As with any food allergy, support for dealing with the condition begins with a proper diagnosis. Soy refers to products made with soybeans, a food considered one of the most common sources of allergic reaction. Symptoms of a soy allergy can range from mild to severe and are typically noticed first during early childhood. The Mayo Clinic recommends talking with your doctor even if your symptoms are mild to confirm that you do indeed have a a soy allergy. If you are allergic to soy, you're at greater risk of developing anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction.
Symptoms
The Cleveland Clinic states that most soy allergy symptoms will develop a few minutes or up to a few hours after consuming soy products. Common symptoms of a soy allergy include fainting, dizziness, itching, hives, eczema, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, tingling in the mouth, chest pain, tightness, difficulty breathing, wheezing, abdominal pain and wheezing. A severe allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, can cause your blood pressure to drop, your skin to turn blue from lack of oxygen and your heart rate to increase. These symptoms are alarming and require emergency medical attention. Call 911 at the first sign of these symptoms.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing a soy allergy may include implementing an elimination diet, and having a doctor perform skin tests and blood tests. An elimination diet is used to identify which foods are causing the allergic reaction. Remove all soy products from your diet and slowly re-introduce them one at a time. Keep a written record of how your body reacts to each soy-based food. Skin and blood tests are used to observe how your body reacts to the introduction of soy proteins into the body. If you are diagnosed with a soy allergy, your doctor will recommend that you avoid consuming those soy products that caused an adverse reaction.
Avoidance and Prevention
The most effective way to support a soy allergy is to avoid ingesting all products that contain soy. Soy is commonly used in many processed foods and may difficulty to identify. Some foods that contain soy are: miso, tamari, tempeh, vegetable broth soy sauce, tofu and soy sauce, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Hidden soy ingredients in products may include: vegetable gum, vegetable starch, hydrolyzed plant protein, textured vegetable protein and flavoring.
Treatment
If you are diagnosed with a soy allergy, your doctor may prescribe an epinephrine pen to be carried with you at all times. An epinephrine pen is used to treat a severe allergic reaction. If you develop minor allergy symptoms after accidentally eating a soy product, antihistamines may help reduce your symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.
