Hi Julia,

Thanks for sharing…and definitely stay away from those lattes! Stick to the organic swiss water decaf coffee, black with no sugar, milk, cream, half and half, etc. I know it doesn’t sound like much fun, but it’s the best for you if coffee is your drink of choice.

Wishing you health and happiness,

Pete

I experienced a cluster of negative physical effects that were mysterious to me about the time I went vegan and started using a lot of soy. I thought all the gas and bloating was from eating more beans and veggies, but that didn’t explain my increase in acne and night sweats. I finally put it together that my soy lattes were the culprit and after avoiding all soy as an experiment, my symptoms greatly improved. I am amazed at how many people nay say soy’s effect on the endocrine system as a phytoestrogen. I don’t know how it works, if it binds to estrogen receptors blocking estrogen or results in an estrogen-like overload, but it definitely changed my hormonal balance. Thanks for this article. It’s my belief that soy is not well understood enough to be used in great quantity.

“sense of doom” refers to a change in adrenal hormones. Did you ever here of the flight or fright response? An allergic response can cause increased adrenalin. That does give people a feeling of doom or extreme anxiety. It doesn’t make them look like a crackpot, they just don’t explain why someone might have that feel g because it’s a symptom list. This is a very real and disturbing symptom for some with food allergies so please don’t dismiss it as crackpot.

Kari, there is so much debate as to whether soy is healthy or not. From much that I’ve heard of, even organic (non-GM) non-fermented soy products are known to be harmful as well. It is extremely difficult to digest and is not a complete protein at all.

I would suggest that everyone thinks for themselves in this regard, however it is rather bizarre how our food industry works. Beats me, anyway

From some of my research, I have a slight feeling that the two most GM’d foods (i.e. soy (no. 1), corn (no. 2)) could well be responsible for many of the food issues present in today’s society. You may be interested in my hub on corn gluten http://hubpages.com/hub/BEWARE-Corn-Gluten-is-NOT-

I guess we should all remember, soy is a food that virtually did not exist at one point in time. It was not that long ago in time that its derived ingredients were forced into virtually every part of our lives. Soy flour and soy protein isolates are two substances that much of the general public, today, don’t even know about. Soy oil and soy lecithin (common ingredients used in most of our day-to-day food products) are commercial products that one would never produce on their own, yet these minute amounts of soy are present in virtually all North American foods and cooking convenience items. When my friend tells others she has problems with soy at social functions, etc. the response is often this: “That’s simple, Just ask for a dish without soy sauce (no mention about types of oils or protein isolates or anything like that).”

I am very wary of soy and although not allergic or intolerant to it, I always do my best to find soy free alternatives (particularly with non-fermented soy products). Two friends of mine are allergic to soy (one of whom also has coeliac disease on top of her allergy). Soy free bread is now very difficult to find, virtually impossible at regular supermarkets too.

I really feel for those who have to avoid soy, and put up with all the “nonsense” with regard to this allergen; particularly when it could, quite potentially, be eliminated from many of our favourite foods around.

Eg: Bread and Chocolate: These foods should be safe. In certain countries and cultures they still would be, yet in many parts of our western world today, it is very hard to obtain any form of bread or chocolate that doesn’t have at least a minute amount *added*. Surely almost all chocolate companies could achieve the same great quality and taste if canola or sunflower lecithin were used as alternatives. Initially, chocolate was made with pure cocoa butter – never emulsified (and most certainly NEVER lecithinated with soy oil *sludge*)! Yet they decide to stick with soy lecithin as it is *less costly* and the cost simply cannot be justified.

In my opinion, without a doubt, this wretched food product is no longer being productively used within foods. Rather (quite scarily), the food industry is simply using it to help *make ends meet*…

Such a shame. Perhaps more individuals should speak up about these matters, as it may just help raise awareness about the issue.

Thanks for the article

As to the quote at the top I must say that there are many people in the developed world that are “happy” to see soya beans. Just because there are some people who have an intolerance with soy products does not mean that it doesn’t nutritionally benefit others. I’m not sure why soy gets such a bad wrap when there are many many people out there who have intolerances to things like dairy, nuts and gluten. As someone who has developed an intolerance to soy (and gluten, sunflower seeds and lactose) I still stand by the fact that these foods still have benefits to some people.

Hi Amy,

Thanks for sharing your story! Yes…it is SHOCKING all of the hidden places you can find various forms of soy. Just another reason to eat mostly organic whole foods in their natural form and avoid processed junk as much as possible.

Nice looking blog…thanks for helping to spread the word about hidden soy!

Best wishes,

Pete

[...] More can be found on this topic here [...]

What a great article and some of the above commenters have really addressed some important points with regard to this ‘soy’ issue. I’m intolerant to soy as well as coeliac. Doctors and school teachers advised for me to not consume cows milk after having been diagnosed with the coeliac condition! We were continually reminded about the goodness of soy and I was told to stick with it! I never liked foods that contained soy/soy products very much, and now I know why! It feels so good to now know and I have thrived ever since avoiding soy in my diet.

Having said that, there are many foods that have to be eliminated on a soy free diet and it’s NOT just soy milk and soy sauce. I really wish people would not underestimate and guess like this! They don’t believe me when I mention that some 97% of bread-based products contain soy and that the gluten free pizza bases used at places like Domino’s here in Australia are MADE OF SOY FLOUR! And it doesn’t stop just there, as you say…
Derivatives are found in virtually every ‘ready’-meal, chocolate bar, chewing gum treat, vegetable oil blend, margarine, vegetable shortening (e.g. Copha, Crisco), COOKING SPRAY (you might just be surprised what else lies in the ingredients of THIS bugger, other than canola oil!) and even full cream milk powder! Other places it seems to lie are in herbal teas, soups, stocks, asian condiments and the list could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on. These are ALL things that I have to avoid along with gluten as well! So it does get challenging for me!

If in doubt, check the ingredients or, LEAVE IT OUT!

I know I sound a little like a ranter but I don’t mean to at all. Perhaps I’m just a little overly-logical. Having said the above, I thought I’d save the best news ’til last:

I have VERY recently created a blog and am posting many entries each week! Take a look at one particular post on this topic, too! I have done much research with regard to ‘soy’ that I plan to continue to share! I shall also try to get a hold of the aforementioned book.

Thanks for a great topic, Dianne! All the best!

Amy

Hi Katrien,

Thanks for sharing that fantastic story!!! I’m glad to hear your son is doing so well and that you were able to discover his soy allergy.

Best wishes to you and your family!

~ Pete

Hi,

I have battled for years trying to manage my son’s hyperactivity. I didn’t follow his school teachers’ advice to put him on Ritaling. Instead I did my own research on nutrition and ADHD. My gut feeling told me that his diet was the culprit. I tried dairy free and gluten free food, but I didn’t notice a big difference. Slowly, over the years, I excluded all additives and preservatives. I quit my job and spent more time cooking healthy meals from scratch. Four months ago we started to drink raw milk. I have never looked back. My son is now flourishing. His energy levels are up, his eczema has disappeared and he is focusing better at school. Finally I took him to a nutritionist who determined that he was highly intolerant to soy. When he was a baby he used to vomit up his milk so I put him on soy milk! Had I only known! Today he eats organic wholesome food, drinks raw milk and he only eats treats that are made by myself. He is thriving. The school can’t believe this is the same boy! So say NO to soy, YES to raw milk and organic, good old natural food and you will never look back!
Good luck
Katrien in New Zealand