Question:
I just had my first food reaction last Saturday to a new protein powder.
I have been drinking protein drinks for breakfast for 6 years with no
problems. However, my health food store was out of my flavor and I
bought a new flavor. The only difference in ingredients was: artificial
flavors and soy-derived lecithin. My symptoms were: rash, congestion and
difficulty breathing, diarrhea, vertigo and nausea. The few times I have
tasted soy milk, my throat has burned and I have had indigestion, so I
usually avoid soy even though I was never Dr. diagnosed. I have assumed
the problem this time was soy. However, looking at the foods I normally
eat, many of them contain soy. In fact, I eat Campbell's Green Pea soup
daily (and have for years) and it says it contains vegetable oil that
may be soybean oil. Other foods that I eat once a week to once a month
also have various soy products. I drink Glucerna a few times a month,
and it has all kinds of soy.
My family doctor told me that it is rare to develop an allergy to
something you eat daily and has advised me that my daily foods are safe.
He told me the foods I eat less often are more likely to develop a
reaction. Does this sound right?
Also, I have read that it is possible to be okay with soybean oil while
still having allergies to other soy. Is this normal? Maybe that would
explain why I have been able to eat foods with oil daily. I have
continued to eat the Pea soup for the past week, and didn't realize it
had potential soy in it until last night.
Is there a definitive way to figure out if it was soy for sure without
eating it and going back to the hospital? I have heard skin prick tests
are not very reliable.
I already have a restricted liquid diet due to other issues, if I can no
longer eat my staple foods, I am in trouble!
Answer:
No. It's the opposite. One often develops allergies to foods one eats a
lot of. It's certainly happened to me. Yes, it is possible to be allergic to soy and not soy oil. I am allergic
to soy, but can tolerate soy lethicin. The oil your consuming is probably a mix including peanut, corn and soy but
it's guess work so who knows.
I believe the reason you can do some soy is what I term a threshold. Early
in my food allergies I could handle certain amounts of the stuff to which I
reacted. As I cleaned up my system and removed all the crap it didn't like,
I could no longer go near the 'poisons'. So I think there are 2 angles.
first as you continue your exposure to the allergin (soy) your reactions
will increase. And your tolerance will decrease concurrently. I encourage
you to avoid all soy for a few weeks and then test one of the things that
currently fail to generate a reaction. If you then get one, you know what
the problem really is. Your doctor is profoundly ignorant of food allergies and devoid of common
sense (in my humble opinion. :) I developed the most dramatic corn allergy
after I increased my corn consumption by starting to cook everything in corn
oil! It's the exposure that generates the allergy! That's why mexicans and
texans get corn allergies, japanese and indians get rice allergies and
people of european and middle eastern decent get wheat allergies.
over-exposure and a hyper-active (damage) immune system. Some people have allergies to the proteins (I'm told) that are not supposed
to show up in the oils. My experience proves otherwise. Again, if you avoid
all soy, in all forms for a few weeks then test an oil or an additive, you
will know what is factual. No. go without for a few weeks. test the tiniest amount. I test a 'new' food
by placing a micron in my mouth and swallowing it. If I don't get sick in 30
seconds, I might not be allergic. I add a micron and wait again. then I try
2 microns. If I get up to many microns and only get heartburn, I call it a
mild allergy. BUT if I can eat gobs of it then I test sequential days and
then sequential meals. If I never get sick its safe. But if I ever get sick,
it's not. Not sure where you can get your protein if you cannot eat meat, fish or
dairy. See a creative nutritionist. Oh and please find a doctor that
understands food allergies. you'll be better off.
