Guest guest Posted August 26, 2005 Report Share Posted August 26, 2005 Hello, Ariele, Although I've never consciously experienced any allergic symptoms from soy or any other food, I know that soy is a very allergenic substance by its nature. My maternal grandmother was apparently very allergic to soy. She wasn't a vegetarian by any means, but her soy allergy was the main reason why she told me years ago that she couldn't eat most of what (she thought) I ate at the time, especially veggie burgers (since I was a typical convenience-food vegan). Last September, 2 weeks before I fasted for 21 days at Tanglewood, I was examined by a naturopath in Bethesda, MD, who determined that I have a soy allergy after all, along with a few other food alergies I never knew about before, including dairy. I also know that both soy & dairy are known to be particularly antagonistic for asthmatics. I've had asthma since March 1984, though I've taken no drugs for it since January 1995, thanks to my vegan diet & my 1st chiropractor. According to Loren Lockman, founder of the Tanglewood Wellness Center, where I fasted, food allergies are a symptom that the body is out of balance. I can't explain the concept physiologically in depth, but essentially the body is trying to rid itself of toxins in order to reach homeostasis while its owner may be consuming substances that the body is ill-equipped to handle. This doesn't reflect reduced immunity, but simply the innate tendency toward equilibrium by which the body expels substances from itself that don't belong there. This is an automatic defense mechanism essential to purification by detoxification. There's no doubt according to my taste buds, at least until 3 years ago, that most soy foods taste delicious, whether in salads, appetizers, entrees or desserts. I especially loved tempeh, but I was disappointed when I learned from a LightLife representative by email over 3 years ago that it's not raw since FDA requires the soybeans be boiled before fermentation, just as in miso and Nama Shoyu. I had to stop eating it as a result. As we learn more about the benefits of raw vegan food, we lose our psychological addiction to traditionally cooked foods that are, as David Wolfe and others correctly emphasize, poisons by definition. If you're really concerned about these allergic symptoms to soy, perhaps try an elimination diet by which you gradually eliminate certain foods that you usually have as staples in your diet. If you see your symptoms disappear in their absence, you'll know the removed substances are the likely culprits, apart from any lifestyle, environmental or other external factors that may be involved. This gradual abstinence approach will also allow you to wean yourself off toxic " foods " and rapidly advance your quest for optimum health. Good luck. Namaste, David Ariele Foster <arielefoster wrote: >Hello all, > >I have been vegetarian since age 11 (am 26 now). >Recently I started experiencing major negative >reactions to consuming soy. > >I don't think I have been an over-consumer of soy >products in my lifetime, but they have been in my diet >more than is average, and I have nonetheless developed >an allergy. > >My housemate, from Europe, has developed an allergy to >olives and olive oil -- a former staple in her diet. > >Another friend formerly consumed large quantities of >strawberries, and now cannot touch them for allergic >reaction. > >Knowing this form of allergy development makes me >strongly question the touting of one or a handful of >foods as " superfoods " (or similar labeling). > >I thought of this when I read about the benefits of >coconut oil. > >Has anyone on this list experienced such an allergy? >Can anyone speak to the potential for development of >an allergy with, for example, daily ingestion of >coconut oil? > >Thank you for your responses! > >Ariele ---- >support good food for all www.communityharvestdc.org -- " Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. " --Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, 1908 ________________ Switch to Netscape Internet Service. As low as $9.95 a month -- Sign up today at http://isp.netscape.com/register Netscape. Just the Net You Need. New! Netscape Toolbar for Internet Explorer Search from anywhere on the Web and block those annoying pop-ups. Download now at http://channels.netscape.com/ns/search/install.jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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