A is for Allergies and Acne
Hi all!
This post is not strictly related to crafting but it's a subject I thought many people would be interested in; allergies and acne. Everyone knows that particular group of friends who blossom in their teenage years with perfect skin. I was not one of those fortunate few and was pretty much on the other end of the spectrum. Throughout my teens I suffered from quite bad acne and put it down to "those annoying hormones"! Teens moved into twenties and I worked out how to tame my thick, frizzy hair, what clothes looked smart and attractive, but those wretched spots would not disappear! I began to wonder if it was something I would always have to deal with....
Moving forward to my mid-twenties, I had an allergy test. I had taken a nut allergy test when I was 10 years old, which confirmed I was severely allergic to all types of nuts. Throughout the years, as I started experimenting with cooking and food, I discovered that, not only was I allergic to nuts, but also raw fruits made my mouth itch, kiwis and hummus resulted in swollen lips, peeling potatoes brought me out in hives and my stomach was not a happy bunny after eating some meals. I additionally suffered from cracked, dry skin on my hands and legs, though the cause of this was unknown, despite consultations with the dermatologist. Therefore, I decided that it was about time I had a more thorough barrage of testing. Approximately 60 pricks on my arms later, I discovered that, yes I was still allergic to nuts (the peanut bump was three times bigger than the histamine control!) but also that I reacted to multiple other allergens. These included fruits, legumes, and for some reason, chicken (luckily you never eat raw chicken so no problem there!). However, the one that intrigued me the most was soy. Years ago, when I was 17 and in China, I had tried tofu and my body had not liked it then. Fast forward another few years when I tried soy milk and, again, my body was not happy. So, all in all, seeing soy on the allergy test was not a complete surprise.
After the test, I decided to be exceptionally good and cut out anything that came up on the test (this excluded cooked products as I had already determined that the heat likely denatured the allergenic proteins – fancy way of saying that the heat broke down whatever it is in the food that I react to). For the most part, this was easy to do except for one thing. Soy. It's in everything!
Chocolate. My mum always said that eating chocolate gave me spots. I knew that was an old wives tale, but in this case she was actually correct! Most chocolate contains soy lecithin, as an emulsifier (although, luckily, dark chocolate often does not contain soy lecithin, so my chocolate cravings could still be satisfied!).
Bread. Flour, yeast and water. Simple, right? I discovered that it is not that simple as most commercial breads, even those from the deli bakery, include soy flour. Why does bread need to contain soy flour?! Anyway, luckily I love baking, so it’s homemade bread from now on.
Frozen foods, sauces….next time you eat something, look at the ingredients. More than likely, it will contain soy or soy derivatives. When you start looking, it’s quite surprising how common it is! Even as someone who is used to watching out for allergens, it is hard to avoid soy unless you make everything from scratch. Companies tend to be good at stating if their product contains nuts (even if they mostly just state their product is “not suitable for nut allergy sufferers”). However, using common sense, it’s relatively straightforward to work out what is safe to eat and what is not. In contrast, the level of soy in products appears to be increasing.
Luckily, soy, for me, is not a fatal allergen, just an annoying one and, as any good scientist would say, no trial is complete without repeats. I recently went on holiday with my partner where we did not have control of our diet. Two weeks later, my skin had started cracking and my spots were beginning to flare up. Just over a week after the holiday, after returning to a soy-free diet, my skin has cleared up and my spots have disappeared. As someone who has suffered from acne for nearly 20 years, I cannot begin to describe the elation of the first week where I did not have to wear foundation!
Most people would not consider soy as an allergen but it is something that we should be aware of. Over the years, I have spent so much money on make-up and spot-clearing products with no success but, with one simple change to my diet, my problems disappeared. Although I am a doctor (although not a traditional medical one!), I am not saying that every flare up or skin problem is related to soy, but if you suffer from, or know someone who has similar symptoms, perhaps try cutting out soy for a few weeks. If you see no change, then soy may not be your issue, but if, like me, it is, the change can be miraculous!
Thanks for reading,
Jo
The results of my allergy test. The huge blob on my left arm is my reaction to peanuts. The 'H' on my right arm is the histamine control (histamine is the compound that causes hives to appear).
