like? It depends on the severity of the allergy and how the person’s immune system reacts to the allergen. People who are allergic to soy can have minor symptoms like hives or a rash, or severe symptoms like anaphylactic shock, a drop in blood pressure, and even death.
Possible soy allergy symptoms:
- Hives
- Rash
- Flushed face
- Swollen eyes, lips, throat, tongue, or face
- Trouble breathing or swallowing
- A feeling of faintness and anxiety
- A sudden impending sense of doom and weakness
- Extreme paleness
- Drop in blood pressure
- Loss of consciousness
- Rapid heart beat
- Vomiting
- Severe cramps or diarrhea
- Extreme hyperactivity in children
- Delayed reaction (read Kristy’s comment below)
- Debilitating migraines (not usually acknowledged as a symptom but for many people, including myself, severe migraines are the MAIN symptom)
If you or someone in your family has a soy allergy, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to check product labels every single time you purchase anything. Just because a product hasn’t contained soy in the past doesn’t mean it doesn’t contain soy now. Ingredients lists often change, and we’re finding soy in many places now where it wasn’t before.
Also, don’t trust the new allergen labeling completely. It can be helpful when soy is clearly stated on the label, but there are still a variety of ways that soy can be present in the product without it being stated on the label. Calling the manufacturer should result in accurate information, but we have found that many customer service representatives (even the “lab experts”) have no idea of the many ways that soy can be present in a product. We’ve also had customer service representatives insist that their product does not contain soy in any form, and then add that just to be on the safe side, they would advise not eating the product if the allergy is life threatening. Not very reassuring, is it?
First, obviously anything with the word “soy” in it is to be avoided:
- Soy, soybean
- Soya, soyabean
- Soy protein, soy isolate
- Textured soy flour or TSF
- Textured soy protein or TSP
There are many other names for soy:
- Textured vegetable protein or TVP
- Tofu (soybean curds)
- Edamame
- Miso
- Okara
- Tempeh
- Nimame
- Kinako
- Yuba
- Kouridofu
- Natto
Next to look for… the ingredients that are usually made from or contain soy:
- Lecithin
- Monosodium glutamate or MSG
- Mono-diglyceride
- Hydrolyzed plant protein or HPP
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein or HVP
- Vegetable oil
- Vegetable shortening (like Crisco and the other solid white shortenings in a can)
- Vegetable broth
- Protein
- Protein concentrate
- Protein isolates
- Guar gum, vegetable gum
- Gum arabic
- Glycerol monostearate
- Natural flavorings
- Thickening agents
- Stabilizers
- Liquid smoke (some brands)
- Vitamin E
- Citric acid (can be derived from fruit, corn, or soy)
- Thiamine mononitrate
Note: Although guar gum and gum arabic are made from legumes that are closely related to soybeans, the real problem is the soy added during the manufacturing process. (Guar gum, for example, sometimes has up to ten percent of added soy protein.)
And then there are those products containing soy as an emulsifier, a flavoring agent, additional protein, etc., etc., etc.:
- Almost all commercial bakery items (breads, cakes, cookies, doughnuts)
- Cake mixes, cookie mixes, pancake mixes, any baking mixes
- Breakfast cereal (check label carefully… some cereals contain no soy but have a cross contamination notice)
- Anything breaded
- Self-basting turkeys (call the company for ingredient list)
- Canned tuna (even the tuna packed in water is flavored with vegetable broth)
- Canned meat products unless otherwise stated
- Processed and prepared sliced meats (deli meats)
- Ham or smoked anything (check ingredient list)
- Hot dogs, packaged cold meats, sausage
- Imitation crab meat, imitation bacon bits
- Canned soups, broths, or stocks
- Dried soup mixes (the flavor packet)
- Frozen vegetables with sauces
- Almost anything labeled as vegetarian
- Sauces: teriyaki, Worcestershire, soy, shoyu, tamari, sweet and sour
- Gravies and marinades
- Bouillon cubes
- “Dairy free” products
- Half and half (check ingredients)
- Fresh cream (a very few heavy creams are soy free)
- Dairy topping in can or packaged mix
- Some yogurts
- Ice cream (a few of the gourmet ice creams are OK, but most supermarket ice creams are not)
- Purchased pizza
- Peanut butter (look for 100% peanuts only, with or without added salt)
- Baby formula, baby foods
- Most seasoning blends (again, check label carefully)
- Spices (some manufacturers are adding smoothing agents and anti-caking agents that contain soy… I have had problems with garlic powder, ground cinnamon, and chili powder)
- Margarine
- Butter substitutes or anything with “butter flavor”
- Salad dressings
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Almost anything “diet”
- Crackers
- Potato chips, corn chips, and just about any kind of chips… if you’re lucky, you might find some potato chips without soy
- Popcorn
- Unpopped popcorn (not all, but check the label)
- Soft drinks (not all, but check the label)
- Energy drinks, energy bars
- Beverage mixes like hot chocolate, instant tea, or lemonade
- Most candy and most chocolate (exceptions: some baking chocolate and chocolate made with cocoa butter instead of lecithin)
- Chewing gum
- Cooking sprays (except one 100% olive oil spray that may or may not contain soy)
- Carob
- Microwaveable meals
- Restaurant food
- Fast food
- Herbal teas
Many non-food items usually contain soy:
- Craft products like glue
- Inks (newspapers, magazines, books)
- Cardboard
- Paints and stains
- Carpets
- Flooring
- Pet food
- Vitamins
- Many non-prescription drugs
- Cosmetics
- Lotions and other skin products
- Soap and soap products
- Shampoo
- Sunscreen
- Candles (soy wax and scents)
- Plastics
- Cleaning products
- Automotive waxes
- Air fresheners or other scented products
- Adhesives
- Fertilizers
- Pre-seasoned cast iron cookware (some are seasoned with soy oil)
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