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Soy Intolerant... Need Help With Hidden Soy!

gfwarrior
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gfwarrior Rookie
gfwarrior
Posted

Hello! I am a Celiac but also intolerant to soy. When I consume soy, I break out in a horrible, itch rash on my hands that takes weeks to clear up. It seems that I cannot tolerate soy lecithin, as some people with soy intolerance can. My question... I've read that guar gum, gum arabic, carob, etc. may be hidden sources of soy. But I have some foods that are labeled "soy free" and guar gum is listed on the ingredient label. Turtle Mountain Cocunut Milk ice cream for example says its soy free but has guar gum in it. But yet I'm told not to eat guar gum if I can't tolerate soy. Does anyone know what this means? I would love to have some regular ice cream (I can tolerate dairy) but guar gum is in all ice cream (it seems).

And what about carob and gum arabic? I understand these aren't part of the protein in soy (like soy lecithin), but if I react to lecithin, would I react to these agents as well?

Sorry for the questions but I'm so confused!!

Thanks!

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted
Hello! I am a Celiac but also intolerant to soy. When I consume soy, I break out in a horrible, itch rash on my hands that takes weeks to clear up. It seems that I cannot tolerate soy lecithin, as some people with soy intolerance can. My question... I've read that guar gum, gum arabic, carob, etc. may be hidden sources of soy. But I have some foods that are labeled "soy free" and guar gum is listed on the ingredient label. Turtle Mountain Cocunut Milk ice cream for example says its soy free but has guar gum in it. But yet I'm told not to eat guar gum if I can't tolerate soy. Does anyone know what this means? I would love to have some regular ice cream (I can tolerate dairy) but guar gum is in all ice cream (it seems).

And what about carob and gum arabic? I understand these aren't part of the protein in soy (like soy lecithin), but if I react to lecithin, would I react to these agents as well?

Sorry for the questions but I'm so confused!!

Thanks!

Don't feel bad about being confused; most of us are in one way or another. Like, i have never heard of guar gum as having soy in it. I probably consume so little of and have so many itches that I am not aware of consuming it if it does have. I would be surprised though. I break out in very itch red rash from soy.

So like you, chocolate is a problem because I can't eat soy lecithin. There is apparently soy free carob available but I have never seen any. Enjoy Life choc chips are okay and I just found this post from 2006 on the forum:

"ALPROSE SWISS Dark Chocolate.

www.alprose.ch/

DAIRY and GLUTEN FREE - SOY FREE - Maybe CC with NUTS

Walmart has it hidden in the kosher isle.

Gray colored wraper, gold and white lettering. Perhaps they are old packaging? It's different then what apear in the euro site. They have a dark chocolate one stuffed with a hazelnut filling. To avoid dairy go dark chocolate. Since becoming a celiac I like dark chocolate better then milk or white chocolate its also yummy.

ALPROSE DARK CHOCOLATE BARS are about $2 or $3 a bar. "

Can't help with the gum arabic as far as soy, but I understand it does contain gluten.

gfwarrior Rookie
gfwarrior
Posted
  • Author

Thank you for the Chocolate advice... I'll have to look for that the next time I'm in Walmart.

So you get itchy rashes from soy too? It's the worst! I didn't think guar gum could have soy being that so many of my foods have it but are labelled soy-free. But some websites will say that it may be a source of hidden soy. so who knows!

:)

Don't feel bad about being confused; most of us are in one way or another. Like, i have never heard of guar gum as having soy in it. I probably consume so little of and have so many itches that I am not aware of consuming it if it does have. I would be surprised though. I break out in very itch red rash from soy.

So like you, chocolate is a problem because I can't eat soy lecithin. There is apparently soy free carob available but I have never seen any. Enjoy Life choc chips are okay and I just found this post from 2006 on the forum:

"ALPROSE SWISS Dark Chocolate.

www.alprose.ch/

DAIRY and GLUTEN FREE - SOY FREE - Maybe CC with NUTS

Walmart has it hidden in the kosher isle.

Gray colored wraper, gold and white lettering. Perhaps they are old packaging? It's different then what apear in the euro site. They have a dark chocolate one stuffed with a hazelnut filling. To avoid dairy go dark chocolate. Since becoming a celiac I like dark chocolate better then milk or white chocolate its also yummy.

ALPROSE DARK CHOCOLATE BARS are about $2 or $3 a bar. "

Can't help with the gum arabic as far as soy, but I understand it does contain gluten.

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

Guar gum, gum Arabic (also referred to as acacia gum), and carob have nothing to do with soy. However, guar gum and carob are derived from leguminous trees, so some who can't tolerate legumes might not be able to tolerate them. Being that guar gum (a fiber) is fairly purified, I think the chances of reacting to it because of legume intolerance is less than for carob, chocolate, soy, etc.

Soy is of course a legume, so perhaps this is where the confusion occurs. But again, guar gum and carob as ingredients is no indication of soy whatsoever. In fact, there are some products which contain sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin, so a soy-induced reaction from such a product wouldn't be from the lecithin.

On the other hand, xanthan gum is usually derived from microbes which have been fed corn, thus individuals sensitive enough to corn may not be able to tolerate xanthan.

gfwarrior Rookie
gfwarrior
Posted
  • Author

Rice Guy... Thank you so much! You have made that so much more clear! I was wondering why carob, guar gum and gum arabic were listed on some of my foods labelled "soy free". I don't have reactions to any other legumes so I'm safe eating guar gum, carob, gum arabic and xanthan gum, correct?

This makes it a bit easier to enjoy some foods I thought I should stay away from.

Thanks again!

Guar gum, gum Arabic (also referred to as acacia gum), and carob have nothing to do with soy. However, guar gum and carob are derived from leguminous trees, so some who can't tolerate legumes might not be able to tolerate them. Being that guar gum (a fiber) is fairly purified, I think the chances of reacting to it because of legume intolerance is less than for carob, chocolate, soy, etc.

Soy is of course a legume, so perhaps this is where the confusion occurs. But again, guar gum and carob as ingredients is no indication of soy whatsoever. In fact, there are some products which contain sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin, so a soy-induced reaction from such a product wouldn't be from the lecithin.

On the other hand, xanthan gum is usually derived from microbes which have been fed corn, thus individuals sensitive enough to corn may not be able to tolerate xanthan.

Merika Contributor
Merika
Posted

I'll second RiceGuy.

Include in your list of soy foods: mono-and-di-glycerides. Also, depending on how sensitive you are: mixed tocopheryls and vitamin E (a preservative typically derived from soy, though it could be from wheat (rarely, if ever I've found), or synthetic).

Merika

  • 9 months later...
AudreyGest Newbie
AudreyGest
Posted

Hello,

I am new to the forum, but I just found out I am allergic to gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, legumes, and the list goes on. I was quite distraught when I picked up my favorite chocolate only to find it contained soy. But I found a brand that doesn't contain soy. It's expensive, but fantastic. It's called Askionsie Chocolate. If you like dark dark chocolate, it is heaven on earth. I find it at Whole Foods here in Denver, but you can order it online as well.

Audrey

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  • 6 years later...
Merika Contributor
Merika
Posted

Updating info on this old post...guar gum can indeed contain soy.

While it is derived from the guar plant (no soy there), when it goes through processing to become guar gum, 10% protein is added from...you guessed, soy. Or sometimes not soy, but a different food-based protein.

So you may find some of the time you tolerate guar gum, and some of the time you  don't. Products like this can be labelled "soy free" as they are considered free of the soy protein allergen. But if you are super sensitive to soy, you will notice it.

  • 8 months later...
Adepated Newbie
Adepated
Posted
(edited)

Hi original poster! 

I recently was diagnosed with severe allergies. They are all mostly centred around legumes but luckily do not include peanut. The list is extensive though: peas, lentils, all soy products including soy lecithin and soybean oil, all variety of beans, chickpeas. Also pain medication related to ibuprofen (nsaid pain relievers) and artificial colour(s) especially tartrazine and red and blue colours. I discovered tonight that carob bean gum triggered a reaction. This makes perfect sense since it is a legume and is related to the pea. Also, from other posts it seems like carob might be processed with some soy in the formation of the gum substance. My suggestion is trial and error. It is of course recommended that you seek a doctor if possible to have allergy testing done. It might also be a good idea to keep a good supply of benedryl around, as well as calamine lotion for use during the day since benedryl is known to cause significant drowsiness. In my case I need to keep an epi pen with me at all times as well. I hope this helps. 

Also, when it comes to chocolate that doesn't have soy lecithin in it I have discovered that nestle after 8 thin mints are made with sunflower lecithin, also quality street chocolates are made with sunflower lecithin as well. Enjoy life does make soy free chocolate that is suitable for some baking but not very good for snacking. When it comes to ice cream that is safe, I find that haggen daz vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream are both safe as both dont contain any soy or gums (guar, carageenen, carob bean, xanthan). Please always read labels before eating any food. 

Edited by Adepated
  • 3 years later...
Kagsie Newbie
Kagsie
Posted

I am intolerant to soy but can’t have any milk products unless the are 100% pasture for life fed as cows in the Uk are given a small amount of soy in the milking sheds and this goes through to the milk.  I enjoy all pasture for life products milk, cream, cheese etc without issue but end up on the floor with normal shop bought organic milk, cheese etc.

I loose my hearing more with each error so the consequences of having soy are severe and food labelling of embedded and hidden soy is woeful.

 

 

 

 

 

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted
On 3/2/2020 at 4:01 AM, Kagsie said:

I am intolerant to soy but can’t have any milk products unless the are 100% pasture for life fed as cows in the Uk are given a small amount of soy in the milking sheds and this goes through to the milk.  I enjoy all pasture for life products milk, cream, cheese etc without issue but end up on the floor with normal shop bought organic milk, cheese etc.

I loose my hearing more with each error so the consequences of having soy are severe and food labelling of embedded and hidden soy is woeful.

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds like a switch to coconut. almond or cashew milk would be a good move then.

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