Soy Allergy

At the age of 21, after 4 years of eating the way college kids do, I learned I had developed an allergy to soy and most major antibiotics- ironically allergies shared most commonly by farmers. My allergies grew continuously more severe and I spent the next 7 years learning to read labels and learning about how food affects our bodies. What I learned was...disturbing.

In my quest to understand my allergy to something that the US had always touted as uber-healthy, I learned a truth that even vegans are beginning to recognize. Soy is REALLY bad for you. Over 90% of soy is genetically modified to be "round-up" ready so that it can be coated in pesticides, and over 65% of prepackaged goods in the US contain soy. Additionally, soy is a staple food for farm animals, compounding those pesticides in the food chain. Did you know that studies have shown that second generation farm animals on a soy-diet are being born infertile? Margarine is basically a soy block and only 2 molecules away from being plastic- it doesn't break down at room temperature, and pests won't eat it.

In most basic terms, soy attacks your thyroid, blocks absorption of minerals, and dissolves your intestinal lining. Your intestinal lining keeps waste inside your intestines til it exits the body, and without it, you basically have literal shit mixing with your blood.

Basically, our bodies aren't meant to digest plant proteins found in grains and legumes. The plant has built in defenses to ensure its own survival which attack the digestive system. Cooking most legumes is usually sufficient to break down these proteins, but soy is a tougher cookie with fermentation being the only sure-fire way to make soy truly digestible.

All legumes contain:

• Protease inhibitors: interfere with digestion of protein
• Phytates/Phytic Acid:Tie up minerals your body needs(zinc, calcium, iron, magnesium...
• Lectins: Dissolve cell mucous membranes. Plant defense, attacks your cells
• Saponins: Dissolve gut lining. Another plant defense that attacks your digestive system. Can't be "cooked" out http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian.com/Paleo-diet-reasons-to-avoid-grains.html

Soy specifically ALSO contains:

• goitrogens/isoflavones: severely anti-thyroid
• phtyoestrogens- mimic estrogen. While some claim this is insignificant, women with estrogen related cancers are told to avoid soy and 2 glasses of soymilk a day can change the timing of a woman's menstrual cycle. It can interfere with the natural hormone balance in both men and women. Disrupt endocrine function.
• Aluminum: Soy is often processed by acid washing in aluminum tanks. Aluminum is linked to neurological disorders and not FDA safe.
• Pesticides: 90% of US soy is genetically modified to be "round-up" resistant. Who modifies it? The same people who make round-up (Monsanto)! http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/whole-soy-story http://authoritynutrition.com/is-soy-bad-for-you-or-good/

Most of the studies that suggest soy is "good for you" were conducted on the Asian population, who consume soy in a very different way than Americans do. In Asia, soy is almost always fermented, does not make up a large part of their diet, and those that consume a lot of it usually take iodine supplements to help keep their thyroids healthy. 

A lot of people have told me that they don't eat that much soy, because they don't read labels. Soy is in:

• Almost all bread, crackers, cereals, and cake mixes
• Mayonnaise- yes even the "olive oil" kind- is almost entirely soy
• Cooking oils and sprays- shortening is pure hydrogenated soybean oil
• Salad Dressings and condiments
• Chocolate, frosting, and snack cakes
• Margarine and butter substitutes are almost solid soy
• Many jarred nuts and most microwaveable popcorn. Actually, most microwaveable anything