Soy Allergy

You are correct to sa there are plenty of foods with soy in them. I used to have a soy allergy but it has subsided. You may have to bake alot of your own breads, crackers and cookie so you can choose the ingredients. Stay away from processed foods. Instead of margarine I used tahini or nut butter on my breads. Instead of soy milk I drink rice milk. Perhaps your child will loose her sensitivity to soy after a year or two. This often happens. AF

Dear R.,
I don't have soy-free recipes, but what I do have is knowledge of a doctor who does non-invasive allergy testing and desensitization in the Richmond, VA area. If you are interested and want his contact info, write me back.
I can recommend him with confidence as he desensitized me from soy eight years ago! :) Since then, I have included soy in my diet on a daily basis, symptom-free! :)
Blessings!
J. F.

Hi R.,

Been there done that from diarrhea and vomiting to scarlet red cheek talisman markings - my son survived and will be 32 in April. You can do it! Real Butter and Canola/Olive Oil are your friends. Any recipe that you can make with margarine/shortening or vegetable oil can be made with their substitution and actually be healthier for all of you in the long run. Yes it is a little more expensive, but totally worth the effort.

If you daughter loves chocolate, be wary of Hershies - they use a lot of soy lecithin to smooth out their candies. Homemade fudge is the best substitute and if you use the sweetened condensed milk with cocoa you don't even have to worry about the texture of undissolved sugar!

School lunches can also be a big problem - much of their shortening is pure soy... concentrated use in cake icings and bread rolls, but soy is also found in the cheese products used to make the school lunch pizzas.

If you have any questions in particular - shoot them my way. I'd be glad to tell you what we did to combat this type of allergy challenge.

Hi R..

My son (15 months) is allergic to eggs and Milk.. so opposite of you, I look for soy because he can't have the others. But I recommend the website foodallergy.org to you. They have great information to help with all the different food allergies. (highly recommended by my son's allergist).

I know it feels overwhelming to try to figure out how to feed a child and reading all the labels.. but it gets easier the more you do it. hang in there.. she will be just great!

My 4 y.o. old was diagnosed with a soy allergy when he was 2. Here is some things I learned. If a food is marked contains soy just double check the ingredients. A lot of times they are claiming the oil or letchin which is okay for kids with soy allergies because it doesn't have the protein in it. That opens up a lot of foods you think your child may not be able to have. The only bread I have found without soy flour is Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread. Your canned soups are basically out. All have soy protein in them. Most rices are out as well. I have gone to places like Trader Joe's but a lot of that stuff is supplemented with soy and didn't really help. At McDonald's all the breads and breading have soy. I get him a cheesburger and take off the bun. This is also the problem in most restaurants. My son mostly eats the basics, cheese, meat, veggies and fruit...not a lot of processed food. For snacks, I do yougurt, wheat thins, teddy grahams and goldfish crackers. It's a total lifestyle change but you'll get used to it real fast. Good luck!

R.,

There is an awesome store called Trader Joes that can really help you. They are an hour a way from you, but they are very helpful otherwise. They have a list made up for you that you can download off their website: traderjoes.com that has all the foods they offer that are soy free. I did this for a gluten free diet and it made things a lot easier. I don't know if you're up to driving that far, but they do have helpful recipes on their website as well and you might be able to suggest them setting up a franchise in your area.
Also, there is a store called Whole Foods that might be in your area that might have what you're looking for as well. I have not shopped there, but I hear they are pretty good too.
As far as recipes, try allrecipes.com or bhg.com for some really good ideas.
Hope this helps, God Bless.

Hi,
My boys both have multiple food allergies - soy is not one of them so I actually use soy in most recipes. My advice to you would be (if you live in Southeast VA) to consider joining the food allergy support group of tidewater. (www.fasgot.com) I am a member of this group and it is a great resource to moms - you will meet moms with kids iwth soy allergy!! (check out our website). You might also look at FAAN and FAANs website. It is a little intimidating to have a child with food allergies but it is manageable.
Good Luck
L. M.

I'm sorry! I know this is hard, I have 3 FA kids, it can be tiresome at times trying to safely feed them, but it can be done! You need to discuss w/ your Dr if he/she feels soy oil and lecithin can be kept into the diet, it needs to be heat or chemically treated to remove the protein, cold or expeller-pressed oils contain the protein, which is the allergenic part of the food.

Here is a great site to start w/:
http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/soy.html
and
www.kidswithfoodallergies.com

Best wishes, H.!