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

 

 

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_ (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 needed 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) .