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Persons who are intolerant to soy often believe that they are not eating it because they don’t consume the substance in its various forms (as a legume, as soy milk or soy oil).
In reality, soy and the lecithin that is derived from it have been used for many years as anti-oxidants, emulsifiers and amalgamators (sigla 322).
What’s more, soy flour is used an absorbing agent in many industrial products.
The first foods to be eliminated or selectively rotated in case of verified intolerance by way of a DRIA test are:
— Soy milk, soy oil, soy (as a legume), soy sauce, soy bread
— Products with a vegetable protein base: tofu (soy cheese), hamburgers, seitan, soy meatballs, soy stew, wieners and practically all types of vegetable “meats” produced with soy fiber.
— Macrobiotic sauces and oriental foods: in addition to soy sauce, tamari, miso, tempeh and many other oriental foods contain a significant quantity of soy. Soy is also contained in “kokkoh” flour.
Soy and lecithin are also frequently found in:
— Condensed milk and powdered milk
— Industrially produced sweets or bakery products: pastry cream, panettone, pound cake, croissants, cookies, snacks, melba toast, etc.
— Special breads and baked goods: besides soy bread, usually all breads that have added fat, like “oiled bread” and many whole grain and flavored breads. Soy flour or oil may also be included in sandwich bread, mixed grain bread, crackers and breadsticks.
— Chocolate and substitutes: recently some producers have started to distribute chocolate that doesn’t contain soy lecithin. Only in this case, when carefully selected and produced by a trustworthy company, chocolate may be eaten.
— Vegetable (nut) creams with chocolate flavoring: such as products made with hazelnuts, almonds etc...
— Ice creams and frozen creams (semifreddi): whether produced industrially or by a shop, small quantities of lecithin are often added as stabilizers or emulsifiers.
— Some industrial jams and jellies
— Margarine: lecithin may be added as an emulsifier; soy oil may be a substantial component.
— Pasta: for example egg noodles or industrially produced lasagna, that often contain soy flour that isn’t declared in an evident manner. Durham wheat pasta (classic spaghetti or other shapes) should be soy-free.
— Preserved meats: hot dogs, sausages, cooked salami, stuffed pasta (tortellini, ravioli, etc.).
— Purees and industrially produced soups: in bags, boxes or cans.
Alternatives
If a person is intolerant to soy as well as Cow’s milk (in recent years, soy reactivity has almost reached the levels reported for cow’s milk, that is 30% of those affected by intolerance of any kind), the rotational diet can include other types of vegetable milk, for example almond, rice, oat and nut.
When purchasing bread, it’s always best to ask your baker for a type of bread that is absolutely soy and fat free. If this can’t be guaranteed, you should buy your bread elsewhere.
As far as oils are concerned, always give preference to single seed oils (preferably cold-pressed) or olive oil, unless there are other specific reactivities.
Other suggestions are discussed on the Vegetable fats food profile that complements this profile.
Weekly abstinence even for persons without intolerances
Even if a person doesn’t have any specific reactivity, since soy and lecithin are among the most common components in industrially produced foods for mass consumption, it’s a good idea to consider taking a day of abstinence from them in order to cleanse your system. In this way, you will help your body free itself from a possible overload, as illustrated in this link.
Many alternative recipes can be found, together with instructions for rotational diets, in the books by Dr Attilio Speciani “Le allergie: cause, diagnosi, terapie” [Allergies: Causes, diagnosis, therapies] (with Marina Speciani Necchi), “Resistere all’inquinamento” [Surviving pollution] and “Superare le intolleranze alimentari” [Overcoming food intolerances] (with Francesca Speciani), all published by Tecniche Nuove, Milan.
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© This food profile is copyright of SMA Srl Servizi Medici Associati, Via Ariosto 28, 20145 Milan,
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. Health director: Dr Attilio Speciani, M.D., Clinical allergist and immunologist. This material may not be used or reproduced without the publisher’s permission.
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