Best food to trial for soy

[lyterae]

We're about 99% certain that B.'s chronic cough is actually due to corn, however in trying to test out soy we're having a hard time finding something that doesn't contain corn! Even the soy milk we have has things in (vitamins,potassium citrate, etc.) that is derived from corn. I'm considering if I should just make up some tofu to give to her but I'm not sure she'll eat it.

[JaneS]

eh I say skip it... I don't think anyone with allergy potential should be eating soy b/c of the GMO issue! Robyn O'Brien's book, The Unhealthy Truth, revealed that GMO changes our gut flora and studies have shown an initial link to allergy explosion.

(not to mention the anti nutrients and estrogenic properties of soy as well)

[lyterae]

Originally Posted by JaneS

eh I say skip it... I don't think anyone with allergy potential should be eating soy b/c of the GMO issue! Robyn O'Brien's book, The Unhealthy Truth, revealed that GMO changes our gut flora and studies have shown an initial link to allergy explosion.

(not to mention the anti nutrients and estrogenic properties of soy as well)

Well I understand that, but she is already dairy free (we use primarily rice or coconut milk), however soy is an "extra" ingredient in a lot of foods. Things like granola bars, cereals, etc.. I'm trying to find out if soy has to be entirely avoided to prevent her from soundng like she has whooping cough or if she's okay to eat it. I've had a difficult time finding something to "test" with that doesn't have the other ingredients.

[tanyalynn]

maybe some miso as a flavoring in soup? you'd have to check ingredients, some have gluten (the barley misos) and i don't know if there are other, possible corn-related ingredients in most, but that seems like a possibility. though you could probably hide tofu in homemade chicken noodle soup. cut up the chicken chunks small enough and the tofu will hide in with it.

[NewMoonMum]

If you want to try tofu, this is a good place to start-
buy some silken tofu, you can easily hand-mash it(I just squish it in my hand)and stir it into oatmeal or something of a similar consistency.

Many people in the world consume moderate amounts of soy and have for many generations, and have not seen the kind of radical hormonal upheaval that soy scaremongerers would have you believe.

Do your own research, look at some peer-reviewed articles to inform yourself and make your own decision. Anybody writing a book or blogging about "research has shown" can pull information from absolutely anywhere...and often this "research" on soy has been funded by the food industry and organizations such as the Weston A Price Foundation (WAPF)...findings that are contradicted by leading world health organizations such as the
World Health Organization, American Dietetic Association and the British Medical Association.

(sorry, I just get super-irritated when people cite faulty pseudo-science as fact because they "read it somewhere".)

[tanyalynn]

NewMoonMum--this is the Allergies forum, a lot of us have kids intolerant of a wide range of foods, soy is pretty high up on the problematic list.

The suggestion to use squish/puree silken tofu is a good one, though. OP--if your LO is used to smoothies, or you can make some sort of cold fruit puree-type thing, you could throw some silken tofu into a blender and the texture issue is gone. I make a coconut milk/frozen fruit/water/honey thing that's similar in consistency to soft serve ice cream (not as creamy, but cold and soft enough to scoop easily).

One thing to consider, though, is that some kids have a tolerance level. My son is intolerant of soy but I haven't had to avoid all those trace amounts of soy here and there. I don't intentionally use it, but the convenience foods with soy lecithin and such haven't been a problem for him--I actually had to give him quite a bit of soy in a short amount of time before I realized it was a problem.

[lyterae]

Originally Posted by tanyalynn

The suggestion to use squish/puree silken tofu is a good one, though. OP--if your LO is used to smoothies, or you can make some sort of cold fruit puree-type thing, you could throw some silken tofu into a blender and the texture issue is gone. I make a coconut milk/frozen fruit/water/honey thing that's similar in consistency to soft serve ice cream (not as creamy, but cold and soft enough to scoop easily).

One thing to consider, though, is that some kids have a tolerance level. My son is intolerant of soy but I haven't had to avoid all those trace amounts of soy here and there. I don't intentionally use it, but the convenience foods with soy lecithin and such haven't been a problem for him--I actually had to give him quite a bit of soy in a short amount of time before I realized it was a problem.

Thank you, we may give that a go just to be sure that it is safe. So far it seems as though she reacts to the barest amount of corn (ascorbic acid in applesauce! for example), but the wheat and soy seem to be okay. We want to do a few more "test" runs before we go for the all clear on both of them as she's been off of all of them for almost 1.5 months now and the progress has been phenomenal. We certainly don't want to "wreck" it.

The tofu in the smoothie is a great idea and she thinks smoothies are "desserts" .

[kennyjoyy]

Soy protein has many clinically significant health benefits in humans. These benefits include reduced total and harmful cholesterol in the blood while maintaining beneficial cholesterol.

[rhesp1212]

you could also puree up some edamame, which is whole soy beans, and give her that to try as well. That way you know it's 100% soy with no salt or other additives in it.

[lyterae]

Originally Posted by rhesp1212

you could also puree up some edamame, which is whole soy beans, and give her that to try as well. That way you know it's 100% soy with no salt or other additives in it.

Perfect! I'll pick some up this weekend, then we can be sure it's a fair test.

[rhesp1212]

Not sure how old your little one is....but if B. is old enough to eat them whole you don't even have to puree them. Steam, pop them out of the shell and eat!! Yummy!