It’s been a while since I’ve made a post purely about my skin and psoriasis, so here goes.

I’ve been mildly lactose intolerant since I could remember. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, I’m always sorry the next day. Usually having skim milk does the trick, ice cream is fine most of the time, however, full cream milk, is definitely not my friend. A few times in the past, I’ve attempted to restrict my diet and did a lot of research about the yes- and no-foods that would consist of said diet. 99% of the guidelines suggested that dairy, especially full-fat dairy, was a common allergen that triggers psoriasis so I had no problem removing dairy from my diet. Most of these also suggested replacing cow’s milk with soy milk. No problem – I am partial to Chinese style soya bean drinks and so I thought soy milk would be similar in taste and texture; it’s actually quite different both in taste and texture–soy milk is thicker and more gritty. I was having upwards of two glasses of soy milk a day, since it’s often considered the healthier option anyway when compared to cow’s milk.

After about two weeks drinking this soy milk I was having the worst flare up I’ve had in a while, so I started digging around the internet for what may potentially be causing such chaos in my system. There seems to be some debate around about whether soy milk causes or reduces inflammation. Apparently, articles mention studies (with no references, of course) suggesting soy products have compounds which mimic oestrogen to lower inflammation in women. Others have said that soy is a toxin and that soy milk is loaded with sugars and extra additives. It was all very conflicting – many were touting the benefits of soy while others were naming and shaming.

I decided to stop reading ill-researched articles and instead, ask people who are in a similar situation as myself. Since I’ve been part of the Psoriasis Inspire Forums for a while and they’ve always been a helpful community, I searched up old boards to find what other had to say about soy products. There were some who had no adverse reactions to soy milk, but most were also seeing some of the worst flare-ups they had experienced after drinking it. Someone mentioned soy is a known issue with all autoimmune diseases – something to do with lectins and not being able to digest them. I guess I’m in the camp that can’t enjoy soy milk.

Still confused as to why soy milk was causing me so many dramas while edamame, miso soup, and regular soya bean drink had no effect on my system in the past, I thought I’d do one last round of Googling.

[su_quote cite=”Soy and the Thyroid” url=”http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm”]If you have a history of autoimmune disease, overconsumption of soy isoflavones can potentially trigger a thyroid condition. Soy foods can worsen an existing diagnosed thyroid problem in many people.[/su_quote]

The idea is that fermented soy products, such as miso, natto, tempeh, and tamari sauce, are fine in moderation.

[su_quote cite=”Green Living Online” url=”http://www.greenlivingonline.com/HealthNutrition/dangers-of-soy/”]The fermentation process removes the phytates, trypsin inhibitors, and heaglutinin. Fermented soy foods have long been a staple in Asian diets and are generally beneficial when combined with other foods such as rice, sea foods, fish broth, organ meats and fermented vegetables. The traditional Asian diet contributes to lower levels of cancer, heart disease, and increased bone density.[/su_quote]

I guess all the soy products I enjoyed at the start are fine for me. Highly processed soy products? Not so much.
How has soy and soy products affected your autoimmune disease?

Featured image: VegKitchen