New Revelation

Hello, everyone. I haven't posted for a while since I've been pretty well health-wise. However, I did have two small episodes of palps...one in October and one in September. They both only lasted about 10 minutes. I am grateful to God that this was so.

The September episode came on at about 2:45 in the morning. During that day, I ate junk food and some caffeine. Actually a lot of junk food. I had my October episode at about 6:30 am while showering for work. I ate two pieces of toast with jam and a couple of sips of coffee - literally.

This is where my new revelation comes in.

This blog is dedicated to try to help us find out the answer to heart palps. In my particular situation, I have overloaded on soy. Or, so I thought. I work for a Japanese company and I am learning to cook in their style. They use a lot of soy products. I don't eat that much because of my fear of palpitations. However, I have had no problems eating their home-cooked foods with soy in it. Hmmm. This got me interested in this soy allergy deeply again. Is it really soy or something else?

I have been trying out different ways of eating. I find that if I eat some soy, I'm OK. No jitters...no uneasyness...no palps. I DID find out that if I ate junk food...read processed food...I have problems. By cutting out soy from my diet, I've cut out processed foods almost completely. But, when I eat processed foods, I feel lousy. I've been eating foods I cook - fresh foods and low/no soy foods. I feel great if I do this two days in a row. As soon as I eat processed foods of any kind, I feel tired and lousy. I've been especially aware of what I eat since I have problems in my back. There is a chunk of calcium built up in my lower back which aches with different magnitudes. When I don't eat processed foods, I feel no to little discomfort. When I eat junk foods, I feel achy. Right now, no one can tell me there is no correlation between eating junk/processed foods and health. I am feeling the difference for myself!

Processed foods include the yummy Japanese treats that my co-workers bring back from Japan. I have been given flavored rice cakes, purple yam chips, these gummy little triangles made from rice flour and filled with sweet pastes. YUM! When I eat these from my stash at work, which I like to do when I get the munchies at about 10 am during the week, I feel lousy by the time I leave work.

You know, I've only had about 3 Doritos chips in the past 2 years?! I haven't had any cheese balls or corn puffs! I have eaten some Munchos, some Lays and some plain Pringles chips because there is no soy in them. I don't care for potato chips too much so it's not a real big sacrifice. But the cheese things I don't eat anymore...well, I used to pig out on them. I absolutely LOVE things with cheese.

Have any of you had any experiences with eating junk food and poor health? Please let me know if you have. At this time, I don't think there are many people out there reading this blog, but I hope someone does who wants to try a simple treatment for a pretty annoying condition.

I only have a few words of wisdom for all of you...STOP THE JUNK FOODS AND PROCESSED FOODS!

I've read that by the time we feel bad and get around to changing our diets to a more healthy diet, it will take about 15 years to actually get to optimum health. This means really sticking with it! You will feel worse during this time because your body is ridding itself of toxins. Stick with it! It will be worth it in the long run. Think about it...we did not destroy our bodies overnight. It took years. It won't be overnight by the time we get to optimum health. Therefore, it will take years to cleanse as best as possible. With all the convenience items we have now, it is hard. But, we can actually reverse a lot of things with changing our diets. I am proving it for myself. A co-worker of mine is proving it to herself and her doctors.

Take care. Be careful of what you eat. Try to keep healthy.

Names of Soy-based Products

Hello, again. Please note my disclaimer…I am not a medical doctor nor do I give advice to anyone regarding health issues. I am just trying to find answers to my own mysterious medical problems.

This post will be geared toward the names of soy found in products and products I’ve found soy in. Soy is not brand name specific so don’t think that because you use a generic brand that it is safe.

I’ve scoured some sites and found lists of the hidden names of soy. A short list of these follows. If you find there are more names than I am giving to you, please feel free to post comments in my comment section. I’ll appreciate it greatly and so will many others who read these posts.

Some Names of Soy
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
Lecithin
Miso
Mono- and di-glycerides
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Natto
Natural Flavors
Soy - anything that says soy or begins with soy (cheese, fiber, flour, grits, meal. milk, oil, protein, sauce, yogurt, lecithin)
Tempeh
Tofu
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable Protein
Vitamin E - in larger words, Alpha-D Tocopherol
Okara
Yuba
Natto
Brominated Vegetable Oil
Daizu
Taho
Bulking Agent
Emulsifier
Guar Gum
Gum Arabic
Protein filler / extender
Seasoned Salt
Stabilizer
Shortening
Thickener
Vegetable Gum / Starch / Oil / Protein

OK. Now for the down and dirty part which really, REALLY shocked me. After I realized I may be poisoning myself by eating too much soy, I took a marker into my pantry and marked everything with my husband’s initial. I did this so I’d know only he can eat the stuff. So, I read labels and marked. It took me about 30 minutes, maybe more, to go through all of my foodstuff shelves and freezers. What I found was that approximately ONE-THIRD of the items I stocked I COULD EAT. I gave away three plastic grocery bags of groceries to my neighbor with an explanation about ridding my body of soy.

Here’s the kicker…the products I found soy in by just using the list above.
Flour, canned spaghetti sauce, all crackers, breads, chocolate milk powder, chocolate and regular candy (including chewing gum!), cake mixes, cream and regular soups, tuna and other canned meats, puddings, baking chips (all flavors), potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, cookies and other snacks, coffee creamer, tomato sauce, chicken bouillion, dry seasonings, ramen noodle soups, gravy packets, salad dressing packets, mayonnaise and salad dressing (mayo-like and for greens), worcestershire sauce, other liquid seasoning sauces, prepared baking mixes, margarines, vitamins, some fresh seasoned meats, breads, vegetable oil, processed cheeses, hydrogenated vegetable oil; all prepared frozen items, such as, frozen pizza, french fries, onion rings, pizza bites, frozen dinners, frozen whole turkey and meats (injected with stuff for flavor), ice creams, an on and on. I found I am mainly allergic to soy items I can eat.

Another issue, if you’re totally allergic to soy, is the items you put onto the outside of your body. Soaps, shampoos and conditioners, face creams, lotions, cosmetics, perfumes, etc.

PLEASE READ THE LABELS. It's easy and it's free.

A couple more of my rules is: if I can’t pronounce the ingredients, I don’t want to eat it. If the item has more than a few ingredients, then there’s soy in there somewhere. This saves me a lot of time and frustration in the grocery store. On my first trip reading labels, I spent 1-½ hours in the food section. In the middle of the grocery store, I received a phone call from my worried husband wondering where I was.

Yes, I do cook a lot for myself and my family - I always have. I do read the labels faithfully. I don’t eat out. When I eat at a relative’s house, I try to choose carefully. This is very tricky since about every product everyone uses contains soy. Relatives tend to watch what you eat and will insist on you eating a little of everything they’ve made. Find a good excuse and stick with it no matter how much they prod you to eat.

The upside of removing soy from my diet is losing two clothing sizes of what I call ‘toxic fat’. I didn’t lose but a few pounds of total mass. That doesn’t bother me as long as I see an improvement in my health.

I hope some of this either helps you or makes some sense to you. I am glad I’m not alone in my quest to lead a normal lifestyle through better eating habits. I have read many websites and postings of others who are trying to find a solution for this soy problem. Good luck to all of you!

Take care of yourself. Help yourself because no one else knows you better than you. When a mysterious affliction shows itself, always ask the question “Could I have a food allergy?”

Next post may contain allergic reactions and some easy recipes.

Regards.