Living Soy-Free (ish…)

I’m really bad at having a food allergy. Especially when it’s an ingredient as common as soy. I’m constantly eating things I shouldn’t. Slabs of sashimi dunked in soy sauce, as an obvious example, but also slope-side bites of granola bars, Wheat Thins, pasta sauce… I don’t even bother asking for an ingredients list when I go out to eat.

Did I mention that many lotions, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, makeup, and lip balms contain soy? Pretty awesome, eh?

This food allergy thing is all new to me. I only noticed something was amiss last year, although the symptoms – queasiness, skin irritation, acne, exceptional palor – have been going on since freshman year of college. In college, it was all so weird. I fet sick to my stomach near constantly and suddenly struggled with itchy, zitty skin. But after a day eating Mom’s home cooked and serendipitously soy-free meals, my stomach would settle and I’d feel bright again.

More recently, I noticed the skin on my legs getting more and more irritated, no matter how much lotion I used. Turns out, Vitamin E and Tocopherol are soy-derived and in most skin care products, including the little lubricating strip on razors. Again, pretty awesome.

I haven’t given up on all soy-foods yet. I’m too lazy to search through the aisles to find a new, soy-free shampoo. And I’m much too attached to Oreo cookies to stop eating them for any reason.

But I will miss golden fried tofu, edamame, and the Thai chicken pizza from Leonardo’s.

My fingers are crossed that soy allergy will go the way of gluten intolerance… and become the next big dietary craze. It’s one of the most common food allergies after all. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

But, it could be worse. I could be allergic to steak. Or cheddar cheese. Or the cold. Now that would be truly horrible.