Favorite 0 Featuring Jessica Corwin, RD · August 30 2011 at 12:04 pm

Registered dietitian Jessica Butcher runs down the different foods to avoid if you have an egg or soy allergy. Host, Gerry Barnaby – What’s up,...

Registered dietitian Jessica Butcher runs down the different foods to avoid if you have an egg or soy allergy.

Host, Gerry Barnaby – What’s up, Barnaby here.  Another HelloLife Moment for you, because, we’re all about matching your commitment to a healthy lifestyle.  And if you are allergic to food, have we got some good information for you, because you know, we’ve identified the top eight allergens, and Jessica Butcher is now going to be telling us more about egg and soy.  So, are these pretty common?

Health Coach, Jessica Butcher, RD – These are pretty common.  I mean, these are part of those common eight top allergens in the United States and both of these are more still common in children, but the good news is the majority of kids do outgrow these before the age of ten.  So that makes it a little bit easier to work through this.

Barnaby – So, you always gotta be looking at the labels, and I guess if you’re allergic to eggs, eggs is going to be put there, loud and clear, front and center, correct?

Jessica – Yes, because of FDA labeling laws, they are required to call out egg, soy, milk, fish, I mean, whichever of those top eight common allergens, they’ll be called out in those simple, plain terms that even an eight-year old could recognize.

Barnaby – Ah, but then there is the, well, egg substitutes – there’s a lot of that going around.  If it’s an egg substitute, is that safe if you’re allergic to eggs?

Jessica – It would seem that way.  Huh, you have an egg allergy, you’re going to grab and egg substitute instead.  But the biggest reason substitutes is because they’re cholesterol free.  So that’s the biggest reason people are going for them.  But they still do incorporate the egg white in there.  So that still can cause same severe reaction. 

Barnaby – And you know what?  There’s stuff in all the food I like.  I’m talking about puddings, I’m talking about ice cream, I’m talking about pastas!  That is wild!

Jessica – Yep.  Lots of products, and especially in your baked goods.  I mean, think about anything of anything that you might be cooking in your own kitchen.  I mean, eggs are used in lots of different recipes out there and you really need to pay attention to lots of different things.  There are certainly noodles out there, I mean, that are made with no yolks at all or eggs, so just always look at the ingredient statement and you’ll know for sure if it is egg free.

Barnaby – But here’s one for you. And that is, everyone tries to be as healthy as possible when it comes to their cooking oils.  So, ‘Hey!  I’m going to have some soy oil!’  Is that going to be a problem if you’re soy intolerant?  You’d think it would be.

Jessica – Now that’s going to be a tricky one because oils are mostly refined so much and they pull out all of the proteins in there.  And the protein is really the part that causes that severe reaction.  So when they strip it out of there and leave only the fat, it doesn’t really cause a reaction for most people.  But there have been some documented cases where people do have reactions to oils so that may be something, maybe you know, if you’re extra nervous, maybe just stay away from that.  But in most cases, it is safe.

Barnaby – What about the people that are dedicated to soy because they’re vegetarian, with their vegetarian products?  There’s going to be soy there for sure.  Watch out?

Jessica – Yes, definitely.  I mean soy is a great source of a complete protein, so with vegans and vegetarians, they are certainly going to be seeking out those soy products.  And because it is such a good source of protein, it’s also added to a lot of different protein bars or meal replacements.  So, always look at those ingredient statements.  And as you mentioned with those vegetarian products, like your veggie burgers, um, lots of different texturized vegetable proteins you may add to a soup or stew.  Just gotta always look at that ingredient statement.  I know it sounds so redundant, but that’s the only way to know if you’re safe. 

Barnaby – Well, I tell you what.  It takes at least eight to ten times of hearing a message over and over to make it a habit.  And so you’re going to be hearing a lot of stuff over and over again because we want it to sink in.  There is safety in knowledge when it comes to allergies and food.  But you’re going to get the knowledge right here on HelloLife.net, so check in often.  And look through the list of videos and see what’s appropriate for you.  Because it’s all good information.  Because here at HelloLife, we’re all about matching your commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

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