Freeing Yourself From Soy

Soy is a big business. Not only is it found in almost every prepackaged food, but you also find it in most personal care products. Soy is another area in which I am a little, “nuts.” You can find soy not only in foods, but in cosmetics, lotions, soaps, and other personal care products.

When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s I cleaned out my cosmetics cabinet (which didn’t take long), and after reading the labels to my cleansers and shampoo, I tossed them as well. Three years ago, I found it difficult to find products that didn’t have soy in them. In addition to that I wanted products that were free from all chemicals. The result was I ended up making my own products. That’s right from shampoo and conditioner, to face cleanser and moisturizers, to body lotions and toothpaste.

When I look at toothpaste, I’m looking at the fluoride. If you remember in my blog Heavy Metals and Hashimoto’s, I discussed the effect of fluoride on the thyroid. Because of the poisonous nature of too much fluoride, I’ve eliminated it from my personal care arsenal. Now I use Coconut oil and activated charcoal or baking soda, cornstarch, almond oil, herbs, or essential oils depending on my need.

You don’t have to make your own products to enjoy soy free personal care. Today I have found a few companies that offer soy free products. I haven’t used their products, but they are soy free and have a good reputation. You may find what you need with Ann Marie Gianni Skin Care. You can also check out Acure Organics. They come highly recommended as well. I still make my own products. I’ve come to find it is the most economical for me and what I make works so I will continue to make my health care products. I know it’s not for everyone, but it works for me.

Dr. Wentz’s Take on Soy Free Cosmetics

I’ve never been someone who focused on cosmetics so I’m probably not the one to speak to cosmetics in general. I read a blog a few years ago while researching Hashimoto’s that may interest those of you who are interested in soy-free cosmetics. Are You Sacrificing Your Health for External Beauty, is a blog posted by Dr. Izabella Wentz, June 6, 2016. Dr Wentz is the Thyroid Pharmacist and a woman who was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. She is the author of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause. I have been reading and following Dr. Wentz’s work for years now. I find her work informative and it has been of great help to me in learning about Hashimoto’s.

Living with Hashimoto’s can be challenging. Eliminating soy from your lifestyle can be exhausting if you let it be. I hope some of the information in this post will help you as you move closer to soy-free living and will inspire you to share your knowledge with others.

Sneaky Soy

In my last blog 31 Foods Containing Soy, I exposed foods that contain soy. You may find it difficult to remove it from your diet. You will find soy in almost every processed food. Look at the labels.  Some manufacturers add soy to their product and list it on the ingredients under a “stealth” name. Some of these alternatives are:

• Soy lecithin
• Bean curd
• Hydrolyzed soy protein
• Soy milk
• Soy sauce
• Soybeans
• Vitamin E/tocopherol
• Glycerin
• Bulking agents
• Thickeners
• Hydrolyzed vegetable/plant protein
• Guar Gum
• And mor

Keep these in mind when you are purchasing any packaged foods. That includes vegan products. Because of the effect of soy on my thyroid, I have opted to eliminate it from my diet. I try to purchase only food products from nature (no processing). That includes organic range free beef and chicken, and organic fruits and vegetables.

I Was Afraid to Eat Anything I didn’t Prepare Myself

You may think I’m crazy; a neurotic, who has gone over the edge. I will admit, in the beginning I was a little crazy. I was afraid to eat anything that I didn’t prepare myself. But three years later I have learned a lot. Initially, I thought I couldn’t eat broccoli, kale, or cabbage. I know better now. I didn’t want to go out to a restaurant because I was afraid to eat what was on the menu. Today there are many restaurants that cater to food sensitivities. I may have been a little more cautious because my food sensitivity, which affected my thyroid, also prompted migraines; something I have fought with for years. I will discuss my development in the area of food in future blogs. I will also discuss migraine and how that fit into my Hashimoto’s diagnosis.

One thing I want to share relative to my change in diet, is that I feel a thousand times better than I did before my diagnosis.

Dietary Substitutions

Over the last three years I learned to cook without flour, milk, eggs, and butter. You may think it impossible, but it isn’t. Two years ago, I prepared a complete Thanksgiving dinner without any of those ingredients just mentioned. The surprising thing about the meal is no one knew it until after we ate. Then I told them. They were all surprised.

I substitute flour for a gluten free flour mix. I mix my own because I haven’t found a packaged gluten free flour that doesn’t have xanthan gum in it. When I need to use milk, I use coconut milk. Yogurt or sour cream is substituted with coconut yogurt. I use chia seeds in place of eggs. It can be done, you need to do your homework though and experiment…a lot.

I eat more salads now than I ever did before being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. I mention the salads because they can be boring. Most people won’t eat a salad without dressing. Salad dressings are the biggest culprit when it comes to soy. It’s nearly impossible to find a salad dressing that doesn’t include it. Because of this fact, I make my own. I use red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut yogurt, and herbs and spices. Use your imagination. It’s fun to create new recipes. I find it challenging to make something work, even food. I will be sharing some recipes in future blogs for anyone who would like to experiment.

Hashimoto’s and Protein

One of the challenges with Hashimoto’s is protein. When I was first diagnoised, I was told I should eat 25 grams of protein for breakfast. I found it challenging to find a protein powder that didn’t contain soy, dairy or gluten. I ended up using Hemp protein which was free from soy, dairy, and gluten. For months I would start my morning with the same shake; coconut milk, hemp protein, chia seeds, mixed berries, and a banana. I changed out the berries from time to time. Today there are more protein options, such as Rootcology. I’m sure each part of the country has different options. Be sure to read the label before purchasing a protein powder. Many sneak that soy into the product, sometimes under an alternate name (see 31 Foods Containing Soy).

Everything Changes with a Hashimoto’s Diagnosis

When you are diagnosed with Hashimoto’s everything changes. Your diet is the first thing that should change. If you haven’t changed your diet, you should. I’m not one for telling people what to do, and that isn’t my intention here, but I suggest highly you change your diet because you will feel like a new person. You will lose weight, be more focused, your skin, hair, and nails will become resilient, and the pain you have been living with will be reduced significantly, if not eliminated completely. Your mood will improve, and you will see your life through a new point of view. I only share what I say in this post because I want every person with Hashimoto’s to have the information, they need to be a whole person again. I wish you all good thyroid health so you can enjoy living again.

• Cold-pressed, expelled, or extruded soy oil*
• Edamame
• Miso
• Natto
• Shoyu
• Soy (soy albumin, soy cheese, soy fiber, soy flour, soy grits, soy ice cream, soy milk, soy nuts, soy sprouts, soy yogurt)
• Soya
• Soybean (curd, granules)
• Soy protein (concentrate, hydrolyzed, isolate)
• Soy sauce
• Tamari
• Tempeh
• Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• Tofu

• Asian cuisine (including Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese)—even if you order a soy-free item, there is a high risk of cross-contact
• Vegetable Gum
• Vegetable starch
• Vegetable Broth
• Baked Goods

• Canned broths and soups
• Canned tuna and meat
• Cereals
• Cookies
• Crackers
• High-protein energy bars and snacks
• Infant formulas
• Low-fat peanut butter
• Pet food
• Processed Meats
• Sauces
• Soaps and moisturizers

*Highly refined soy oil is not required to be labeled as an allergen. Studies show that most people with soy allergy can safely eat highly refined soy oil as well as soy lecithin. If you are allergic to soy, ask your doctor whether you need to avoid soy oil or soy lecithin.1

You can see why I spent hours reading labels. On occasion, I would purchase a food item, get it home and realize it had soy in it. I believe one of the biggest contributors to soy in my diet was the Special K shake. I started drinking the shakes when a nutritionist told me I needed more protein in my diet. It was a quick way to supplement my diet with protein. I had no idea at the time it had soy as an ingredient. The lesson here – read your labels.

 A few years later I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. I’m not saying the Special-K shakes are the cause of Hashimoto’s. I’m telling you I believe they were a major contributing factor. If you have a better understanding of what soy is, you may be more willing to agree with what I’m saying.

Soy comes from the soybean which you may also know as edamame (raw form). As you see from the above list soy is found in many different forms. This makes it easy to add to many products from food to cosmetics and clothing.

I’m not a doctor but from what I’ve read I can tell you that soy blocks the activity of the thyroid peroxidase (TPO) enzyme. TPO is an enzyme made in the thyroid gland that is important in the production of thyroid hormone.2 It has been linked to the development of autoimmune thyroiditis and studies have shown that soy can affect thyroid medications, asthma, and menstrual cycles.

In addition to soy being linked to thyroiditis, many have developed allergic reaction/symptoms such as:

• Runny nose
• Trouble breathing
• Abdominal pain or loose stools
• Brain fog
• Agitation or mood swings
• Anxiety
• Heart palpitations
• Acid reflux
• Carpal tunnel
• IBS
• Weight gain
• Many others

I can also tell you that soy mimics the effect of estrogen in the body (xenoestrogen). To simply say, it’s an endocrine disruptor.  The scary thing about this statement is that it can start to affect the endocrine system in utero and the effects can be permanent. So, if you eat a lot of soy when you’re pregnant, then your child is affected by it. So here I pose a question. Is it possible that childhood illnesses are a result of soy in the diet? That’s a question for research. It makes sense though. If Thyroiditis in adults can mimic mental health issues why can’t it affect children too? That’s a topic for another blog.

Another reason soy isn’t good for people with thyroiditis is that soy is a goitrogen. Goitrogens suppress the thyroid gland by interfering with hormone production. When the thyroid is exposed to goitrogens, the thyroid reacts by enlarging to compensate for the reduced hormone production. The result is what is known as a goiter.

Please don’t confuse the goitrogens in soy with that of cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, kale, etc.). The goitrogens in soy are not equal to that on cruciferous vegetables. Soy has been linked to autoimmune thyroiditis, other foods have not and don’t generally pose a threat. This is a misconception I believed when I first began my journey to heal my thyroid.

There are many things to learn about the thyroid and the diseases, illnesses, and conditions that affect it. Not only as a layperson but as a medical provider and those in the scientific community. If they don’t know what causes thyroiditis (in its many forms), and they don’t, how can they know how best to treat it. In most case the medical community is quick to prescribe medication versus changing the patient’s diet, at least initially to see if a change occurs. I’m thankful that my doctor took the time to let me work through and find a natural way to manage Hashimoto’s.

Until we know what causes these thyroid conditions, we must be diligent and look for a natural way to understand our thyroid health. We must listen to our bodies, do our homework, and change our lifestyle’s. If we can be disciplined in our habits and open-minded in our approach, and be willing to spend time researching thyroid health, we can enjoy good health.

 I will do my part to provide you with information that will help you on your journey to a healthy lifestyle. Remember though, I’m not a doctor, and you are your best advocate for your health.

Now, I look forward, not back. None of us can change the past, it’s not worth looking back and saying, “what if?” So, I started monitoring my temperature while starting a body cleanse and changing my diet. Today we look at some of the foods it was necessary to give up in order to heal.

I Had a Gut Feeling

One thing I learned as I progressed on my quest to heal my thyroid is food matters. It matters because, what you put in your mouth takes a trip through your gut, before exiting the body. If you have ever heard of “leaky gut” you’ll know what I’m talking about.

If you don’t know what leaky gut is, let me try to explain. You could be confused by the term leaky gut because it relates to your intestinal lining. It is said you have leaky gut if the intentional lining no longer functions properly. The defective lining allows toxins bacteria, viruses, parasites and partially digested food to pass through into your bloodstream.

Your gut’s reaction to the mass exodus is to fight. It fights, and fights until there is increased inflammation in the gut lining and eventually throughout your body. Then it turns into chronic inflammation if the problem is not addressed. Which in most cases it isn’t because there is still much to learn about leaky gut. In short, the chronic inflammation which leads the body to fight against itself creating autoimmune diseases. In our case Hashimoto’s.

I’m not going to go into a detailed medical explanation of leaky gut in this post, but I wanted to mention it because I believe it is the key to answer the question how did, I end up this way. Yes, genetics plays a part, but we control our destiny.

To Eat or Not to Eat

Once I understood leaky gut, I was able to digest the problem (no pun intended). Now the time came to look at exactly what I was eating. In my January 28^th post, I promised to share my journey. Food is a big part of it. I never thought about what I ate. I wasn’t a junk food junky, but I ate my fair share of processed food. Once my eyes were opened, I started eliminating much of the food I enjoyed. Don’t be intimidated by the list. If you think of your thyroid, it will make the process easier.

• Gluten
• Soy
• Casein (milk/dairy)
• Sugar
• Processed foods high in sugars
• Groningen’s (I will explain this)

Gluten intolerance is not necessarily the issue, but because so many of the foods we eat are GMO, our bodies have rebelled against the foods that would normally be considered safe for consumption. All the foods we eat that are genetically modified and are being passed off as safe for consumption, are foreign substances that our bodies are fighting against because of the volume of GMO foods we ingest.  Because of the GMO wheat, our bodies may have trouble digesting products containing gluten. Our digestive system may become overworked because of gluten intolerance which may keep our bodies from absorbing the good nutrients and processing the waste effectively.

Soy is one of those “savior foods” that have turned out to be not so good for us. Soy is a poisonous plant. The byproduct only becomes consumable when it has been processed to a degree that will allow our bodies to accept the result.  Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find foods that are soy free. Here are a few foods that contain soy:

·         Salad dressings

·         Processed Cheese

·         Bread

·         Cookies

·         Chips

·         Processed foods

·         Canola Oil

·         Safflower Oil

·         Candy

·         Supplements

·         Almost every prepackages item

·         Soy Lecithin

·         Many more (you really must read labels)

Casein (or dairy) is an issue because of the hormones and antibiotics and corn (GMO corn sprayed with chemicals) fed to the animals to keep them healthy. Those chemicals are passed through the animal and into the product we consume.  If you can find an organic product, you may tolerate dairy. This argument also applies to the meat we eat. If it is not organic, we are eating what producers feed the animals (antibiotics, hormones, pesticides).

Sugar is bitter sweet. We all love sugar, but our bodies really don’t digest it well. Sugar affects the way we digest our food. It causes problems with the pancreas and liver that could cause diabetes. The way we digest sugar has another effect on us. Our hormones are affected by way of our thyroid.  The Thyroid is the smallest gland that has the greatest impact on how we feel. If you feel tired or unfocused after eating sugar it could be a sign of a bigger problem.

Processed foods have become the main staple in most diets.  Foods that are boxed or frozen or canned save many hours of kitchen time that are no longer available due to work schedules. These foods may save time today. However, they may steal time from your life. If you look at the instructions on the box, you will find many ingredients. How many are actually safe for consumption?

Goitrogens are naturally found in many vegetables and some nuts. Among them are spinach, broccoli, almonds, and cabbage, to name a few. If you have a thyroid condition, you may want to reconsider eating foods containing goitrogens or make sure you cook them for at least 30 minutes (if fresh). This will ensure the goitrogens will no longer affect the thyroid.

The list seems daunting and if you look at it long enough, you’ll think you can’t eat anything. As you continue to follow and read my posts, you will see it is possible to eat clean and enjoy what you eat.

I’d be interested to hear how some of you are managing your lifestyle.

In my next post, I will talk a little about heavy metals and how they affect you and your thyroid.