Is Soy Next?

[bridgetm]

I'm about 6 weeks in to the gluten-free diet and I finally recovered from last weekend's Target-brand acetaminophen mishap, but now I feel like I'm having a separate attack. Last night I started getting that cramping abdominal pain and a rib/back ache again and it's always worst right after I eat. Looking back at my food diary, I realize my intake of soy has increased dramatically with the discovery of gluten-free foods such as Bakery on Main trail mix bars, EnviroKidz cereal bars, Butterfingers, Kind fruit and nut bars and Boost protein shakes. And then, of course, there's the peanut butter made with an undeclared amount of soybean oil. So I'm thinking soy may be the next to go.

I can brainstorm, Google and make pro-con lists, but nothing can help me as much as the past experience I find on this board so I defer to the experts: Is cutting out soy (and soybean oil and soy lecithin and all the other hidden sources I had no idea existed) a logical conclusion?

Bridget

[skigirlchar]

soy elimination was a HUGE benefit for me

yes, it's a LOT of work, but the physical symptomatic relief i felt made it worth it!

good luck!

[nyctexangal]

I'm a newbie as well...and my last symptoms have only started to get better after cutting out soy, legumes, and beans. Bummer- but hey- feeling amazing will be worth it. That's what I keep telling myself. =) I think we'll, hopefully, be able to add it back in a year or so from now...

[mushroom]

Soy came after gluten for me too, I think because so many gluten free processed foods contain soy.

[seashele2]

Bridget,

After my celiac diagnosis 6 years ago, and my body was finally absorbing foods for the first time in years, I began reacting to foods I never had before. And with allergic reactions, not intolerance reactions. Now in addition to gluten, I am dairy, soy, MSG and beef-free.

At first I could tolerate small amounts of things like soy lecithan, but now - nothing. As far as peanut butter, so far I have found that Skippy Natural has only caused me a problem once or twice and I eat LOTS of peanut butter. I also buy a local brand of peanut butter with success. The problem with a lot of peanut butter is soy contamination before grinding, even without added spy oil.

A food diary is the way to track reactions and if you are seeing a pattern with soy and no other common ingredients, it's time to give it up and see if you improve.

Good luck!

Michelle

Western Washington State

[bridgetm]

Thank you everyone! It does sound difficult, but I'm kind of excited. Here's a problem though: everything I have in my pantry right now that doesn't list soy as an ingredient is processed in a factory alongside soy products... Should I worry about that right now? When I get home I can stay away from packaged foods and have plenty to eat but until I get home next week, I have to depend on some of these processed foods. Otherwise I'll be eating nothing but fruit, veggies and eggs from the cafeteria and rice, pasta and Lara bars from my room.

[mushroom]

Thank you everyone! It does sound difficult, but I'm kind of excited. Here's a problem though: everything I have in my pantry right now that doesn't list soy as an ingredient is processed in a factory alongside soy products... Should I worry about that right now? When I get home I can stay away from packaged foods and have plenty to eat but until I get home next week, I have to depend on some of these processed foods. Otherwise I'll be eating nothing but fruit, veggies and eggs from the cafeteria and rice, pasta and Lara bars from my room.

It would be a good start just to eliminate soy from the ingredients list; you can worry about the "processed on lines..." when you get home, I would think. Some are more sensitive than others to foods that are processed on shared lines - you will have to find out for yourself where you stand on this issue.

[skigirlchar]

Thank you everyone! It does sound difficult, but I'm kind of excited. Here's a problem though: everything I have in my pantry right now that doesn't list soy as an ingredient is processed in a factory alongside soy products... Should I worry about that right now? When I get home I can stay away from packaged foods and have plenty to eat but until I get home next week, I have to depend on some of these processed foods. Otherwise I'll be eating nothing but fruit, veggies and eggs from the cafeteria and rice, pasta and Lara bars from my room.

do to financial constraints i couldn't totally do a kitchen overhaul so i slowly eliminated my "bad" foods by either giving things away to friends who would go shopping w/ me and would buy me gluten-free/CF/SF products in trade, or eating much smaller quantities to fade the "bad foods" from my diet.

now, i am in the middle of moving and am trying to not buy anymore food and am trying "live on what's" left - so i feel your pain!

my job also has me in the car & other people's home a lot so that makes it hard too because the families are always offering to feed me!

you have 2 choices - "eat the foods that may make you feel miserable" for one last week or live on a very limited diet for a week.

both have positives and negatives. if you are in school and going to be taking finals, i would suggest the limited diet to keep your mind and body clear. if you are just "cleaning house" like i am and can deal w/ the side effects, then enjoy your "bad" foods for one more week.

good luck either way

char

[bridgetm]

Char-

I think I'll stick with the basic diet at least through tomorrow. Stomach pain/rumbling is never pleasant, but with a packed test schedule from 8 through 5 on Monday that could get even more ugly . After that, I will probably end up eating some of the things in my 'unsafe' cabinet... Might as well get my money's worth (I spent $5 on a box of Glutino chocolate cereal bars before deciding to cut soy; unless they taste disgusting I'll force them down ). I am hoping that recovery from whatever damage this next week will do will be faster with all the good, simple food I can look forward to at home.

Good luck with your move! I decided to live out of one small drawer this week so that I could get as much packed away as possible. I was hoping getting it done would help me avoid playing that packing-tetris game in my head when I should be studying... Obviously, I am still finding ways to procrastinate

Again, thank you to all for the advice!

[bridgetm]

UPDATE: It's only been a few days since I cut out soy and I feel SO MUCH BETTER!

I felt pretty good after going gluten-free, but this is beyond that. I had four final exams yesterday and I was able to focus well on each one and wasn't very stressed or tired. I have the day off today and I'm actually looking forward to taking the time to study for tomorrow's tests. I can't wait to be able to cut out all this processed food when I get home on Friday

[skigirlchar]

YEA!! i'm so glad you are feeling better!

lol i love how you put it - "playing that packing-tetris game in my head " because that is what i am doing right now!

between boxing things up, trying to purge, and trying to figure out what goes w/ me and what i need to sell or donate, that's stress enough!

Good luck on your last final!