Those that know me are very aware that I have a severe soy allergy caused by a birch tree allergy. Basically, when I ingest soy, my body thinks it is birch and goes into attack mode. It isn’t pretty. What is hard for most people to understand is the sheer amount of foods that contain soy. I am often asked – can’t you just avoid foods like edamame or tofu? Just imagine the look on my face to this question. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that earlier (while my inside face is giving an eye roll). Instead of getting upset, I created this print out and laminated it so when I eat out, I hand it the waiter. Oh, you thought that the kitchen staff and chefs already know what contains soy? Nope. Maybe 1 out of 10 are aware, maybe. How many of these common foods that contain soy did you know?
Disclosure: This post not only shares information about having a soy allergy, but also has Affiliate Links that I earn commissions from. This is how I make a living and keep this little blog running. Thank you for supporting me! I appreciate it. Much love, Kristi.
You can read about my recent diagnosis in When You Are Allergic to Everything But Air. Basically, I’m allergic to every tree on the planet and there are over 90+ foods I can no longer eat or can not eat raw. Good times!
Print it out if you need to stay away from soy.
Oils & Sauces
Vegetable Oil
Soybean Oil
Pam or Cooking Spray
Margarine
Mayonaise
Ketchup
Salad Dressing
Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Tempeh
Worcestershire
Broths & Stocks
Gravy
Soup
Spices
Bouillon Cubes
Protein
Farmed Fish
Grain Fed Beef
Grain Fed Pork
Grain Fed Chicken
Tofu
Hot Dogs
Sausage
Kalibasa
Edamame
Nutrition or Protein Bars
Protein Powder
Peanut Butter
Breads
Bread
Breadcrumbs
Baked goods
Crackers
Cereal
Flour Tortillas
Pizza
Sweets
Chocolate
Ice Cream
Pies & Cakes
Doughnuts
Candy
Microwave Popcorn
Kind of impressive list, right? Who knew all of these foods contained soy? Looking back at my history, I have been allergic to soy since about age 10. I was always sick after I ate, never felt awesome, and gained a lot of weight for being an athlete. These days my reactions include anaphylaxis (closing of the throat) which includes a trip to the ER, hives on my face and legs, and extreme weight gain combined with indigestion.
I have a food allergy, not an intolerance. Soy + any particle of certain trees can kill me. It is that serious for me.
The two things I react to the most are mayo and chocolate. Yep, chocolate. Makes me sad just typing that. I can have dark chocolate that has not had soy lecithin added to it. Every commercial candy bar is off limits to me. One of the only commercial chocolate bars I can have are Theo Chocolates out of Seattle.
My favorites are the Salted Dark Chocolate and the Raspberry Dark Chocolate Theo Bars! Yum!
I’m a pain in the ass to take out to restaurants. I have to ask the server what seems like a hundred questions before I can order. Is your meat marinated? What kind of oil do you use in your fryer or to wipe down the grill? Who knew some olive oils have soybean oil added in as filler? What brand of spices do you use (McCormick is notorious for adding soy to simple things like garlic or onion powder). I can’t even order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because most popular brands have soy as does the bread. Friends and family ask me to bring my own food when I come over because it can be a tad bit difficult to cook for me if you aren’t used to cooking soy-free.
The next post I will write will cover what products I CAN have and all the names that soy is disguised as, plus the list of cosmetics and daily care stuff that contain soy. Fun stuff 🙂
Here are a couple recipes that are soy-free, gluten-free, and full of flavor!
One of my favorites when I want chocolate cocktail: Theo Chocolate Martini. 
With my allergy restrictions, I eat a pretty Keto (with added protein) type diet. I’ve been creating recipes that I can eat, that I like to eat, and this is definitely one of them.
In 2017 I did a 30-Day Detox to rid my body of soy. Here’s the post that explains how I did it.
Pin it for later:
I never realized how many types of foods/condiments contained soy! My family has switched from soy milk to Almond milk.
Thank you so much for your info. I think all restaurants should be required to have an epi-pen on site.
Stumbled across your post while googling this. I get hayfever to birch pollen and am really suffering this year. I also have itchy throat reaction to certain fruits and recently had most severe reaction (lips swelled) to a dish made of soy bean rice noodle. I didn’t realise a link to soy and birch so thank you.