Foods To Avoid If Allergic To Soybeans

A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body's immune system, according to MedlinePlus. Some reactions can prove life threatening depending on the severity of the allergy. In other cases a reaction may just be food intolerance. If you are allergic to soybeans, for example, you'll want to avoid certain foods that you may not know are soy-based.

Miso

Miso is a Japanese soybean paste used in a variety of dishes, most notably miso soup. Its health benefits are numerous, but is most known for its ability to lower cholesterol levels due to its low-calorie, low-fat compositioin, according to KidsHealth. You may also see miso served alongside raw vegetables as a dip. If you're allergic to soybeans, you should avoiding eating miso-based products, which includes fresh miso soup as well as pre-packaged products. Some varieties, however, are made from rice, barley or wheat and should be safe to consume, although you'll want to check the label to see if it is manufactured alongside soy products.

Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is a fermented soy product that is widely used in Asian cuisine. According to "The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook" by Marjorie Jones, if you're allergic to soybeans you should avoid the majority of Asian dishes, including Japanese, Korean and Chinese as many items use soy sauce as a flavoring agent. If you're eating out, Jones suggests asking thorough questions regarding Asian dishes as severe allergy sufferers may have an extreme reaction to even the slightest presence of soy.

Tofu

Although tofu looks nothing like soybeans, it is a soybean curd made by curdling fresh soymilk with a coagulant, according to Paul Hannaway and Albert Sheffer in their book "On the Nature of Food Allergy." Tofu is also a base ingredient in many vegetarian and vegan meals so you should always check ingredient labels or with the cook. Many non-dairy desserts also use tofu for ice cream, whipped cream and cakes.