Bryanna
Owner/Moderator
2687 posts
Jan 14, 2010
10:27 AM
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There was a discussion the chefs had with the audience at the 2007 Vegetarian Awakening Conference-- to do with the fact that when vegans are trying to avoid soy (sometimes because they are misinformed about some supposed "dangers" of soy, which is totally different than having a true soy allergy), they tend to use alot of tree nuts. This can cause problems because there are quite a few people who are allergic to nuts, or can develop allergies later in life, and nut allergies tend to be quite problematic. Also, nut are expensive and very high in fat, which is fine in the 1 or 2 oz. per day recommended for nutrition, but not in the quantities used by some cooks. (I actually gained weight when I first became a vegan, because I was using too many nuts.) If we throw out soy and wheat (the big "villains", currently) in our diets, and still want interesting vegan food, we tend to depend on nuts for their protein value, creaminess, availability, tastiness, etc.. (Fortunately, there are many other grains that we can combine to use instead of wheat, if necessary, but then there is this "no-grain" nonsense going around! Will it never end, trying to make plant foods into the culprits?) I think we should be using a variety of foods, including soy, nuts, grains and legumes. For a while, vegans DID depend too much on soy, because it is so versatile and because we North Americans are so worried about protein. Now, we have more experience using many other foods, which is a good thing. But I don't think we should do the same thing with nuts and stop using soy altogether for dubious reasons. Mix it up! For instance, sometimes I make my gravy the ordinary way, with flour, and sometimes I use the version I devised for Dr. Neal Barnard's diabetes book (which did not get included), using a combination of chickpea and oat flour instead. I sometimes thicken soups with cooked rice instead of tofu. Those are just a couple of examples. Additionally, I have files that I've compiled with resources for vegans who are allergic to soy, gluten, nuts, legumes, (email me if you need them), but I would also caution:
You should not just take someone's word for it that you have an "allergy", or diagnose yourself. Get tested by a doctor before you make life totally difficult for yourself. Here is a definition by the British Allergy Foundation (there is also a good page about this by the UK Vegetarian Society here http://www.vegsoc.org/info/allergy.html:
"What Is The Difference Between Allergy, Intolerance And Sensitivity?
Although the word "Allergy" is commonly used to describe any unpleasant reaction to a drug, food, insect sting or chemical, this can be misleading. The word should only really be used to describe a reaction produced when the body meets a normally harmless substance, which has been "remembered" from a previous exposure and subsequently produces the "IgE" antibody.
"Sensitivity" is a reaction to a substance, which is an exaggeration of a normal side effect produced by that substance. For example, reliever inhalers used in asthma, if given at too high a dose in a particular individual may cause them to "shake".
"Intolerance" happens when unpleasant symptoms occur after eating a substance, which your body cannot handle because the digestive system does not produce sufficient quantities of a particular enzyme/chemical, which is needed to break down the food and aid digestion.
The causes of symptoms need to be correctly diagnosed so that the management and treatment for either allergy, sensitivity or intolerance can be appropriately taken."
You also have to be very careful not to believe everything you read or see on TV these days about foods that have sustained humans for thousands of years, such as soy and grains. Read my collection of reliable information about soy, for instance here: http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/3476771.htm and Here is an essay I wrote recently about fear of grains: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/2006/08/motherhood-issue.html
The "information" about these subjects is coming from a group called the Weston A. Price Foundation which is extremely anti-vegetarian and extremely unreliable. They push a diet that is heavy on animal fats. They tell you that vegetarian women should not breastfeed (absolutely untrue!) and have recipes for baby formulas made from raw milk, and one made from raw liver!!!
For reliable nutrition info, read "Becoming Vegetarian" or Becoming Vegan", or "The Vegetarian Way", books by vegan registered dieticians whom I respect and who are not selling anything!
So, anyway, my advice is, before you start panicking, get referred to an allergist/immunoligist and get properly tested to see if you have some serious food allergies or intolerances. Often, the culprits turn out to be not from your diet, but from something in your environment!
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