Dirty Thirty #10: A Farewell to Soy

For today's Dirty Thirty, I am rerunning a piece I posted on Tuesday, February 19, 2013. Soy is definitely a "Dirty Thirty." In fact, if this list were in any sort of order, soy would hold the number one spot!

For so many of us who try to limit, or even eliminate, animal protein from our diets, soy has become a staple. What's not to like? A high-protein, plant-based food that has become as ubiquitous in the frozen food aisle as the regular chicken nuggets. Parents often give these alternatives to their children thinking they are giving them a healthy alternative to meat or chicken. Many babies and children are also raised on soy-based formula and "milk."

Like many of you, I had made soy a regular part of my own diet. Several years ago, however, I started struggling with candida. I tried the western medical treatments (over-the-counter topical, prescription oral, prescription topical) and natural remedies (supplements, probiotics, homemade topical treatments). Nothing seemed to work long-term, and, each time the problem recurred, it got worse! I couldn't seem to shake it. Doctors told me that some people just have this problem. I was NOT willing to be one of those people!

I Found the Cure (and I Wasn't Even Looking)!!!

For the past ten years or so, I have been living with a condition called geographic tongue. While it looks weird, doctors claim that it is harmless. Most of the time, it was painless, but, once in a while, my tongue would become more inflamed and hurt. The cause of geographic tongue is unknown; although, it may be related to yeast or allergies. Both of which make sense in my life; however, whether or not allergies or yeast was acting up, the geographic tongue remained. I also had ridges along the sides of my tongue due to imprintation of teeth against an inflamed tongue. I had actually started working through an elimination diet to figure out what was causing the inflammation (or even geographic tongue) when I accidentally discovered the cure. I feel like Jonas Salk!

A Farewell to Soy

For so many of us who try to limit, or even eliminate, animal protein from our diets, soy has become a staple. What's not to like? A high-protein, plant-based food that has become as ubiquitous in the frozen food aisle as the regular chicken nuggets. Parents often give these alternatives to their children thinking they are giving them a healthy alternative to meat or chicken. Many babies and children are also raised on soy-based formula and "milk."

Like many of you, I had made soy a regular part of my own diet. Several years ago, however, I started struggling with candida. I tried the western medical treatments (over-the-counter topical, prescription oral, prescription topical) and natural remedies (supplements, probiotics, homemade topical treatments). Nothing seemed to work long-term, and, each time the problem recurred, it got worse! I couldn't seem to shake it. Doctors told me that some people just have this problem. I was NOT willing to be one of those people!