The Surprising Places Soy Is Hidden

Although advertising has led many of us to believe that soy is healthy, the fact of the matter is that for many people it creates, rather than prevents health problems – including obesity, hypothyroidism, osteoporosis and indigestion.

Even those who know soy is not good for them have trouble avoiding it. Soy is found in over 60% of food products, even in places where you would not expect it to be. For example: Soy can be found in most canned tunas, canned soups, chocolate, pizza, frozen dinners, breads, muffins, donuts, cake mixes, hot chocolate, some baby foods, and thousands of other popular products.

One reason soy is so hard to detect is that it has many aliases. Manufacturers do not always list soy as an ingredient, instead the labels read:

• Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• Textured plant protein
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
• Vegetable oil (which often contains soy oil)
• MSG (monosodium glutamate)
• Lecithin
• Broth

Keep in mind that food labels and ingredient lists change without warning, and manufacturers often switch the ingredients of a product. That’s why it’s so important to learn to check labels.

And believe it or not…

Vitamins, over-the-counter drugs and prescriptions may contain an unwanted dose of soy as well. For example: Pills with soy oil bases; Vitamin E derived from soy oil, and soy components such as isoflavones. The inhaler Atrovent is one Rx products that contain soy.

You may also be surprised to learn that soy can be found in…

Green oriented industrial products. While they may be green for the environment, they can also be potentially harmful for those with a strong allergy to soy. Inks, paints, plastics, carpets, mattresses, etc. are just a few on the list.

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Great post. I have been trying to explain people all the dangers of soy for years now. Modern day soy has nothing with the soy of "ancient" civilizations. It is an industrial product and should not be used in the human consumption.

The health claims of soy are same as saying that water from a mountain stream is healthy for you because it is from a mountain stream. It doesn't matter that the same stream actually happens to be a runoff stream from an open pit mining operation on top of a mountain.

Keep up the good work and spread the truth.

Cheers,

Omnivore

Comment by Omnivore on July 15, 2010 at 10:02 am

All of the information you forward to us is worthwhile, but what can we, as allergic individuals, do about it? It is exhausting to deal with the overabundance of SOY in the markewtplace today. When will there be a petition sent out to all of your readers to start some legal action in Congress? Monsanto already has many law suits that they are fighting. If it worked to change the mindset of the cigarette companies, why not with SOY?

Please give this matter serious attention! I am tired of emailing and calling every company to find out whether there is SOY hidden somewhere in their products.

Many thanks,

Dolores

Comment by Dolores Heinze on August 16, 2010 at 6:02 am

Hi Dolores, thanks for your input. I sometimes receive petitions. However, I haven't sent them to my subscribers so as not to offend anyone.

So, since you asked, I will be sending them out from now on.

Comment by Dianne on August 16, 2010 at 3:58 pm

Please send me a petition also to start legal action in congress about soy and hidden soy.

Here's a question: If I have an intolerance or allergy to consumed soy, should I also avoid soy in face or body lotions or other items applied to the skin?

Comment by Ann on September 1, 2010 at 1:16 pm

Thanks very much for keeping us informed about this dreaded thing called soy. Eighteen months ago I had HER2+ breast cancer which is of the invasive kind and I am currently taking tablets (after having undergone a whole lot of torture) which I now have to take for 5 years to help my body not to accept what the high estrogen in my system is doing to my health. On the pamphlet that comes with the tablets, it states that one should not be taking ANY soy whilst on these tablets.

It is very difficult though to always have to read labels. When one goes to a restaurant for a meal, you also have to enquire if the food you are about to consume doesn't perhaps contain any soy and then you don't know if the waiter is talking the truth or not.

My question is: WHY do the food producers find it necessary to stick SOY INTO MOST FOODS????? Surely it would taste just as nice without this evil substance?

Comment by Priscilla on November 20, 2010 at 9:06 am

I have read that soy lecithin is not broken down by the body and therefore passes through undigested. I'm not sure that I believe this. I try and avoid anything that has any kind of soy in it but am finding soy lecithin in almost everything including my herbal teas. Do I need to avoid this ingredient also since I am avoiding all soy products?

Comment by Susan on March 25, 2011 at 11:16 pm

I too cannot beleive how many things have soy in it. Last night I googled my tea and found it had it. I was dumbfounded, the tea was wild raspberry herbal blend. So don't think because it's from a health food store it's safe either….I really just don't understand why this tea would have it in it at all?????? Oh yes even my pray olive oil has it….I'm so ticked I really don't want to eat it……..

Comment by Cindy on April 13, 2011 at 8:43 am