To think I can't eat out with soy allergy

[Carbon12]

DD2 has cows milk allergy and soy allergy.

She's exclusively breastfed and refuses the bottle.

My friends and I want to go out for a meal, but soy is in everything!!!

Can restaurants truly cater for a soy allergy?

Of course they can! It’s one of the main allergens. Just make it very clear from the off that you have a soy allergy. Better if you can do some research before hand to make it quicker and easier for yourself, but then make sure you specify the allergy to ensure the kitchen staff no to prepare your food away from areas containing soya.

i would think the dairy allergy would be more at risk. good luck though and make sure you let them know when you order and confirm again when the food comes out, but there isnt any reason for this to stop you from enjoying meals out.

DD1 had dairy allergy only, going out wasn't too bad since restaurants tend to have many vegan options.

When I was doing research for home cooking I realised a lot of sauces/marinades contain soy which is why I thought it would be hard to find restaurants that cater for soy allergy.

Will just have to look up menus and allergen lists beforehand!

I’m coeliac and some places will listen allergens but not put soy. Others will have a qr code or booklet you can read through to see which parts of the meal contains the allergen. For example lots of places only list one/two items are gluten free but it’s because it comes with a side that has gluten in. If I don’t have the side, the meal is fine. I think you’d be the same with soy.

You definitely can, we find chain restaurants are best.
Drayton Manor cook in soya oil so packed lunch required there.

They can cook without soy but I would find it difficult to trust them not to unless they are specifically catering for allergic customers. We've all heard about the sad deaths of undeclared allergens and cross contamination.
I would just go for drinks or coffee if we need a sit down or invite over for a meal or just do things that don't revolve around food.

I’d still be extra cautious, because a lot of
products that are vegan contain soya, likes cakes and cheeses for example. But restaurants have legal obligations when it comes to allergies. Like others have said chain restaurants are best but just be clear with the staff and double check what you can and you’ll be fine.

My baby is allergic to dairy and soy. For a while we excluded egg too and I’m gluten free. I managed to eat out with all these restrictions but it’s not easy and is very limiting. I found chain restaurants easiest to eat in because I could research beforehand what was available and the information is usually more easy to find.

It's a pain in the arse (I would never have guessed how many things contain soya before having allergic DS) but you can find places. You just have to be stringent with studying the allergen menu and if they don't have one get them to be really clear about ambiguous things like "vegetable oil". We've been told before that it was fine and then they've come back to the table to say we can't have something because the vegetable oil is a mix including soya.

Ah man okay, so I will definitely start off with something small like coffee.

Any specific chain restaurants anyone would recommend?

My local shopping centre has Nando's and Zizzi's, as well as independent shops.

Might have to venture into city centre for the other big restaurants.

Nando’s is an easy start, they have allergen folders or menus and you can even check online, click filter and hide dishes containing soya. They normally ask about allergies before you sit down

www.nandos.co.uk/food/menu/

@Ewanismydreamsheep @CatNamedEaster are your babies still allergic or will they grow out of the allergy?

DD1 grew out of her dairy allergy around 15 months.

I suspect DD2 has the allergies as she's been on antibiotics twice in the first month of her life and docs have said it's really messed up her gut. So I'm hoping once her micro biome improves as she gets older, she grows out of her allergies.

Omg finally I can comment as an expert on something 😂 I have that anaphylactic soy thing but confusingly I think it’s just the protein element for allergies so I can eat soy sauce, soy oil, lecithin (in chocolate) but not tofu, beans, protein.

It’s a nightmare because I’ve found they don’t distinguish at all between the different soys. So everything on the desert menu would be ticked yes for soy allergen even though it most likely would be the lecithin from the chocolate. It’s very demoralising and things like fish and chips are ticked, it’s exhausting xxx

Should say I do manage to eat out though💕 Pubs are quite good like the chains and they have quite a lot of stuff you can have and an allergy section or app too. Good luck! xxx

Ah man that sounds awful.

So do you manage to go out to eat and trust your instincts or do you avoid eating foods that contain any form of soy when you go out?

You answered my question before I posted it! Haha thank you

It does get easier the more you eat out I promise💕 You get used to the big allergy file if they don’t have an online one and quite a lot of places do ask if there’s any allergies before they take your order too x

On a different note:

Has anyone managed to order from Deliveroo or Ubereats whilst having allergy being catered for?

I have esoteric allergies that aren’t listed in the categories. Chain restaurants that list ingredients in the food are best. Same for food delivery Via an app. Get it from a chain that lists every ingredient for every dish. Before adult onset allergies i preferred small restaurants and avoided chains. Now i eat at them almost exclusively because most small restaurants look at you like a deer in headlights when you ask if a dish is safe for a rare allergen.

Some individual restaurants will have menu setups that allow for adjusting dishes to leave out specific things or add on specific things. Those places tend to be the best at actually providing an allergen free meal. If I can click a box that says leave the tomatoes off the salad, I’m much more likely to get a salad that is safe than if I have to write it in a text box. I find this is true on-site as well. The app is a good sign that the kitchen is set up in a way to handle adjustments well.

I was super impressed when I went with a group to Wahaca. They have special menus for each allergen set out in a big matrix. And only certain waiting staff were allowed to take orders from people with allergens so they could advise if they made the incorrect choice. I expect some others chains are similar.

Nando’s is fabulous with allergies imo, Zizzi’s once gave my egg allergy friend egg so we haven’t been back for years but hopefully will have improved now. As others have said it does get easier but always a worry.

@Carbon12 she’s 10 months now and is still allergic. We’ve tried the milk ladder but had a reaction. We need to try the soy ladder. I’ve successfully reintroduced dairy and soy into my diet after the dietician recommended trying it.

I didn’t trust local takeaways and only had papa johns where I could more easily control it

Also bf dairy and soya free DS1. Like others, chains are easiest. Everything is prepared in the same way at each restaurant. Nandos is great they have an allergy tablet when you go in and you have to order at the counter and a manger takes your order.
use your instincts, if you say you’re allergic and they don’t give you good info they’re clueless. I usually phone or email beforehand to ask what I can have (and decide if I will eat there). It’s hard. You can’t really just pop to local coffee shops for a sandwich and I don’t allow anyone except DH and my mum to cook for me or check packets. I swear in-laws think I’m making it up 🙄🙄

My eldest had soya egg and CMPA, and my second has CMPA. It wasn’t easy but I did manage to eat out. The local pub was best, all home cooked food, a massive allergy file and very flexible about changes to the menu.
I have never totally grown out of my milk allergy, I don’t think either DS or dd will but once you get so far up the milk ladder it’s so much easier.

My son has multiple allergies (soya, egg, peanuts and tree nuts and we avoided dairy for a while.) I agree with everyone else, chains are definitely the best. Safe places for us are Pizza Express, Nandos, Prezzo, Zizzi, McDonald's, Costa. Good luck!