Many years ago when I tried out vegetarianism, I bumped up my
consumption of both dairy and soy. To m7y dismay, I had inadvertently
"sensitized" myself to both, and now have what I believe is a
permanent allergy to both. Full allergy. Respiratory symptoms, hives,
itchiness - the whole nine yards. And also allergy-triggered joint
inflammation.
Lucky for me, I can eat soy oil, soy lecithin, and even soy sauce
without symptoms, but I know it's a good idea to keep the consumption
low. Anything with direct soy protein, though, is taboo - not tofu,
no "natural" soy margarine (with soy beans), and no breads, etc, with
soy flour. I suspect I'd have trouble with any soy oil that was not
highly processed.
Also fortunate is that there are many foods still available to eat
that do not contain soy proteins.
You're doing the right thing by staying clear of all soy for a
while. Later, you may want to try foods with soy lecithin, since it's
pretty pervasive. To be sure (and if your symptoms to the non-protein
components are mild), you might want to have somebody else do a bit
of single-blind or double-blind challenging (but only of the
non-protein items), to see whether the lesser symptoms are reliably
present when you consume foods containing any soy. It's just too hard
to be objective when you're testing yourself.
G'Luck. And make sure you're not starving yourself. These food issues
are tricky - physiologically and psychologically.
Mark
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