Developed Soy Allergy--Anyone else? Recipes?

[yogamama]

Hi everyone!

I'm new here. We are a vegan family , beginning with my husband who is a veterinarian that spent 11 years with the USDA in meat packing plants. (Partly the reason for becoming vegan.) We have a 7 year-old who often eats vegan at home but is allowed to make his own choices and sometimes has baked items when out with eggs or dairy in them.

At any rate, our diets have been heavy on soy in the past year since so many more products have been introduced with soy. We try to buy non GMO and organic whenever possible. Seems though that after a bout with chronic sinusitis and initiating a long fast and elimination diet, my doctor and I have discovered that I have developed a soy allergy.

I am subsisting many on a few Indian dishes with spices and chickpeas, beans, lots of veggies and fruit. I had to do without wheat, corn, and rice for while too to make sure I didn't have an allergy to them as well. I also think it's wise to go easy on wheat and corn for the very reason that they are used in so many things. So we use spelt and other grains often.

My question is, has anyone else encountered a soy allergy in themselves or their children because of prolonged use of soy in their diet? And even if you haven't, I would GREATLY appreciate any recipes for vegan meals, snacks, baked goods that utilize other grains and protein sources other than soy.

I have to say....I feel great without it in my diet, but I sorely miss my soy milk and tofu.... Dr. seems to think that after eliminating it for a time I should be able to reintroduce it in small quantities every so often.

Thanks for the forum and for your responses.

[VOW]

I can appreciate why you might feel the need to eliminate or reduce wheat and corn in your diet, since you have shown a sensitivity to soy. Since becoming Vegan, I have turned into a label-reading fiend, and I'm amazed at how many ingredients it takes to produce a single food.

If you are still allowing yourself some wheat in your diet, have you ever tried Seitan? It used to be made through a very laborious process, kneading dough under water in order to wash away all the wheat starch. However, now you can buy wheat gluten and mix up the Seitan without all the work. The dough is then simmered for an hour and a half or so in water or broth. You are then left with a product which can be sliced, cubed, or chopped, and prepared in many ways. The gluten is simply the protein portion of wheat after the starch has been removed, and the Seitan is a great way to supplement your family's diet.


~VOW

[alexis]

have you ever tried oat milk? It's pretty nice, like soy milk but without the icky cupboardy taste (at least for me) I drink a brand called oatly's...it comes in vanilla, plain and chocolate
I'll keep my eyes peeled for any recipes without the stuff you want to avoid and let you know

[yogamama]

Thanks alexis and VOW for your help. I am in a bit of pickle as far as gluten is concerned too as I started having digestive troubles last year and cut out gluten for a couple of months and felt better. However, looking back, it could have been the beginning of my soy allergy.

As it is I can tolerate a bit of wheat now and again, but hesitate to use seitan because it is entirely gluten as you say. Oats are supposed to be tolerated a bit better by people gluten sensitive, but should be used moderately from what I read, so I'm staying away from oat milk for that reason. I think I would like it too much and then overdo.

But I DID pick up a carton of almond milk and a carton of hazelnut milk that Pacific just came out with to try. Had to read labels like a maniac as you say VOW because one brand of Almond milk I found had Lecithin in it that was soy based!

OT...I even had to throw out all my skin care products that contained soy...nearly everything.

I did find a cookbook, the Voluptuous Vegan that has a fair amount of soy-free recipes in it and some where I can eliminate the soy and try. What is nice about it is that it uses a variety of grains and veggies and doesn't rely heavily on one thing. Helps combat my nerves about becoming allergic to other foods if I rotate around.

Thanks again!
yogamama

[Christa]

For something quick, you could try the Shells & Chreese by Road's End Organics. It is basically boxed vegan pseudo macaroni & cheese and contains no soy. They do also make a gluten free variety, but I have never tried it b/c my one experience with gluten free pasta turned into eating paste!

Maybe some Mexican foods would be doable as well with pinto or black beans. There probably would have to be some corn in there, though. Good luck.