Can We Please NOT With All The Soy?!?

 Soy.  It has somehow, in the last decade or so, taken over every food product in the store and at restaurants. Or so it seems.

Which isn't a terrible thing, unless your body, like mine, has strong opinions about soy in the things it ingests. Years ago, I discovered, quite unintentionally, that my body doesn't like interesterified soybean oil. Like, really, really doesn't like. As in, almost immediate stomach cramping and purging of all intestinal contents. Not fun.

So, I tried to avoid that particular formation of soy in my food.  Problem solved.

Except, to a lesser immediately violent extent, a couple of years later, on a hiking trip vacation, I discovered that my body also does not like isolated soy protein. UGH.  Add isolated soy protein to the Do Not Eat list.

Try finding a protein bar, or even a granola bar, without that.  Try hiking for half a day (or more) without a convenient to pack, non-temperature sensitive, source of protein like a protein bar.  Luckily in 2024 I discovered Aloha protein bars, which are both palatable, and do not get their protein from soy! Hallelujah! Highly recommend!

Unfortunately, my body's dislike of soy has gotten worse as soy has crept into more and more food items. Regular soybean oil (not just interesterified), soy lecithin (waah, even in the chocolate chips I make cookies with, not to mention pretty much every brand of ice cream under the sun and tons of baked goods, dairy products, etc.), plain old soy protein (not just isolated) all cause a measurable gut reaction. Every single time.

Even my for many years belovedly safe hot dogs from the local meat market now contain smallish amounts of soy.  So supposedly small it's almost the last ingredient listed on the package, but it's enough to make the early morning hours of the day after eating a 'safe' hot dog be requiring frequent trips to the bathroom.  That is no way to live a productive or enjoyable life!

It's so frustrating! Soy is increasingly difficult to keep out of my own kitchen. Trying to eat out (without unpleasant gut issues later) is getting practically impossible.

Now, I know that there's probably medications my doctor could prescribe to 'calm down' my intestines' reactions to soy.  But why should adding chemicals to my gut to lessen it's natural processes be the number one answer?  Why not just take all the (expletive deletive) soy out off all the foods it's been added to in the last two decades? I mean, the same food existed pre-soy craze, why can't it go back to that?

(Truthfully, I know that it's because soy has become the cheaper alternative to those other ingredients, but come on. . . it's so not good for more people than just myself.)

Can we please, please, please, NOT with all the soy?!?