Going vegetarian in college didn’t exactly bring me the surge in health and energy that I’d expected. Far from it: my sinuses clogged, ideas grew fuzzy, skin broke out, and occasionally I developed the worst stomach pain ! We’re talking writhing on the ground, Sigourney-Weaver-in-Alien design pain.
Take into acoount
After a couple of weeks of “trying veg,” I’d crawl back into my meat-eating manners, ashamed that my body seemed to thrive on cows, cows and fish. Because I could telepathically communicate with animals, however, the Standard American Diet appeared equally excruciating: I could really feel the pain, fear and sorrow of every creature I consumed. With the option to”fulfill my meat,” or suffer the after-effects of another vegetarian stint, I lost all pleasure in food. Through sheer determination to make a vegetarian diet work for me, I finally isolated the problem: food allergies.
By the time I decided to go vegan, I was allergic to soy, nuts, wheat, and some beans. In actuality, a visit to the allergist confirmed that the only foods I wasn’t allergic to were pork and mildew. Ewww! OK, the majority of the I could do without, but soy? How can someone remain vegan without tofu? Especially if they can not fill up on seitan and walnuts! But a funny thing happened. When I eradicated all concealed resources of milk for thirty days, many of my reactions diminished. Unfortunately, soy continued to annoy for quite a while, so I learned to live without it. So many soy-sensitive vegetarians and vegans wonder how, I decided to write this report.
Soy Allergy
How do I tell if I’m allergic to soy? It is possible to go to an allergist to have a blood or skin test, which will establish an actual allergynonetheless, you can experience sensitivities with no full-blown soy allergy. Symptoms may include stomach pain, breast tenderness, altered menstrual cycle, acne, slow thyroid, mood changes, excessive phlegm, brain fog, or joint pain. If you suspect soy plays a part in your health issues, completely avoid it for a couple of weeks and then reintroduce it. Pay attention to any responses.
For those who have a response but really, really hope it is only a coincidence, repeat the experiment again-two weeks away, reintroduce, watch. You may also test various kinds of soy. For instance, some people have difficulty with isolated soy protein or chocolate soymilk, but they are able to eat organic tofu just fine. People do sometimes outgrow soy allergies, but it may take a year or more of complete avoidance to stop triggering a negative reaction. Once you decide you have a problem with soy, your fastest path to embracing tempeh likely involves a year of soy-abstinence.
Then you may try your experiment again, taking some food enzymes to encourage a happier result. Where will I get my protein? So many other kinds of protein exist which you really don’t need soy so as to thrive. If you tolerate gluten, you can enjoy seitan instead of tempeh or tofu. Packed with protein, this”wheat meat” absorbs flavors like its soy cousins. Legumes and nuts contain considerable quantities of protein, too.
Soaking beans, seeds, nuts and grains triggers their enzymes, thereby increasing the protein that your body can absorb from them. If you still feel concerned about getting adequate nourishment, Rainbow Light and Nutribiotic create rice powders, and an assortment of sources market hemp protein powder, which does not result in the bloating associated with whey or soy supplements. Also look at some of the biggest and strongest animals on earth-gorillas, elephants, bison-who eat mainly greens.
Choosing amino-acid rich leaves and grasses, they develop massive muscles with no soy sausages and protein supplements. It is possible, too. To get more greens into your diet, begin your day with a”green smoothie,” made popular in Green for Life by raw food instructor Victoria Boutenko. Blend a few or two of greens with two cups of water and some fruit. You may even throw in some superfoods such as spirulina, acai berries or berry nuts.
Did you know?
Green smoothies enhance your digestion, sometimes eliminating the strain that caused your original sensitivity. Where do I find a soy-free veggie burger and soy-free, dairy-free milk? Sunshine Burgers and Ruth’s Hemp Burgers both provide fermented, soy-free vegan grillers. You may even create your own by mixing a grain, some seeds or legumes, something gooey like nut oil or butter, fresh herbs, and other seasonings-mashing them together into a patty. Rice Dream provides various flavors of rice , but if you crave the thicker texture of soymilk, you may enjoy Almond Breeze or Living Harvest’s Hemp Milk.
Again, you can create your own choice milks. To make almond milk, soak 1 cup raw almonds overnight in the fridge. Rinse and add three cups of water. Blend thoroughly and then strain through cheesecloth or a unique nut/seed milk bag. Save the pulp to get something else and then re-blend the liquid, adding in any flavoring you would like. Sound too complicated? Jack La Lanne’s Power Juicer Elite allows you to create almond or rice milk very quickly.
Why should I cleanse if I have food allergies? Allergies of any kind indicate that your body has passed its threshold for successful elimination of toxins. When our liver, colon, kidneys and lungs work well, our skin and immune system do not need to overreact. Ongoing stress, physical or psychological trauma, exposure to pesticides or contamination, drugs, and diets rich in animal fat increase our toxic load. Eventually, our organs can not keep up with the demand for detoxification, and things go awry. Some individuals develop cancer; others get asthma. Sometimes the body automatically rejects otherwise healthy foods which require additional processing.
Take note
A wholesome body digests wheat or soy, but in a compromised state, even health foods may trigger an aggressive immune reaction. Burdock root and milk thistle supply liver support, while red clover helps the kidneys. Nettles support kidneys and open the bronchia. Green smoothies, psyllium husks and uncooked foods stimulate and cleanse the colon. You can even try fasting one day weekly, so as to give your digestive system a much needed break. Most people with food allergies suffer from Candida overgrowth. Commonly called “yeast,” Candida obviously resides in our digestive tracts.
Infections
A “yeast infection” or “thrush” suggests severe overgrowth spreading into different areas of the body. When the proportion of Candida to”good bacteria” grows too large, this fungus latches onto and tears parts of the gut, creating a”leaky gut” that allows whole protein molecules to enter the bloodstream. These undigested protein molecules look like foreign invaders into the immune system, which starts an assault. Oil of Oregano, Pau d’Arco tea, and acidophilus are 3 common supplements that fight Candida.
Note: to be able to reap the greatest benefits, take probiotics such as acidophilus a few hours after Oil of Oregano, and do not attempt to kill the yeast too quickly! They can definitely help! In my practice, I work with a great deal of people who suffer from food allergies, and oftentimes emotions do play a role. Begin by focusing on your breath, inhaling all of the way into your belly.