Recovery from Soy Part I--A Strategy for Dealing with Soy Allergies

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Recovery from Soy

Part I--A Strategy for Dealing with Soy Allergies

_http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/soy-allergies.html_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/soy-allergies.html)

_By Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/soy-allergies.html#author)

This is the first in a series of articles about recovering from soy. For

answers to frequently asked questions, visit Dr. Daniel's website

_www.soyfreesolutions.com_ (http://www.soyfreesolutions.com/) . Dr. Daniel

offers private

coaching, nutritional counseling and small, evening and weekend teleseminar

classes on soy recovery and other health issues. For further information, call

Dr. Daniel at 505-266-3252 or email her at wholenutritionist.

Hidden soy exists in thousands of everyday foods and cosmetics as well as

products such as cardboards, paints, cars, biodiesel fuels, fabric softeners,

mattresses and even books printed with soy ink. This is a nightmare for people

who are allergic to soy and a challenge for those who are sensitive to it or

who just want to avoid it. When New Trends printed The Whole Soy Story: the

Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food in 2005, we went " green " and

boasted on the copyright page " Printed with soy ink, an appropriate use of

soy. "

Soon after, we learned, to our dismay, that people who are highly allergic to

soy cannot read the book!

Warning Labels

Books printed with soy ink don't yet require warning labels but luckily

foods now do. In January 2006, help for consumers came with the Food Allergen

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. The law requires food manufacturers to

clearly state whether a product contains any of the top eight allergens—milk,

eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy protein—and to put

the

warning in plain English. That means companies have to spell it out S-O-Y

and not hide behind confusing and little-understood terms like " hydrolyzed

plant protein " or " textured vegetable protein. "

That's good enough for people who simply prefer to avoid soy. For highly

allergic people, the new labeling law is not enough. Soy oil, lecithin and

vitamin E (often added as a preservative) do not fall under the labeling

requirement. (The FDA reasons that such products are free of soy protein, which

is

only true when they are manufactured under perfect conditions.) Animal products

too may unexpectedly contain " hidden " soy. Some will appear on labels such as

" extenders " added to ground meat, " plasticizers " used to hold patties, meat

balls and hot dogs together or soy oil pumped into pre-basted turkeys. But

labeling won't help the increasing numbers of people who are starting to react

to the flesh of fish, poultry, lamb or cattle that were fattened on soy feed

and to eggs laid by soy fed chickens.

Inaccurate labeling is yet another problem. Both the US Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) and Canadian Food Inspection Agency recall hundreds of

products each year, usually because of undeclared allergens. Three factors are

usually to blame: omissions or errors on labels, cross contamination of

manufacturing equipment and mistakes made by suppliers of ingredients. With the

new

labeling law, some health food store companies have voluntarily taken the

precaution of stating clearly on their labels whether a food product was

produced

in a " facility that also processes soy. " Likewise, some supplement companies

may indicate that a probiotic was grown on a culture containing dairy and soy,

even though soy is not officially an ingredient and is extremely unlikely to

appear in the final product. Such companies, however, are the exception and

not the rule.

Nothing to Eat

Since The Whole Soy Story came out, hundreds of allergic people have told me

that they live lives of angry desperation. Trips to the supermarket or

health food store mean hours of poring over food labels and finding little or

nothing to eat. Making matters worse, many react to soy dust in the bulk bins

and/or smells in the cleaning product and cosmetic aisles. Some of these people

use up tremendous amounts of energy venting in letters to the FDA and to food

manufacturers. Their entire lives revolve around fear of soy and the

frustration of trying to completely avoid it. What they want is for the

government

to outlaw soy entirely, so they can be happy again.

Why Avoidance Isn't Enough

The mistake most of these highly allergic people make is to put all their

energy into avoiding soy. Vigilance is essential, of course, especially for

those who might go into anaphylactic shock. But the downside is an increasingly

limited diet that can precipitate additional food allergies. Think how many

of the soy allergies develop in the first place. A baby, child or adult reacts

to commercial dairy products only to be switched to soy infant formula or

soy milk. Or, parents of an autistic child will go on a gluten-free and

casein-free diet and end up using soy flours, soy protein and soy milk. The

overuse

of soy then leads to soy-related digestive disorders, allergies, thyroid

damage and other health problems. Every week I get letters from people wanting

" protein powders, " " energy bars " and other convenience foods free of whey and

soy protein. The food industry's latest answer is pea protein, but people who

take pea protein every day will likely develop allergies or sensitivities to

it as well. In any case, 100 percent soy avoidance is well nigh impossible.

A better solution is to reduce—or even eliminate—the sensitivity and

reactivity. This is not always easy, but is possible using the combination of

right

diet and high-quality soy-free supplements. To get started, here are four

tips.

Tip # 1: If It Has A Label, Don't Buy It!

Live by this rule and you'll eliminate the frustration of poring over food

labels at supermarkets. Basing their diet on readymade food products without

any soy or other bad ingredients is the reason people with allergies think

there's nothing they can eat. With the time saved, put your energy into

preparing real foods, whole foods and slow foods. Eat a variety of them. This is

the

best way to avoid soy and will give your body the nourishment it needs for

soy recovery.

Tip #2: Bone Up

People with allergies and food sensitivities almost always suffer from

impaired digestion and a " leaky gut. " Heal both with homemade bone broths rich

in

gelatin, cartilage and collagen. (Canned, packaged, restaurant or deli soups

won't do the trick as they are almost never made properly.) Directions can be

found in Nourishing Traditions and Eat Fat/Lose Fat. Both books contain

broth-based recipes but feel free to use any of your old favorite soup or stew

recipes after including the three key ingredients of bones, water and vinegar.

Chicken, turkey, lamb, beef and fish broths are all good. In addition to

making homemade soups and stews, use bone broth as the liquid when cooking rice

and other grains to improve nutritional content and digestibility. Bone broth

provides good levels of absorbable calcium for people who cannot tolerate

dairy, even raw dairy.

Tip #3: Support Yourself with Coconut

The number one question I hear from readers is, " I can't drink milk so what

do you recommend instead of soy milk? " Most people choose rice milk, a

beverage that is high in sugar and low in nutritional value. The best

non-dairy,

soy free alternative is a homemade coconut tonic made with coconut milk (full

fat, not " lite " ), water, dolomite, vanilla and a little maple syrup or stevia

for a sweetener. Thanks to the dolomite, it's rich in calcium and magnesium

(see recipe below). Use coconut oil liberally as well. Coconut supports the

immune system, always a weakness in people with allergies.

Coconut Milk Tonic

1 can whole coconut milk 3/4 cup filtered water

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon KAL brand dolomite powder

Mix all ingredients and heat gently. Serve in a mug. Note: Coconut Milk

Tonic contains the same calories, fat and calcium as whole milk. However, this

recipe should not be used as a substitute for raw milk in our recipes for baby

formula. The tonic is still missing many compounds and nutrients found in raw

milk. However, Coconut Milk Tonic can be used as a substitute for milk in a

diet containing a variety of whole foods.

Tip #4: Bring In the Wee Beasties

Improve your intestinal flora and fauna with unpasteurized cultured

vegetables, kombucha and other fermented foods and beverages. The problem is

that few

people do it. Those who get past the taste often give up after experiencing

uncomfortable detoxification reactions such as bowel upsets, headaches and

flu symptoms. Such reactions can be minimized by going slowly but surely. In

addition, I recommend working with a health professional who does laboratory

testing and can recommend a high-quality probiotic, customized digestive and

metabolic enzymes, and other gut-healing supplements. Enzymes are critical

because allergy sufferers produce insufficient amounts of pancreatic enzymes

neede

d for adequate digestion of protein, fats and carbohydrates. Enzymes are not

only needed to break down the proteins that would otherwise incite allergic

reactions, but also to block the allergic reactions themselves. Furthermore,

enzymes boost immune system function by promoting the growth of healthy

intestinal flora. While healing can sometimes be accomplished with diet alone,

most people need time to implement a full-tilt Nourishing Traditions diet. The

right combination of diet and supplements can greatly speed the way.

Super Soy Me!

Remember Super Size Me, the 2004 darkly hilarious, award-winning

documentary? The film features 30 days in the life of Morgan Spurlock who risked

life

and love by eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at McDonalds. Human interest is

provided by his vegan girlfriend who worries (appropriately) but implies

(inappropriately) that Morgan's fast weight gain, fatigue, liver toxicity and

loss of libido are due not only to sugar but to the evil meat patty with its

saturated fat. Truth is the amount of saturated fat in the burgers is far

exceeded by soy oil on the griddle and in the French fries. And the buns, shakes

and condiments all contain soy protein. Indeed, the movie might have been called

Super Soy Me!

About the Author

Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, earned her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences and

Anti-Aging Therapies from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati and

is board-certified as a clinical nutritionist (CCN) by the International and

American Association of Clinical Nutritionists in Dallas. She is the author of

The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food

published in March 2005 by New Trends Publishing. She designs diet, supplement

and

lifestyle plans for private clients and is a dynamic speaker and seminar

leader who challenges and entertains her audiences with leading-edge

information

on clinically proven ways to prevent and reverse disease and attain optimum

health and maximum longevity. For more information, answers to frequently asked

questions or to contact Dr. Daniel, visit her two websites

_www.wholesoystory.com_ (http://www.wholesoystory.com/) and

_www.soyfreesolutions.com_

(http://www.soyfreesolutions.com) .

 

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This page was posted on 14 FEB 2008.