SOY-FREE SOY SAUCE. MAYA'S RECIPE.

So I've decided to perfect my own rendition of soy sauce. I've tried like three recipes so far and none comes close to this one. It is COMPLETELY SOY-FREE, NUT-FREE AND GLUTEN-FREE.

Soy-Free Soy Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups (or 16 OZ) CHICKEN broth (I use Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low-Sodium Chicken Broth, 4-Count, 8-Ounce Cartons (Pack of 6) )

• 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Raw 32oz

 

• 2 bouillion cubes from Edward & Sons Not-Beef Bouillon Cubes, 3.1-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)

 

• 2 TBS fresh minced ginger

• 1 dash white pepper

• 1 generous dash garlic powder

 

• 1 generous dash onion powder

 

• 1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and boil uncovered until reduced to 1/2 cup. Strain the sauce to remove ginger pieces. Store in refrigerator up to one week.



Hungry yet? ;)

My Gluten Challenge

I realize this is primarily a food-allergy blog, but being that Celiac disease symptoms and the strict avoidance of gluten is very akin to the strict avoidance of foods we're allergic to, I am including this experience on this site. If you feel this does not concern or interest you, I apologize and you may skip this post and move on to the next or past ones.

So for the past week, I've been trying to follow a gluten-free diet, based on the severe stomach and body-ache symptoms I've been experiencing for the past six weeks. Trying is the keyword, since I found out that even a tiny bit of gluten/wheat has affected me with several days of suffering; I now realize why people with Celiac disease are just as neurotic about what they ingest as people with food allergies. Cross contamination of even a crumb of gluten can set off severe symptoms for days or even weeks. The symptoms for me were so bad that some days I laid in bed wanting to die from the flu-like pain (in head, neck, arms, back, legs), nausea and severe cramping. Not to mention the fun stomach problems that make your stomach look like you're having twins.

Taxis and Limousines With Vending Machines? Will YOU Be Affected??

I apologize for not updating sooner but I was battling the flu and my more recent health issues which some of you know about through my Twitter tweets.

A few weeks ago, I came across an article about vending machines by a company called Taxi Treats being implemented in NYC taxi cabs and possibly across the country. The vending machines will contain energy drinks, over-the-counter medicine, cologne, breath mints, snacks and condoms.

You can read more about this proposal through the links on my petition page.

Being a city girl at heart, the fact that I now would have to worry about which cab I'm waving down is one thing. But then the thought of having to tell the cabbie (who, by the way, took forever to wave down during that Manhattan afternoon rush hour) that I cannot be in his cab after a waft of peanut proteins smack me in the face (IF I'm lucky enough to not have a cold or stuffy nose at the moment) really pisses me off...especially since I can already see him rev his engine to speed off in anger because he simply does not understand.



NYC, please don't take away my wings...

Protect Yourself: Cultivate 24/7 Awareness!

Last night, I had a little scare with one of my friends' asthma and ended up driving him to the hospital at almost 1AM. He's ok now, thank God.

The LAST thing I expected was a 'peanut incident.' Sitting there in the Emergency Room waiting area with a bad cold, my sense of smell and hearing was practically nonexistent, even if you wafted perfume or something pungent right in front of my face.

Bring wipes wherever you go; E coli is not the only particles food allergy sufferers have to worry about.

Battling A Cold or Flu With Severe Soy Allergies

 So I've been battling this cold/flu since Wednesday of last week and have used every remedy and supplement in my arsenal.

I've been taking massive doses of Ester C with every meal, drinking tons of juice, boiling huge chunks of peeled/chopped ginger to make tea and taking Oregano Oil still to no avail!

We all know the frustration of normal grocery store soup aisles and not finding a dang thing among the hundreds of MSG-laden, GMO promoters that are actually, TRULY soy-free.

The good news is my friend raved about a dish he loves called Vietnamese Pho (pronounced "fuh") and I went out of my way to try to make it since it sounded so yummy.

Review: Nonuttin Oatmeal and Granola!

As someone with severe soy and nut allergies, cooking oatmeal from scratch is kind of a chore and finding chewy granola bars without soy, nut warnings or nut ingredients is one definition of crazy I try to avoid.



What were you thinking?!!

We learn through the allergy community that health food stores and online shopping is the way to go for most of our allergen-free needs.

About a month ago, I wrote to a company online, thanking them for creating the best granola I've ever had.

An APP That Detects Food Allergens In Your Food?!

Yes, my friends...the future is here. This decade is proving to bring more changes to the food-allergy communities than we could have imagined.

First came the expansion of the Americans With Disabilities Act to include people with severe food allergies. Within the same week came the new epinephrine injector.

In 18 months, UCLA hopes to release an app...YES, a smartphone APP that detects traces of specific food allergens in that cookie that has that annoying label, "made on equipment with peanuts, soy and tree-nuts." It actually tells you what percentage of an allergen is in the food and the results are just as accurate as a scientific laboratory.

The GMO Crisis Part II

So why am I so against GMOs? (If you are new to the topic of GMOs, here is a good informational page that may shock you.) Well, the first reason is I have severe soy allergies. Second, they are hidden very carefully in our foods so its almost impossible to know if your food is affected by simply reading ingredients. Monsanto is the superpower of all GMO production in our country; 75% of processed food contains GMOs. In the United States, 90% of soy is genetically modified (GM Soy).



So beautiful, yet for some of us, so deadly.

So I read in a recent email from Natural News about GMOs that 2012 brought a severe drought in the primary soy-producing states. At first, this got me pretty excited; not at the fact that families and soy farmers might be losing money but the fact that soy production might be limited--could this be the end of soy?

The Merger Of The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and Kids With Food Allergies

Since many of you in the food allergy community keep up-to-date with much of the news happening, I want to share yet another very good thing happening in the food allergy community.

I am lucky in the fact that I never had bad asthma. I only had it when I exercised too hard or laughed too hard and long. I also experience it almost every time I've had anaphylaxis.

My cousin (who is like the brother I never had) is about 21 years old has the severe (anaphylaxis) peanut and tree nut allergies along with severe hives from shellfish. He also suffers from asthma and has had it since he was a baby. I remember as a baby, whenever he had even a slight allergic reaction, he would cough and wheeze and we or his parents would have to give him 'treatment' with the nebulizer. It broke my heart watching him suffer with his allergies to baby formulas and the rashes he would get as a child; it was very reminiscent of how I remember suffering, except I didn't have the asthma. Asthma medications continued for him into adulthood and I have seen firsthand how allergic reactions that are tied to severe eczema for me are tied to severe eczema and asthma for him.

The first time I had heard of someone dying from asthma was when supermodel Nikki Taylor's little sister, Krissy Taylor suddenly and mysteriously passed away at age 17. At the prime of her climbing road to stardom in the fashion world, her life was cut short from undiagnosed asthma. Just like food allergies, many people are not aware of the serious nature of asthma and how quickly it can take a life. It is up to non-profit organizations like the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America to provide educational resources and support to the public.

Post Valentine's Day/ The GMO Crisis Part I

TGIF!!! With Valentine's Day in full swing, let the cooking at home begin!!! I have to admit, for someone with a severe soy and nut allergy, I am pretty obsessed with Asian cusine, whether it be Japanese, Chinese or Indian...I love it all, but it is very risky and deadly business eating many of the dishes in restaurants. So I've been on a mission on Pinterest, compiling my favorite Asian recipes and finding substitutions......lo and behold, you can find any recipe your heart desires in that little search box at the top left of the Pinterest page....

Today I made my P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps using a soy-free soy sauce recipe using organic chicken (I use one from Whole Foods since Perdue causes a soy allergy reaction for me).

Avoiding Soy Derivatives In Lotion, Soap and Cosmetics

While Storm Nemo turns all of us into igloos, I've decided to write about one of my favorite things in the whole world, makeup! If you're a guy with soy allergies or a caretaker for a child with soy allergies, stick around, this affects you too!

Having worked as a makeup artist for fourteen years (if you're curious, here's my portfolio), I got to know thousands of products and ingredients over the years. At each company I worked for, I would get 'mysterious' reactions from products and realized with trial and error that I'm allergic and get contact dermatitis to: dimethicone and all liquid silicone derivatives, nickel, lanolin and most PEGs, Vitamin E (tocopherol acetate), stearic acid/vegetable stearic acid and glycerin or vegetable glycerine which are from soy.

Those of us with nut allergies are lucky that not too many bath, beauty or skincare products contain nuts, but to avoid the slight possibility, always ALWAYS read ingredients. To clear up confusion with whether coconut oil or palm oil is from a nut, here is something I found. That said, always consult your allergist before trying anything new.

Two years ago, after many soy allergy reactions at work and not enough organic cosmetics or truly USDA Certified Organic products, I decided it was time to leave. I was also fed up with the superficial nature of the cosmetics industry and wanted to immerse my heart into works on canvas, not people's faces, which would get washed off.

Avoiding Soy In Vitamin E, Tocopherol Acetate and Natural Flavors

Sure, you look for soy or nut labeling, but do you know the other soy derivatives that could be in your cereal?

So Sunday, some of you know I figured out my soy allergy includes ‘tocopherol acetate’ also known as Vitamin E. I had been eating cereals for years, wondering why I was getting so exhausted and having major "brain fog" after eating (to the point of needing a nap or else I couldn’t function) while my fingers and sometimes my face would itch. If I ate it more than twice in a two or three day period, my (tocopherol) vitamin E from soy allergy would accumulate in my system and the area around my lips and nose would itch and peel so bad, no Vaseline or lip balm could help.

Intimacy and Food Allergies - Part II

 I've brooded and fought about this topic and whether it is ok to put this topic out there. In case you missed Part I, here it is.

Sex is a topic that needs to be talked about whether you are dating, in a relationship or married. If this issue is not talked about in the food allergy community and beyond, people can put others (or themselves) at serious risk of fatal reactions or needless suffering.


My dating experience spans about sixteen years. I've had long-term relationships and short-term relationships, all of whom had to know about my deadly food allergies within the first few dates or telephone conversations. Unfortunately, in the earlier years, there were times I simply forgot to tell them and I consider myself extremely lucky.

Where To Find Soy-Free Nut-Free Chocolate Or Recipes!

With Valentine's Day around the corner, its not easy walking through pharmacies and groceries and seeing the flood of red and pink aisles of stuff that we know we can't eat. Yet we still find ourselves meandering over to the shelf, being tempted by some obscure looking gourmet chocolate treat from Sweden or Denmark, or that pretty foil-covered rose, thinking if its from another country maybe they don't use peanuts or soy.

The ingredients (I think?) are in eight different languages in a font size only a seven year old ninja could see (don't ever underestimate the eyesight or hearing of a child) when finally we find the English version staring at us at the very top of the list. "May contain traces of peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pinenuts and every other $#%&!@ nut you wish never ever came into existence." You throw it back like someone just threw a ticking bomb into your hand (the five second rule applies, right? Probably not, so it is always a good idea to wash your hands after incidents like this.)

Oh trust me. I know this mix of anxiety and desperation, which has led to crazily scanning the backs of every foreign chocolate you could possibly find that looks plain and nut-free because you KNOW Hershey doesn't seem to wanna change their soy lecithin policy and those rashes (or worse) from lecithin are just not worth it.

Is February and these colors giving you an urge for chocolate? Be safe and make your own!

If you have a nut allergy, the risk of anaphylactic shock is always at the forefront of your mind.

Well, after that trip to CVS, you probably feel itchy, annoyed and frustrated. Why does soy lecithin have to be in everything? Well, its an emulsifier and its cheap. *rolls eyes*

I'm here to tell you that you don't have to go through that nonsense anymore.

If you don't already know of the amazing company, Enjoy Life, you must be fairly new to soy allergies or nut allergies, which is okay--Most of us have been there. Enjoy Life sells candy bars,

Exciting Information: Saving Money With Food Allergies!

There is no question that having food allergies is expensive. The often ridiculously high cost of 'special' gluten-free foods and foods 'free of the top 8 allergens' is so much so that I pondered writing a letter to the government about it or creating a petition to create some kind of food stipulation or aid for people living with severe food allergies or celiac disease.

Well, I have some good news for you. News you might not know.

                  Look what I got!!!

Tax Refund For Food Allergy Expenses?

Yes, you can get a tax refund on what you spend for special foods for food allergies.

Bullying and Food Allergies - Who Can You Trust?

Today I’m going to take on the topic of bullying. The discussion I’m bringing up is not exactly about children with food allergies, although it is definitely related. It is about the vulnerabilities we face every moment of every day. 

We don't live in a perfect world; we need to protect ourselves from the dark alleyways of human thought.

Intimacy and Food Allergies - Part I

 The dangers teens and older people face with food allergies are not well-documented. Deaths from kissing or intimacy are not often portrayed by media, but when they are, people wonder if they're really true and if it really can happen.
 

Can a kiss really be dangerous?

Speaking of food allergy from kissing, I have an interesting personal story for you, one that still haunts me to this day.

New Hi-Tech Epi Pen Developed By Sanofi Now Known As Auvi-Q

Auvi-Q was presented with the title of International CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for the The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and there is no question, the award is well-deserved....

The Carnivore's Guide To Grass-Fed Meat

I am a big-time carnivore. Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate animals or think they should be killed for no reason. And honestly when I really think about it or am forced to watch those 'kill me now commercials', I start to itch just from my nerves and the fact that I really can't ever be vegetarian with my multiple food allergies.

 I've tried. It lasted a day. Then I got really hungry.

The Flame Keeps On Burning...

We scour the aisles, reading ingredients for new products daily, hoping and praying that foods won't contain the dreaded 'soy lecithin' or 'natural flavors.' By doing this, we've learned that the Coca Cola Company Co. is not our friend. We think, "nobody knows the dangers of soy and how many people (gluten-free people included), can't eat soy." Yet we never do anything about it. Well someone did and she's not even allergic to it.

Will it someday be possible to buy fizzy drinks at regular grocery stores again?