Diagnosis of Soy Allergy

There are several different ways to test for allergies and if you suspect that you might be suffering from the symptoms of soy allergies it might be wise to keep notes of when, how and where you reacted to the potential allergy. There are a few ways to perform soy allergy testing:

Skin Tests

A small amount of the allergen (being soy) is applied to a small patch of kin on the arm or on the back of the patient. The skin is prepared before the sample if put on, by making tiny scratches in the skin so that the skin will be more receptive to the allergen. If the test turns out positive the skin might turn red or itchy and you might experience a soy allergy symptom, or several symptoms. This kind of soy allergy testing will give a fast and clear result.

Blood Tests

Blood is taken from the patient after which it will be sent off o a laboratory to get tested for allergy sensitivity symptoms. With a blood test it is not immediately possible to determine what the person is allergic to exactly. You will have to wait longer for the results of this test and after a blood test, a skin test might be performed to determine the exact cause of your allergy.

Treatment of Soy Allergy

People, especially children can outgrow their soy allergies, by keeping a strict soy allergy elimination diet. This means that no soy products can be used at all. This can be a very difficult task as so many products contain soy nowadays. Soy is used to bulk of meat products such as sausages and products such as margarine often contain soy. A nursing soy allergy can be avoided if the infant is not fed any soy products during the first year of its life.

For children the risk of a soy allergy decreases with age and when keeping a strict no-soy diet kids can outgrow their symptoms and allergy. They will however stay susceptible to other allergies as they are clearly sensitive to allergens of any kind.Twenty five percent of children with soy allergies outgrow the allergy within a year when the product is excluded from their diet.

Foods to Avoid for Soy Allergy

Many every day products that you may find in your kitchen contain knowing it.The following products contain soy or soy milk and should be avoided if you suffer from symptoms of soy allergies or a soy milk allergy.

• Green soy beans used in cooking
• Soy Milk
• Soy desserts
• Soy cheeses
• Tofu, a soft soy cheese
• Beauty products containing vitamin E, as this vitamin contains soy bean oil.
• Vegetable protein on an ingredients list if often soy protein
• Vegetable oil is often a 100% soy oil or a mixture of soy and other oils.
• Soy fibre is often added to products to bulk the food up. If fibre is listed on an ingredients list it will nine times out of ten be soy fibre.

Checking ingredients is a very important matter for sufferers of (symptoms of) soy allergies. Hidden soy traces and products finds their way into many different products nowadays and this can make keeping a soy-free diet complicated. Your doctor and health food shop might be able to provide you with a list of all soy-containing products.