Slashfood Ate (8): Top eight food allergens listed on packaging

8-28-2008 @12:52AM Liz said... I'm allergic to peppers. Which was not a good thing when I was a Sous Chef or prep chef. (I worked in a Veggie Cafe) And I love spicy stuff. Once every year or so I suck it up and eat peppers. It's worth it. I pick and choose. The spicier the better.
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8-28-2008 @8:16AM jehanneargentee said... There's a difference between lactose intolerance, in which the body doesn't produce the enzymes necessary to digest dairy, and a milk allergy. People constantly correct me when I say I'm allergic to milk, going 'Oh, you're lactose intolerant.' That's when I give them the Look of Death (tm) and say "No, I go into vomiting, disorientation, and at high enough dosages, anaphylactic shock."
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8-28-2008 @10:07AM valerie said... Sulfites and yellow number five are close behind the big eight. Canada also considers sesame seeds as a 'big' allergen as well.
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8-28-2008 @10:45AM m00se said... I was instructed not to eat soy by my doctor, and it is in everything. It's taken me months to find granola that does not contain soy and I miss veggie burgers. I can't imagine if I was actually allergic to it.
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9-13-2008 @6:20AM Garrett said... I'm severely allergic to soy. Consuming even a little bit not only makes me feel awful all over, but it also causes me to stop being able to breathe.

The big problem is that soy, being a subsidized crop, is in nearly everything in the US — even in places one might not expect it. Around 80% - 90% the products on the shelves in everyday supermarkets have some form of soy in them. Most every restaurant has soy in nearly every item too.

Quite often, it might not even be labeled as "soy" directly, and it's hidden in many things as an ingredient to an ingredient, such as margarine, vegetable oil, cooking oil, salad oil, mayonnaise, vegetable protein, vegetable broth, etc.

It means no soups, no bread (almost all the bread in the US contains soy, unfortunately), no salads, no fried foods, no processed foods, no meat (ground or poultry, as it's usually mixed in somehow, and often not labeled), no eating out (unless it's a special restaurant with a special item on the menu), no "vegetarian" or "vegan" products (fake meat, fake cheese, etc.), no pot luck dinners or other dinners with friends UNLESS they specifically know exactly what they can or can not make for me (and even then, there are sometimes slip-ups), no Asian cuisine, ...and the list goes on.

I dare you to look at the ingredients and try to buy things without it; especially bread. You'll spend all day in the supermarket. Or, for fun, try to order something at a restaurant and get them to assure you that it does not have soy in any of the ingredients. (They often even refuse service, making it really sucky to travel in the US.)

Basically, it means I'm allergic to pretty much all the food in the United States except raw foods that I make myself.

Manufacturers even have the nerve of putting it in soaps and lotions (usually as "vitamin E"), use it for newspaper ink, and also make candles and perfume out of it. (Yes, those forms of it also affect me, sadly. Solutions are special soaps, no lotion, reading newspapers via the Internet, avoiding all burning candles, and staying away from people with perfume.)

My solution? After several years of struggling with the allergy, I moved over to Europe, and I'm much happier. Over here I can eat food and just live like normal, without worrying. I only need to be a little careful at Chinese, Thai, and Japanese restaurants — but as far as everything else, I can eat and live normally again!

Yes, seriously, it is that bad to have a severe allergy to soy in the United States. It really is in everything.
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