No Soy

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Recently at a social function someone brought a luscious homemade baked treat. I thought I was safe in eating it. I ate two pieces of the treat. Minutes after eating the luscious treat, I regretted doing so. That incident is not a common occurrence, yet, more common than I prefer. The reason for the reaction, I have a food allergy.

I am not alone. Currently there are 15 million Americans that have a food allergy. I do not know for certain when 
I acquired this allergy. However, research has shown there is a definitive link between having your gallbladder removed and developing food allergies. The gallbladder is an organ in the human body that aids in digestion. I had my gallbladder surgically removed when I was 17 years old. I believe my food allergy began then.

Food allergies are quickly becoming commonplace in America. There are eight main allergens found in foods-Milk, Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Wheat and Soybeans.


My food allergy is to soybeans. The allergy is defined as "....a hypersensitivity to dietary substances from soy causing an overreaction of the immune system..."

Anything that is labeled “soybean”, “soy”, “soya”, “edamame”, “miso”, “tofu”, is a soybean product.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States is the top grower and exporter of soybeans. 93% of all soybeans grown in the United States are genetically modified.

Soybeans can be used in a variety of ways: to make soy sauce, soy oil, soy flour, soy protein, soya lecithin (an emulsifying ingredient), soy milk, and more.

You may be thinking, “What foods contain soy?” My answer, if it is a processed food, most everything. Soybean products can be found in baked goods, breakfast cereals, crackers, tortillas, potato chips, pasta, peanut butter, packaged meat, frozen foods, pizza dough, tomato sauce, margarine, peanut butter, nuts, ice cream, soup, juice, popcorn, candy, canned tuna, mixes (for cake batter, pancake batter, muffin batter, etc.), marinades (for meat, chicken, pork, etc.), teriyaki sauce, cooking spray and more. Also, livestock that are meant for food production are often fed a soybean diet. Those with a soybean allergy therefore cannot eat meat from these animals.

It is not just food-soybean products are found in other items as well. It can be found in cosmetics, shampoo, lotion, candles, cleaning products, printer ink, hand sanitizer, soap, body wash, medications, vitamins and more.

Imagine going to the grocery store and examining every label on every product you wanted to buy to see if it had soybean products in it. That is what it is like for me.

Because I have had this reaction to soybean products for years, I have learned what foods I can and cannot eat, which foods I can eat at specific restaurants, what lotions and shampoos I can and cannot use. Yet, I am still surprised to find a food or product that contains soybean products in it. For example: orange juice. (Seriously? Orange juice? What the heck juice companies?!?)

I have had people ask me, “How much are you affected when you have eaten soybean products?” My reaction depends on how much I have eaten. I have a friend who is allergic to soybean products as well; she breaks out in hives every time she ingests it. I have had several reactions to eating soybean products. Here are a list of reactions that can happen in the body from ingesting soybean products:

 abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting, runny nose, wheezing, or trouble breathing, fever blisters, fever, conjunctivitis (pink eye), skin reactions including hives and eczema, itching and swelling, rapid pulse, dizziness, difficulty breathing, throat swelling, tingling in the mouth, anaphylactic shock
*Sources: http://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/soy#2
         http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/soy-allergy/basics/symptoms/con-20031370


Needless to say, knowing what soybean products do to my body, I try to avoid them at all costs. That is the only treatment for this food allergy. I limit what I eat to the products I know do not have soy in them. I do not buy household cleaners, shampoos, lotions that contain soybean products. I also very rarely eat out in restaurants; I never know what my food will have in it. I have ingested soybean products without being aware of it and have suffered the consequences.


As I began this blog entry, I told you how I had eaten a luscious treat that was homemade. I thought I was safe, because someone had made the treat at home, rather than purchased it in a store. However, I later learned they had used a batter mix to make that luscious treat. The batter mix contained soybean products, which gave me the reaction.

Let me give you a scenario as to how much this soybean allergy is a problem for me. Imagine you go to a restaurant and order a grilled chicken sandwich and a side of French fries….

In this example, the bread used for the sandwich will, more often than not, have been made with soy flour. The chicken itself was probably fed soybeans as its diet when it was alive. Now that it is ready for consumption, the chicken meat has been marinated in a soybean based sauce. The French fries are fried in soybean oil. This scenario illustrates why I do not eat out very often. In the grocery store, I can look at the allergy information on a product label. In a restaurant I do not have that luxury. It also illustrates why, over the last year, I have basically converted into a vegetarian.

Last week I went to a new organic market in my city, one that sells produce from local growers and meat from local butchers. Being an organic market, I was hopeful to find products there free of soybeans. Thankfully, I found many soybean free foods there; however, I still had to look at every label on any product I wanted to buy. Just because it was gluten free, or free from tree nuts (or any other allergen) did not mean it was free from soybeans. While I found many soybean free foods there, reading allergen labels on every product I wanted to buy was just like shopping at any other market for me.


I am sure some of you are asking yourselves, “What can you eat?” There are brands of foods that I have found that are soybean free that I can eat. I usually make a sandwich to take to work, free of soybean products, and eat a frozen, soybean free meal when I get home.

I have heard people say to me, “If you did your own cooking, if you would not eat processed foods, you could avoid soy products.” That is not necessarily so. If I buy ingredients to cook with, they would all contain soy. I would have to bake my own bread, make my own pasta, raise my own livestock on a soybean free diet, etc., to remain soy free. 
I would also have to formulate my own shampoos and lotions, concoct my own household cleaners, and make my own printer ink. None of these are feasible options for me. I must find options that fit my circumstances and allergen concerns.

 I have had people ask me, “Is there a resource to consult, to find out what foods and products contain soybean products, so you can avoid them?” My reply is “It would be easier to make a list of foods that do not contain soybean products. There are far less products that are free of soybeans than have them.”

With that in mind, I have started my own blog to do just that, to share what foods I can eat, what products I can use. My hope for this new blog is that it be a resource for others who have an allergy or intolerance to soybean products. My blog is called Soy Free Forever and can be found here…


I share my tale of my food allergy with you to heighten awareness of food allergies. If you have a food allergy, do your homework. Be aware of what exposure to your allergen can do to your body. Once you have done your homework on your allergy, be an advocate for your own health. Ask what ingredients are in the foods you are presented. Educate friends, family members and co-workers of your allergy. Lastly, never put yourself at risk by ingesting that allergen. There is a reason your body cannot tolerate it.

If you have a soybean allergy like I do, please join me at my new blog. You might find some information that can help you lead a more comfortable life. Thank you.

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