Calling all vegetarians: what if you have non-meat food allergies?!
Answers: I am semi-vegetarian (also known as partial vegetarian), and cannot get a definitive answer to my question. Can I safely eat an all vegetarian diet (no meat, eggs, fish), and also be allergic to legumes and moderately allergic to soy? Also, I heard that it is not a good idea to eat processed non-meat products like soy burgers and meatless entrees, because of the fillers and byproducts in them (about as bad as what is contained in meat). The last time I tried vegetarian diet only (for two years), I became so ill and then that my doctor demanded I stop, eat some read meat, and a bagful of sunflower seeds (interestingly, I became dehydrated and hyponatremic). Any advice?
When you say "moderately allergic to soy", does it mean certain soy products only, or does it mean you get a mild allergic reaction?
Fake meats are not really bad for you. They get a bad rap because of the high sodium, and some people believe too much soy is harmful (jury is still out on this one - I eat a moderate amount of soy now and then and I'm fine). Seeing that you got *hyponatremia*, you shouldn't be worrying about the sodium levels in fake meats. I'm curious as to why you got dehydrated and hyponatremic. What were you eating and were you taking any diuretics? Soda? Caffeine? Alcohol? All of these can depress blood sodium levels in the long term.
If you're vegan, and avoid soy and other legumes, you'll have to eat only whole grains and perhaps include some quinoa in your diet. Nuts and sunflower seeds have a similar amino acid profile to grains so they cannot substitute for legumes. However, soy is your best bet. By the way, cooking destroys trypsin inhibitors. Soy is the #1 animal feed in the U.S and it is roasted before consumption.
I'm a vegetarian and I live off of pizza! I also eat a ton of sunflower seeds (just because they are so great), and occasionally will have a soy burger. I'm sure that it's healthier to eat soy, but you don't need it even if you are a vegetarian.
Edit Comagirl2005-I had no idea. I guess that's good for me and bad for the person who asked the question. :-) :-(
In soy Protein- protein enzyme inhibitors block action Trypsin
pancreatic enzyme break down protein - other digestive enzymes.
Vegetarian is similar to pregnant, no half way
Just a note about pizza (the other guy suggested it), I'm pretty sure most chain pizzas have soy in their product. I worked for a chain company and we had soy in a LOT of stuff. It's probably the reason why our brand crust was so high in protein, which worked for me:)
Okay well my family and relatives have been vegetarians for 100's of years or probably thousands. This is really new to me.
Some of your allergies may be caused by enzyme deficiency. If you don't have the proper enzymes, you can't digest the foods and you can become malnourished or have toxic reactions.
See if you can get hold of a liquid vegetable enzyme, which may allow you to digest these products. I have heard of celiacs who can eat wheat after taking them. Consult a VEGAN nutritionist who can provide you with these enzymes plus follow up support to ensure if it is working properly.
Soy, legumes, wheat, etc... are key sources of protein for most vegetarians. If you're allergic to all of them... you probably shouldn't be vegetarian.
Very few people actually *need* to eat meat... but it sounds like you're one of them, with all of your dietary anomalies.
Also... soy burgers, etc... aren't necessarily bad. Some are, some aren't. Depends on who makes them. Some have great ingredients and no filler. Others do.