Soy

Soy, always touted as a healthy food, is also a major allergen.  Like peanuts, it is a legume.  And like peanuts, soy is in obvious places such as soy sauce, but is also hidden in other foods.  Even more than peanuts, soy is a major ingredient in many processed. foods.  So there is “obvious soy” such as tofu, edamame, soy sauce and soy milk.  Then there is less obvious soy. Soy is an “agent” in many other foods.  Who knew that soy would be in just about all chocolate and also in your tea bags.  Soy lecithin is an emulsifier.  Its keeps processed food blended well.  When soy lecithin is an ingredient, there is very little soy in product, usually less than one percent.  However, it is there and it has to be listed.  You can find chocolate and tea bags (and other stuff) without soy lecithin, but you have to look. In addition to working as an emulsifier to keep ingredients from separating, soy lecithin can be found in cake mixes to smooth out the dough and make it spread more easily. In baking, it can help dough rise.    Soy is in a lot of infant formula.  It is a problem for people sensitive to soy.  Some people are also concerned that the genetically modified soy is contributing to other allergies (see peanuts).

Here is a cheat sheet on Soy Allergies from the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.

http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/allergy/soy.html

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.