Avoiding Soy

I’ve been following a low-nickel diet for one week now.  So far so good!  It’s too soon to declare any sort of progress, but I seem to be considerably less itchy!  The bonus is I’m eating healthier, as well, so I guess I can’t complain too much.  I’m fairly certain that sunflower seeds aggravate my dermatitis.   I love eating sunflower seeds while watching baseball games during the summer, so this is an unfortunate loss.  :(

More and more information is popping up on the internet and in the news about nickel allergies.  Almost every week I can search and find something new.  It’s wonderful!  Even just two years ago, there was almost no information available in the US.  However, with all this new information, I’m seeing a lot of conflicting information, so do be careful what advice you choose to follow.   The food allergy information is the most confusing of all.  Every site seems to have its own opinion on what foods are safe and which aren’t.  I’m hoping that with increased awareness, better information will become available. 

The diet I’m following is similar to the example I posted here.  Across the board, everyone agrees we should ALWAYS avoid soy, chocolate, and oats. Even though I didn’t think I ate a lot of soy products, it has become the hardest food to avoid.  Soy is found in almost all packaged foods!  Anything at the grocery store that comes in a box or a bag is very likely to have soy added to it.  Breads, crackers, pre-made dinners, sausages – all have soy!  Most fast food options contain soy.  Fortunately, because soy itself is an allergen, most chain restaurants will post the foods that contain soy, so with a little research, I can still eat out.

Tomorrow is 4^th of July!  I’m excited for BBQ and fireworks!  Unfortunately, I can’t find any hamburger or hot dog buns that don’t contain soy.  Anyone know of any?  I’m sure I can find gluten-free versions at the health food stores that won’t contain soy, but those aren’t usually very tasty.  Looks like I may be eating my burger sans-bun.

Happy 4^th of July!