SOY, WHEAT, CORN ALLERGY - WHAT TO EAT!)

[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.    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.     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).

[Kylie]

Hi, my daughter cannot eat wheat, corn dairy or artificial additives.
She is intolerant rather than allergies. They make her cry, scream, fatigued etc.
She can have spelt. I cook everything with spelt. We have found a bread in Australia called bodhi's dinkelbrot. It has no yeast either.
Make spelt pancakes. We use nuttalex dairy free spread as it is additive free.

I feel hopeful that you can eat spelt.  Wheat is like a poison to daughter but spelt although contains gluten is fine. It cooks like wheat and tastes great.  Corn makes her spz out crazy angry.

A recommendation is to get hold of some iodine that contains iodide and selenium. It needs to contain all thereto work.  This is helping my daughter. I am third generation hashimotos with hypothyroid so now my whole family takes iodine.  We have taken for a few months. It tAkes 3 weeks to see any improvement.  Also get some vitamin D.  My daughter can now tolerate small amounts of dairy. We are moving forward in addressing the cause rather than adjust living without foods forever.

Of course I have no medical advice other than living with a food intolerant daughter for 7 years and can now see what causes here problems.

Kind regards
Kylie

[twinturbo]

Spelt is wheat.

[rebekahc]

Food intolerances and true food ALLERGIES are quite different in both presentation and management. 

I would caution anyone who may have a true food ALLERGY to seek an accurate diagnosis and medical treatment recommendations from a board certified allergist and follow strict avoidance of their allergens.

[eragon]

I would 2nd that !
 I have four kids , two with food problems, one has been recently diagnosed by a immunologist as being intolerent to soya and milk. (anything that comes from a udder etc) Soya is in many processed foods and is very difficult to avoid in comparasion to milk imo.
She also has  some ige environmental allergies.
symptoms, tingly throat, feeling sick, ezcema.

Son is under the care of a immunologist , and has ige allergies to egg/beans/peanut/ brazil nut/kiwi/ yeast extract. Is also allergic to all environmental allergies.


what are you currently eating?
how are your cooking skills?
what sort of meals would you like to have?
perhaps this way we be of more practical help by suggesting substitutes or recipes.

[pastmiprim]

I have corn allergies but was still reacting to something.   It turns out it is to sesame oil.   You might see if this is a problem for you too as many American allergists don't test for it and it seems to be in a lot of food.   Good luck.

[Mayashappyplace]

Since the OP's post is almost a year old, you probably know about soy derivatives already but just in case:

 Link removed by admin.  Please read our Terms of Service and Commercial Links rules.
Also, you can follow my Pinterest board @Mayashappyplace

I post TONS of soy-free nut-free recipes so there's tons of stuff you can eat! You'll just have to learn to cook. 

Also an FYI, Cheesecake Factory is awesome for people with allergies (they check a list in the back...for soy, I'd bring a card with all the allergens in a list), although they don't know so much about derivatives so be careful if you are highly sensitive to 'natural flavors' or 'guar gum' like me (guar gum is not soy, but very similar).

I hope something here helps you!! 

[Kelly]

I have had many seasonal/indoor outdoor and mushroom allergy all my life, like you i went and had my usual check up with the ENT, GI, Endocrinologist, PCP and Allergist whose care i am all routinely under. In 2005 they all agreed since i had such problems that were not getting better for YEARS that i should have another panel of tests run.
They found MORE COMMON and FOOD allergies   CORN, WHEAT, SOY, CODFISH, CLAMS, and the usual MUSHROOMS. THEY ARE NOT SENSITIVITIES and still I HAVE TROUBLE controlling them.

I just recently discover that Xanthum is made from these products so I too am still learning. The past 6 months they have gotten so bad i cant eat ANYTHING Salad, Plain chicken etc...

What are some of the foods you eat, I am literally starving (lost 23lbs in 7 weeks) and cant wait to see the allergist next month. Which is why i was looking up some reference points and came across your post.

 Also ask your regular Dr to routinely check your thyroid levels TSH T3 and T4 often people with these allergies have the reactions due to the Auto-Immune thyroid AKA Hashimoto's Thyroiditis  disorder and many Drs dont think to put those together the body will attack the thyroid gland it has been linked to these specific allergens. This is Actually one of my conditions and why i see the Endo.

Good Luck to you and I hope you are in better control by now. Feel free to email me and chat its hard to find someone who understands how hard it is to actually eliminate these things.

[YouKnowWho]

Have you challenged any of those in the doctor's office?  I ask because just testing positive alone is not worthy of removing from diet, no matter how much you trust your team. 

[janc]

Just got results from AL--T  testing( allergy blood test). It shows I am allergice to Wheat, rye, corn, wild rice, pork, egg yolks, and about 25 other ingredients.  I had been following a GF diet -- was helping but not 100%, so now what?  Corn was my "go-to" grain!  And Eggs were my main protein .  Help!
Also, I've been told to also research "food family groups" and stay away from all foods within the families, i.e. allergy to coconut = stay away from all foods within the Palm (which are dates, heart of palm ). 
I am overwhelmed! 
thanks for advice and help.

[YouKnowWho]

Has your doctor challenged any of those in the office?  Are you seeing a board certified allergist (not naturopath) who specializes in food allergies?  I ask because unless you have been having true allergic symptoms, you cannot be declared allergic to foods by blood test alone.  And those multi-panel tests are notorious for being wrong. 

Judging by your list, you saw a naturopath.  And they just wasted your time (and probably a fair amount of money as well).  Been there, done that.

FWIW - Corn comes up on many people's profiles if they are tested for it, they are rarely allergic to it.  And if you were, you would know.  It is a hidden ingredient in multiple sources - canned food and processed food especially.

If you are experiencing reactions to foods (true allergic symptoms), then you need to narrow it down to which foods are causing it.  Your best bet would be to do a food diary.  Cook simple foods and note how you feel after them.

If you have experienced anaphylaxsis before - make sure you do this with your allergist's consent.  If you are working with a naturopath, please run screaming.