gluten-free 4 Months, Dairy Free 1 Week... Remove Soy Too?

[possiblyglutensensitive 3]

Hi I have been gluten-free for almost 4 months. My neck and shoulder pain has improved and my nausea is gone. Also, my cracked heals have heeled (weird).

1 week ago I completelly removed dairy. I did it for ecological, humane reasons, but I also know that it can be good for one's health. so far I feel just as tired, just as congested, and actually more depressed than usually (could be the ajustement to the diatery change, or maybe my brain is missing the casein?).

How long should one look for improvement when giving up a food?

Should I also remove soy and why? I drink soy milk, eat soy dessert, and tofu.

[GFinDC 847]

There are so many things about soy that are negative that I can't understand why people eat it at all. It's crazy IMHO.

Try some searches on soy rat intestine or soy infant thyroid or soy hormone, or soy infant allergy or soy and end of the world. Or just watch Dr. Mercola's short video.

[IrishHeart 1,644]

Soy (like dairy) is often a secondary intolerance to gluten, aside from it also affecting estrogen levels--which may account for your feelings of fatigue, depression still lingering? I have read a lot about soy and do not see it as a very healthy food at all. Dump it for a month and see!

IMHO

and hooray for your healing "cracked heels" (mine are healing too --my neck and shoulders, however are still horrific....ah well, we are healers still "in progress"... I'm 4 months in as well.

[Takala 415]

I'd ditch the soy for "ecological and humanitarian" reasons way before I'd ditch the dairy ! Cows are solar powered, eat grass, hay, and take in sunshine and give us milk and beef and leather. If you want to make a difference, get after Congress to stop being so hostile to organic farming and smaller farms. Soy requires massive amounts of petrochemical fueled vehicles, fertilizers.

Most soy is now GMO. Even the soy that is not GMO may be contaminated with GMO. Soy farming in South America, think "Avatar," they are burning down the rain forests to grow this GMO junk. It has to be sprayed with herbicides, and the herbicides do not break down the way they are supposed to. The GMO advocates who are in it for the govt. subsidies and research grants ($$$) are absolutely relentless in pretending that All Is Well and that people who have food sensitivities, allergies, auto immune conditions are neurotic foodie dilettantes, imagining their health problems.... there are a few more phrases they use, but it would violate terms of use to repeat it.

Soy depresses thyroid function. Something celiacs are already prone to having problems with.

Some brands of soy milk also are cross contaminated with barley used to ferment it or in the manufacture of the rice sweetener syrup they use in it.

[txplowgirl 97]

I would get rid of the soy also, It gives me depression, fatigue and muscle and joint pain. It affects me just as bad as gluten and dairy does.

[Chad Sines 69]

Again, I am saying wow. First gluten, then dairy, and now soy. I think I may just eat bark from now on. I used to enjoy the gluten-free protein drinks for a quick breakfast but to go dairy free many use soy. Are there any easily obtained ones that are gluten-free, Soy free, and dairy free?

[SnowOwl 1]

Again, I am saying wow. First gluten, then dairy, and now soy. I think I may just eat bark from now on. I used to enjoy the gluten-free protein drinks for a quick breakfast but to go dairy free many use soy. Are there any easily obtained ones that are gluten-free, Soy free, and dairy free?

Hi from a gluten-free family "almost eating bark"

We have been gluten-free for 1 month because my husband has Celiacs. He noticed improvement in his symptoms only 2 days after beginning the diet, and things have been improving constantly, except for a few discouraging days (cross-contamination??). After going gluten-free, he became intolerant to soy, milk, corn, xanthan and guar gum, most gluten-free flours like chickpea, etc... He now drinks.....water. That's it. Everything we eat, we make from scratch. I call it the "caveman diet"!

But, for your gluten-free breakfast drink, you could try almond milk, or rice milk but check the ingredients (especially syrups) to make sure they are gluten-free. You could also use 100% pure fruit juice instead.

[IrishHeart 1,644]

At one point, (before DX) when I was doing a serious elimination diet for nearly a year and dwindling down to nothing, and I could NOT figure out what was making me so ill, my husband worried that I would have nothing left to eat but" water and driveway rocks.."

it was not funny at all, but we laughed because we were totally baffled...turns out, it was the GLUTEN...and the recommended "rotation diet" did not work because of course, taking it out briefly did nothing....sigh...

ah well, we live, we learn...

but,to answer your question..there is rice protein, hemp protein...use rice milk or almond milk.

I drink WATER. Just water.

I have to second Takala about the soy once more...especially about it depressing the thyroid....not good stuff at all. I was ON thyroid med for "alleged" hypothyroid, (my numbers were slightly out of range) but after cutting out the soy?....my thyroid is functioning normally and I do not take meds.

That's just me. Everyone's body is different.

[cahill 190]

How long should one look for improvement when giving up a food?

Should I also remove soy and why? I drink soy milk, eat soy dessert, and tofu.

Short answer is ; yes remove soy IT is evil

I was gluten free for over a year when I eliminated soy. It was not until I eliminated soy that my body truly started to recover.

But to be fair,soy may not be a problem for you. So try totally eliminating soy for 3 to 4 weeks and then try reintroducing it and see how you feel.

A word of caution;; soy is in most everything!even canned tuna

[txplowgirl 97]

Short answer is ; yes remove soy IT is evil

A word of caution;; soy is in most everything!even canned tuna

My alternative to tuna is Valley Fresh 100% natural White Chicken in Water. Ingredients are: White chicken, Sea salt and water.

To me, maybe my tastebuds are messed up, but it almost tastes like tuna to me. I fix it just like I would a tuna fish sandwich. Ummmmm, yummy for your tummy.

[possiblyglutensensitive 3]

It sounds like it might be worth trying to go soy free for a couple of months. I might give it a try!

Just a note though, I eat only organic soy whether it is in soy milk, soy dessert or tofu. So we can scratch the GMO and the pesticide issue off the list.

Just a note about this comment:

"I'd ditch the soy for "ecological and humanitarian" reasons way before I'd ditch the dairy ! Cows are solar powered, eat grass, hay, and take in sunshine and give us milk and beef and leather. If you want to make a difference, get after Congress to stop being so hostile to organic farming and smaller farms. Soy requires massive amounts of petrochemical fueled vehicles, fertilizers."

As far dairy goes, not only do I not need dairy to live, but the whole industry is disgusting in my opinion. In order to get dairy, you need to empragnate cows year after year after year, and each time a calf is born, it is taken away within a few days to be isolated into a crate to become veal. When the dairy cow is exhausted, her used up body is sold for cheap meat. So not only do I not need to consume dairy but I do not wish to contribute to the industry. This happens even in the best cases of organic dairy.

As far as cows go, most of the industry is comprised not of cows who are free to roam and feel sunshine and eat grass and hay, but of cows who are confined and eat can harldy move and eat grain (which gives them infections) and animal flours. Still, even organic beef comes form cows who have to endure poorly legislated and regulated transportation ( not only are they carmmed with no air or water for sometimes DAYS, but this takes up huuuuuge amounts of petrochemical fueled transportation, plus think of all the feed that had to be transported to the animals to fatten them up). They also endure horrible slaughter house conditions.

Finally, the amounts of grains and land (also fueled by massive quantities of pesticides and fertilizers), water needed to sustain the cows and pigs and other animals we eat, as well as the enormous amount of fuel to used for transportation should convince anyone that it is very ecological and humane to reduce or eliminate one's consumption of meats.

So I KNOW my choices are way ecological and humane and that i am making a HUGE difference.

See the movie Earthlings if you want to see, or the movie Food Inc.

[mushroom 1,209]

I am afraid if we wanted to have zero impact on the earth's resources we would have to live on mountain peaks and capture rainwater (which may still be acid rain) and eat berries and seeds grown by mother nature (if there were any left).. All we can really do is try our best according to what our bodies will tolerate, and not argue about who is "greener". There is not enough organic food on earth for everyone to eat organic, that's for sure, and well, look where eating grains has gotten us. It is hard enough to eat to stay well, let alone to eat to satisfy every criticism of the way our food is produced. We just have to be aware and eat to endorse the best farming practices (if we can afford to).

[possiblyglutensensitive 3]

I am afraid if we wanted to have zero impact on the earth's resources we would have to live on mountain peaks and capture rainwater (which may still be acid rain) and eat berries and seeds grown by mother nature (if there were any left).. All we can really do is try our best according to what our bodies will tolerate, and not argue about who is "greener". There is not enough organic food on earth for everyone to eat organic, that's for sure, and well, look where eating grains has gotten us. It is hard enough to eat to stay well, let alone to eat to satisfy every criticism of the way our food is produced. We just have to be aware and eat to endorse the best farming practices (if we can afford to).

I didn't say that we must try to have zero impact on the planet (impossible), or that we must live in some mountain top cabin and collect rainwater and forage for seeds in the forest all day long. That just sounds like an attempt at minimization aimed at the facts I offered in my previous post. You give a reply which is caricatural of what I am trying to offer for solutions to counter a real problem and to have an important positive impact on the planet, its ecosystem and its inhabitants.

I highly doubt most people here or anywhere have so many food intolerances that they must eat loads of animal products to thrive. I think most times, it is an unwillingness, an unpreparedness to change one's diet. When one is ready to do so, they will do it. I cannot change other people's choices, but I do not like to be ridiculed for my positions on very real issues.

And I am well aware that should soy be an issue, there are lots of other vegan possibilities, as opposed to consuming meat and dairy. There are also lots of grains other than cereal grains that are available, like quinoa for example. Tell me you can watch the movie Earthlings and sit down comfortably for a meat dinner or a snack of yogurt. I can no longer do it.

And yes we can and should do our best to at least reduce meat and animal by product consumption (because even just reducing will make a difference) and we should eat with awareness, not numbness.

[mushroom 1,209]

I didn't say that we must try to have zero impact on the planet (impossible), or that we must live in some mountain top cabin and collect rainwater and forage for seeds in the forest all day long. That just sounds like an attempt at minimization aimed at the facts I offered in my previous post. You give a reply which is caricatural of what I am trying to offer for solutions to counter a real problem and to have an important positive impact on the planet, its ecosystem and its inhabitants.

I

I am sorry you found my post offensive. I was just trying to take it to the ultimate extreme to demonstrate that there are levels of ways to minimize our imprint on the planet. We all do what we can (or have to) do. I was not trying to be contentious, merely to defuse. I will repeat the pertinent part of the post:

"All we can really do is try our best according to what our bodies will tolerate, and not argue about who is "greener".

And no, I could not get enough protein without eating animal products because I do not tolerate soy or any legumes. I do not even tolerate quinoa. I do not believe that eating rice, sorghum and buckwheat (which I do, and a very little millet - no amaranth) would provide me with the right kinds of proteins to be healthy. Therefore I consume animal products.

[Takala 415]

The sickest I've ever been was during that stint as a vegetarian.

I've had all sorts of vegans since then trying to guilt trip me into their way of seeing the world better off supposedly as "all vegan," and I'm not buying it, and I'm not falling for the it must be a matter of supposedly not having enough willpower.

"Better world ?"

"Make a difference" for what ? They told us that in the 1970's, for pete's sake, if ONLY we would all go vegetarian there would be enough to go around. What has happened, since then?

The country's (US) population has increased by a third, from 200 million to 300 million.

The world's population increased from 3.7 billion to aprox 6.9 billion now, almost doubling.

By 2050, the world population is supposed to by 9 billion, 2 billion more.

The "green revolution" and genetically modified plant breeding, has increased the amounts of grain being grown.

Yet one in six children in the United States is depending on food stamps to eat, and likely on a free school lunch program, too. At least we take care of our hungry here, however imperfectly. Record numbers are on food stamps now, and using charity food pantries to eat.

Worldwide, 2.8 billion people are either chronically hungry, or at least routinely insecure on where their next meal may be coming from.

What changed from the 1970's ? (besides the population)

Absolutely nothing. The population always expands to beyond what can keep up to take care of it.

The GMO lobby has been trying to spread this meme that the only way we can grow enough food is for them to breed more GMO grain and soybeans and that's going to support 2 billion more people on this planet.

Hello, that is insane. Because you are already pushing your production resources to the max, with non sustainable farming methods. You are running out of farmland that can be cropped, and fuel prices and fertilizer are going to make it extra expensive.

Even if these poorer countries import extra grain somebody else grows for them (see climate disasters now becoming more commonplace, such as the flooding now going on in Missouri which will take out crops) they still have to invent a way to pay for it.

If I tried going vegan today, not that I could without messing my health up further, would this make a difference ? No.

I watched the "vegan lobby" repeatedly assault the horse industry with "slaughter guilt," in the late 1990's, and all it ended up doing is getting domestic slaughterhouses shut down to equines, so a bunch of animal "lover" welfare hypocrites now send their unwanted horses to a dealer, who then re sells it a few more times until the animal is now being shipped OUT OF COUNTRY to Mexico, to meet its mortal end, with less humane conditions and a much longer trip. The "vegan lobby" assured the horse world there were enough vegans ready, willing, and able to adopt all those unwanted horses, which of course we know is a bunch of bunk. Then the economy crashed as the horse population peaked. See Craig's list and Petfinder for lists of people trying to re- home horses. Ask the animal welfare rescuers and adopters how many horses are going the wrong way since this economy went sour, because they are completely full. The slaughter industry, as offensive to some, was doing its job to take care of extra horses.This helped support the entire market and the entire system. Until the guilt lobby had at it, and convinced the casual hobbyist otherwise.

End result. More animal suffering ! But less guilt. Congratulations !

I've already made the so - called lifetime commitment, several times, so don't bother going there. But I have no pity nor patience with this sort of nonsense argument anymore, which ignores economic realities.

I don't go around telling vegetarians or vegans they should not eat to their tastes and beliefs, but I draw the line at accepting this accepting the argument of making the world supposedly better if everybody does it.

I drove by a deer grazing out by the side of the road, in somebody's front pasture last night. That deer is going to be mountain lion food, or her fawns coyote food, if they are unlucky, or maybe a hunter or auto gets them. But she's also keeping the vegetation down. A world without grazing animals is not a world we can survive in. Unless we burn petroleum to mow it down. It is the meaning of "ecosystem." And I will not tell an unemployed person who needs the food, they can't hunt this fall, especially if my other neighbor is losing many of his crops to herds of hungry deer. Tell my ranching neighbors not to graze animals ? Insane. I am HAPPY to see cattle across the way again, because of fire season. We haven't enough topsoil here, but plenty of rocks, that's why it's pasture. Many of the poorer countries of the world, like it or not, the humans depend on their herd animals to survive. Who am I to tell them to eat tofu because it's supposedly "nicer ?"

[GFinDC 847]

I like eating dead animals, well cooked myself. None of that sushi that people eat though. I have an impact on the world because I am alive. Just like all the animals and plants do.

I agree with your point about wasteful, wanton consumption though. I think it is better to be conservative about our resources. We have exterminated quite a few species and that is a shame. And now they keep saying the bees and butterflies are in danger. That would really suk to lose bees and butterflies. Really!

However cattle and chickens are anything but endangered. They are domesticated livestock and aren't even capable of surviving in the wild.

To each his own as they say. There is room for varying viewpoints on this site. We all do have one thing in common, and that is some kind of problem with gluten.