When you or someone you love is diagnosed with a soy allergy, it becomes stressful finding items to eat that will not make you sick or worse, kill you.
Soy is everywhere in our foods, cosmetics, hair care products, and even dog food. Sometimes, the soy in a product is hidden.
What is someone with a soy allergy to do? Your only option is to reevaluate your relationship with food. You can consume whole foods at home, but that doesn’t help you if you need something quick or happen to go out with your friends or significant other on a date.
You must learn to read labels, call ahead at restaurants if you know you are going there in advance, or if it is a quick decision to eat out, tell your waitstaff you are soy allergic and ask them to find out what options you have.
Never be too shy to ask waitstaff, or your friends and family what options you have to protect yourself from soy ingestion. After all, it is your life you are trying to preserve.
I will continue to update this main Soy Report page as new articles are written, and I discover new facts.
Facts about Soy
Truth:
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) does not require a listing of foods that contain refined soy oil to have a May Contain Soy on the label. (Source: Number 15)
Truth:
Soybean farming began in 1100 BCE in China and Asia. In Japan and China, the majority consume no more than 10 grams of soy a day, and usually fermented.
Truth:
Most of the soy crops in the U.S. is produced soybean oil, initially extracted with hexane, a gas used in glues for shoes, leather products, and roofing. As a degreaser, and in textile manufacturing.
Hexane is also used in chromatography as a non-polar solvent. As of this writing, the FDA has a lack of regulation for this contaminant. YUM! Watch the video for more.
Words that mean soy
Bean Curd
Edamame
HSP – Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Kinako Flour
Kyodofu (free-dried tofu)
Miso
Natto
Monoglycerides and Diglycerides
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
Natto
Okara (soy pulp)
Shoyu
Anything with the word soy on it
Soya and Soya Flour
Supro
Tamari
Tempeh
Teriyaki Sauce
TSF (Textured Soy Flour)
TSP (Textured Soy Protein)
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
Tofu
Yakidofu
Yuba
Hidden Soy Word List
If the ingredients listed here are found on the food label, it has or may have soy in it, just not listed as soy. Because some of these items like Xanthan Gum can be made of another substance like wheat, it is always a good practice to contact the manufacturer when in doubt.
Alkyd or Alkyl
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Artificial flavoring
Bulking Agent
Citric Acid (can be made from either soy, corn, wheat, dairy or Xanthan gum)
Emulsifier
Ethyl Sulfates
Glycerin
Glycol
Glyceride
Glycine Max
Gum Arabic
Guar gum
HPP – Hydrolyzed plant protein
HVP Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Isolates
Lecithin
Linseed Oil (Often used with soy)
Magnesium Stearate
Methylcellulose
Morpholinium
Mixed Tocopherols
Natural Flavoring
Olean
PEG (Polyethylene Glycol)
Protein or Protein extender
Quaternary or Quaternium
S500 (often used in bread and at bakeries)
Stabilizers
Styrene
Thickeners
Tocotrienols
Vegetable Broth
Vegetable Gum
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable Starch
Vitamin E also known as Tocopherols
Xanthan Gum (Can be made from corn, wheat or soy, if you are Paleo, Xanthan Gum is a no-no, but even if you are not, why risk it?)
Common foods with soy
Read your labels, as there are some of these mentioned products that do not contain soy. Stay tuned for future reports!
Asian Cuisine
Baked goods and baking mixes
Bouillon Cubes
Brominated Vegetable Oil
Candy
Canned Tuna
Carob (while most carob is made with carob flour and is dairy-free, I have noticed a trend that a lot of carob manufacturers are using soy flour, soy lecithin, and soy oil in their carob. Read the labels!)
Cereal
Chicken that is in chicken broth
Citrus Drinks
Commercial broths
Commercial smoothies
Chocolate
Deli meats (Look for HSP also known as hydrolyzed soy protein)
Energy Bars (most contain soy protein isolate and soy lecithin)
Hamburger meat and buns, particularly at fast food places. Most include soy flour in their buns and meat as an extender.
Some vegan cheeses and other vegan products
Baby Formula
Margarine
Mayonnaise
Peanut and nut butter (Sometimes you will see soy protein listed on the label.
Many protein powders, look for soy protein powder on the label
Salad Dressings
The Soy Report Posts
Restaurants and Soy
Red Lobster
Dominos Pizza
Wendy’s
McDonald’s
Jack in the Box
Everyday Food Products and Soy
Do you have a soy allergy? Let me know how you have changed your relationship with food in the comments below.
