photo credit: elisfanclub
Question from a Blog Reader:
Are soy lecithin granules just as bad as soy powder? I recently had a complete series of food allergy testing which discovered that I am mildly allergic to soy (nothing else). Just wondering if I should stop eating soy lecithin granules even though I never noticed any reaction after eating them?
Also, thanks for enlightening me on the soy issue in prisons. I never knew this problem existed.
Thanks,
Tom Kursar
Answer
from Dr. Kaayla Daniel, Ph.D. Nutritionist and Weston A. Price Foundation Board member
Most people who are allergic to soy do not react to soy lecithin, but highly allergic prone to severe reactions such as anaphylactic shock should avoid it. Lecithin should not contain soy protein, but minusucle amounts of soy protein might be present because of imperfect processing methods and inadequate quality controls during manufacture. To learn more about soy lecithin, which is a waste product of soy oil manufacture and was one of the first components of soy to be marketed into a “health food,” read Chapter 10 from my book The Whole Soy Story.: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. It’s posted on westonaprice.org and so can be read for free. My opinion is there’s no good reason to take soy lecithin granule supplements. Egg yolks are an eggs-ellent source of lecithin. Be be an egghead.
Dr. Kaayla Daniel
Addressing these concerns is Kaayla Daniel, PhD, the lead author of a petition to the FDA which asks for the health claims to be removed from soy foods. She is a certified clinical nutritionist, Board member of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. To learn more, visit her website WholeSoyStory.com.
I do read your blog on a daily basis; as a goat farmer and a proponent of raw milk, specifically raw goat milk, I certainly consider your blog required reading.
Great answer. Soy lecithin is in everything, so it can hard to avoid unless you eat really, really clean. We’ve cleared most of it out of our diet, but I know it still creeps into our food on occasion when we’re not careful enough. I know I’m definitely not taking it on purpose!
It’s funny that lecithin from soy is marketed as such a health food, while eggs are demonized, though they are such a great source of natural lecithin.
.-= Elizabeth Walling´s last blog ..Why I Eat Raw Egg Yolks Every Day =-.
Thank you. I’ve always wondered about soy lecithin. I rarely consume products containing it anymore except chewing gum, which also contains aspartame.
Yes, soy lecithin used to be thrown out as garbage before they decided to market it as a health food.
I avoid all forms of soy as completely as I can. Eggs are great!
Thanks for that tidbit, Kaayla. I have often wondered about soy lecithin and our family generally tries to avoid all things soy. If NOTHING else, the addition of soy lecithin is a visible marker of a food processed enough to make it not worthy of our table.
.-= Psychic Lunch´s last blog ..Zicam and Thoughts About Zinc =-.
I am allergic to soy, and do not have anaphylactic reactions, but I am also allergic to soy lecithin. It gives the same symptoms.
What’s soy lecithin doing in my Celestial Seasonings Cherry Tea? When I discovered this I was very disappointed. What purpose is served by putting this waste product into a herbal tea ? All I can think of is money- an additive to make the herbal product go further–at the expense of quality. .
Other blends of CS, but not all, are contaminated with it. But not only teas, candies, and even baby food, intended for our most precious ones, contain this toxin.
As Psychic Lunch says, a product containing this lecithin is not worthy of our table. Let’s actively boycott all these products. It would be great to start a listing with Kim, and everytime we find a new product with SL, we can report it to the list.
Soy lecithin is used as an emulsifying agent. At least 10% of people are allergic to soy – me being one of them and I am allergic to ALL soy products – my anaphylaxis is moderate however I do experience a systemic reaction. My face and limbs swell, I can be ill for days, my whole body feels like I have a flu. I found out the hard way. I contacted Celestial Seasonings about why they would put soy into their tea (they also use it as a flavoring), and they would provide no explanation. Its free for the taking and is a byproduct of processing – need we say more?! It should be made illegal. I’ve been lucky to find a couple sources of chocolate which do not contain it but product labels can be very misleading since soy can be hidden under many subtitles – flavoring, seasoning, lecithin,… Canada is pushing for proper product labelling, I suggest the US and other countries do it too. We as consumers need to get control of our food supply and not allow the big corporate entities to keep controlling it and our health.
This article is completely wrong.Soy lecithin is a form of soy protien and should be avoided. Soybean oil should not cause any harmful reactions in persons allergic to soy. If you have a soy allergy that is moderate to severe, (like me), you will have a reaction to soy lecithin. I don’t understand why this Dr. would write this article. Completely wrong- though most people who have been to doctor after doctor looking for reasons why they are sick would understand first hand that most doctors don’t know a thing about food allergies. They only understand what they have read in a book. Also, soy lecithin may not cause an immediate reaction but will be felt 4-48 hours after eating. Many doctors do not understand delayed food reactions at all.