Grass-Fed Poultry and Eggs

Grassfedtraditions.com offers more insight and soyless poultry.


Here's the research:

http://etd.ohiolink.edu/send-pdf.cgi/Vargas%20Galdos%20Dante%20Miguel%20Marcial.pdf?osu1236706764

Turkey Time

After hearing a friend tell a story of how her son's body healed itself of a milk allergy, my passion for removing soy from our diets has reemerged.  Daily considerations about diet and additives have led me to research soy-fed chickens and turkeys.  Yes, it's true, soy-fed chickens and turkeys do contain soy in their eggs and body tissues.  To test the water, so to speak, I removed eggs and egg products from my son's diet for a week.  Then, I sent him to school with an extra delicious cupcake.  That day, when I picked up the soy boy from school, I found a note from the teacher.  It read, "The cupcake may have been too much."  This was enough for me to consider the role of eggs and soy.  I am on a hunt now for soyless eggs, and I will post one turkey farmer claiming to use coconut based turkey feed.

We've Discovered a Soyless Mayonnaise

This summer is going to be great, simply based upon the menu.  With mayo back on  shopping list, we can make so many delicious summer salads  Spectrum Organics carries this mayonnaise and other similar products in the whole foods market of Wegmans.  It is organic too. http://www.spectrumorganics.com

Variety = Satiaity

Straight from the International Market of Wegmans comes another soyless and dairy-free chocolate chip.  I've tasted, and I am tasting more.  The texture is closer to a dark chocolate than milk chocolate.  They are tasty, and they are regular-sized chocolate chips.

Kashi Does Pizza Right!!! Another Soyless Joy!!!!

Added Antifungals in Shredded Cheese

Still missing something that is triggering an allergy... When I looked at the shredded cheeses, I noticed this ingredient: Natamycin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natamycin


I'll be shredding my own cheese, thank you.

High Tyramine?

Tyramine is a monomine compound that naturally occurs in foods. More prominently,tyramine is associated with migraines. Since Parmesan cheese is to blame for many rashes, I wanted to research chemical similarities between soy and aged cheese. At this point in my research, the link is tyramine. I am open to criticism or comments on this topic. Enlighten me.

A Whole New World, Literally

We do most of our shopping from fresh foods and the perimeter of the market. The basics such as cheese, milk, eggs, produce, and meat make up our basic shopping list. However, I decided to look into some kosher foods, after learning that many do not contain soy. After spending an hour in the global market, I noticed that each ethnic food group contains one or two new items for us to try, but by far the kosher foods present a huge find!

Another blessing of Passover!

Getting All On Board

Since we have evolved in our knowledge of soy in relation to allergies, it would be a great expectation for others to have the same knowledge or dedication. However, there really should be Food Allergies 101 for caregivers. Signing off as:

Really frustrated,

Hebrew National (Not a Simple Beef Frank)

In the summer, we attended a family reunion which ended in vomiting. It appears that hydrolyzed soy protein is natural. Here's the culprit.

Peace in Our Home

For the first holiday since our little Soyless started eating solids, we had peace in our home. After some reflection, I found a few places such as church and family gatherings where soy may slip into his diet unknowingly. I learned to pack treats for church, and warn everyone that nothing, absolutely nothing goes into Soyless's mouth without my approval. The result was soy-free cookie Christmas treats and all family dinners, but one hosted here. What a beautiful relaxing holiday! The complete elimination proved effective. Our son was a better listener, went to bed on schedule, and managed to only have a few mischievous events.

Vegetable Oil

Did you know that vegetable oil is going 100 percent soybean?

http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/our_foods/chocolate_chips.html

Baking Soyless

Here's a type of chocolate chip without soy!!!! Time to bake! I found them at Wegmans in the organic/health section of the store. From the website, it looks like they are nationwide!

http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/our_foods/chocolate_chips.html

Soup Stock

The holidays are a difficult time to weed out foods with soy. Just yesterday, Little Soyless and I visited family. A thoughtful soy-free soup meal was prepared, but we did not think to scrutinize the recipe carefully. By the time we arrived home, Little Soyless was rashy and hyper. I've noticed that his hands have begun to develop eczema and hives immediately after consuming soy now. So in lieu of the holidays, I am using and recommending Kitchen Basics soup stocks, coincidentally screened for allergens. Here's a link:

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=398206&storeId=10052&langId=-1

Farina

We learned through trial and error, that the Farina hot wheat cereal contains soy pieces. After two days of eating the cereal, the three year old in our house became excitable, running, jumping, and screaming. Then, I noticed a bumpy rash on his back. After checking the box, I confirmed that the boxed hot cereal does in fact contain soy. Bummer.

Our Departure from Soy

Shortly after the holiday season of my son's second year of life, he became very unhealthy. It started during flu season, and for several weeks we guessed that we were all passing the stomach flu back and forth. Every week, during the middle of the week, Noah would wake between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. moaning. By the time I reached him, he would have already vomited all over himself and his bedding. Sometimes, he would vomit continuously until noon. We started growing increasingly concerned with each episode, many ending in the hospital emergency room.

Our journey took us to many specialists and in and out of laboratories for months. We were required to give weekly stool samples for bacteria and parasites. The blood tests, although not normal, did not indicate allergies initially, so a gastroenterologist made a diagnosis: cyclical vomiting syndrome. With a familial history of migraine and episodic vomiting, the diagnosis seemed solid.

However, we were overlooking some simple symptoms of indication. Since I had started Noah on solid food, he had eczema around his mouth. Sometimes, I noticed contact with foods would inflame his face within minutes. He had a rash on his bottom too. These obvious signs were ongoing. I cannot be sure, but I also eliminated many foods while breastfeeding due to concerns over colic and crankiness. It is possible that my intuition was working overtime for my newborn. And yes, you probably want to know if I mentioned these things to the pediatrician. I did, but at the time no concern was expressed.

The gastroenterolist's diagnosis, cyclical vomiting, was difficult to accept. So I spent time asking her questions about the patterns of his vomiting. I wanted to know why the food in his stomach was undigested the next day, and I wanted to know why Noah's body had to purge everything. During the time between the latest appointment and our last, Noah's blood work suggested a rise in eosinophils. She said she would check his blood allergy work, and that is where she saw a slight indication of a soy allergy. I said that we were going to run with a soy elimination diet, to be sure, and that is where we found our answer.

Since we have eliminated soy, we have eliminated eczema, extremely hyper/erratic behavior, and weekly periodic vomiting.

My hope is that our experience will help you through yours. Although a soyless diet requires concentration, preparation, and diligence, we have never regretted the sacrifice. Soyless is an eye opener about food additives, food processing, and steps to a healthier life. I hope you can find your own soyless joys!