SOY, WHEAT, CORN ALLERGY

FAS has upgraded our forum security. Some members may need to log in again. If you are unable to remember your login information, please email food.allergy.supt@flash.net and we will help you get back in. Thanks for your patience!

nerdyfeather:
Hi all!

I am 26 years old and have been dealing with allergies my whole life. I just went for allergy testing yesterday and am allergic to Soy, Wheat, and also Corn. I have no clue to even begin on what to eat. They gave me three lists but those are so overwhelming. I go to one and then have to go to another and then the other. :hiding: I recently tried to start transferring to a Vegan Diet. Even with that I felt not a lot of relief. My allergies have been horrid for so many years. Is there anyone with the same issues/allergy that can help me move in the direction of what to eat? Especially with Vegan Diets, a lot of soy surrounds that diet regimen. I'm so glad there's a place to go at least for support.

Thanks so much you guys!!!!

NerdyFeather!

jennifer1:
I don't have your allergies, but do have celiac disease so I can't eat wheat, barley, and rye. I also have hypothyroidism, so I avoid soy. My diet is closest to what is considered the paleo diet. Basically only real food, meaning no processed food, and meat, fish, fruits, veggies, seeds and nuts. If you fel the need for more traditional carbs you could include rice and quinoa

CMdeux:
Jennifer is absolutely correct-- with that particular list of things being avoided, any and all processed food is likely to be off the table, so to speak.

Soy and corn are ubiquitous in processed foods, and their derivatives are not always well-labeled (lecithins, starches, etc).

I'm just curious here, but why did your doc test for those allergens in particular? Had you noticed definite allergy symptoms when eating those things? Or was this because you were generally unwell? Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you might need to be carrying emergency medications to treat a life-threatening reaction; that's why I ask. It doesn't sound as though you have epinephrine. Is that true?

I'm assuming that you saw a board-certified allergist... but I'll ask because you mention "lists" and switching diets, indicating maybe... a rotation diet? That's not really the treatment for food allergy, though it can be helpful with some intolerances. Please tell me that you were NOT diagnosed:
a) with testing alone, and/or
b) by a naturopathic practitioner,
c) via IgG/muscle resistance, etc.

The reason is that those are not a way to determine whether or not you have an allergy to any foods. As you've discovered, avoiding any one of the things on your list is difficult, to say the least (we have a soy allergy at my house, too, fwiw, and have avoided wheat as well when my DD was allergic as a toddler and preschooler). It can easily compromise your health to avoid a lot of foods without really great nutritional guidance! (That wouldn't be good either, and it's really hard work and a lot of stress. Nobody needs that unless they truly have to do this.)

If you're not feeling any better after a few weeks of elimination, I'd look beyond the current diagnosis and push for better answers from your doc.

Is there any chance that you might be a candidate for celiac testing? If so, avoiding wheat is probably the worst thing you can do right now, since you'll have to be eating gluten regularly for a reliable diagnosis.

In any event, we have several members who can definitely help with avoidance of all three of those foods. :yes: I hope that you feel a LOT better soon.

nerdyfeather:
Thanks for the replies! I appreciate you all! I was tested at my ENT office for ongoing years of horrible allergies. They testing the regular but then did my whole left arm of the main food allergies to see what I was allergic to. I feel so terrible when I eat, and although I eat healthy, the things I'm eating are what I am allergic to so... I feel bad! I heard if you follow a gluten free diet you'll be best to eliminate the wheat... corn is hard but soy is easy.

lakeswimr:
Welcome! What happens when you eat? Can you be more specific about what symptoms you think food has caused you? Testing is highly inaccurate and has a very high false positive rate. At best test results are only 50% accurate for positive results but may be less than 20% accurate meaning over 80% of people who test positive to having a food allergy are not allergic to those foods. So, if you were diagnosed based on testing alone then those might be false positives. I would want to see an allergist who specializes in food allergies and talk about this and probably do some food challenges to confirm the possible allergies.

If you were allergic to food you would see symptoms within minutes to up to 2 hours after eating allergens and almost always within 30 or 45 minutes if not pretty immediately. Typical symptoms (which can vary) are things like hives, swelling, itchiness, throat constriction, breathing difficulty, stomach issues (but GI issues can be a sign of other things), etc. Have you had symptoms such as those?

If you have seasonal allergies then that is something separate. many people have those and do not have food allergies (such as me).

Do you have epi pens and a written emergency plan of when to use them in case you do have a serious food allergic reaction? Generally speaking an ENT is not specialized enough to treat food allergies and may lack enough info (such as that testing can't diagnose a food allergy).