Allergic to legumes

[EricAlana]

I have just recently decided to work on being vegan. One of my problems is that I am allergic to legumes (beans including soy, peanuts, peas, etc). Obviously, this can create a problem for me. I have never had a serious reaction to legumes. However, I always have to take benadryl when I do eat them because I can get itchy and tingly. I had a Boca burger tonight and had a minor reaction.

My question is, do any of you have the same problem? What can I substitute for legumes? It seems that a lot of the vegetarian and vegan products have lots of legumes in them. I'd appreciate any help!

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

Sunshine burgers are soy free I believe. And I know there are others, just can't think of the names...

Why do you think you "need" to eat soy and legumes? It may not be super easy, but you can be vegan and not eat soy.

Have you tried tofu? It is processed in such a way that it very rarely causes people to have allergic reactions. In fact, it's recomended as a "first food" to feed babies because it is so gentle...

If you want "meaty" stuff that's free of soy, look for wheat gluten products or seitan; there are a lot of soy-free items on the shelves (or freezer cases) especially in large supermarkets and Whole Foods, etc....

Make your own seitan. It's SUPER easy and you can make burgers, "chops", "cutlets", meatballs, all sorts of things.

Rice, quinoa, barley, wheat, corn, amaranth, oats... all grains (not legumes) and all good sources of protein.

Good luck, you've come to the right place...

[mazikeen]

Nuts and seeds can also be a good 'substitute' for legumes. You can try them raw (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp, etc.),
in trail mix, as nut/seed butters or make a nut loaf for dinner.

[asp3]

I would caution against continuing to eat things which give you allergic reactions. It isn't good for your body. I have any medical documentation for this, I only have annecdotal experiences from two members of my family who continued to eat things they were allergic to until their allergies worsened and broadened their scope.

[EricAlana]

I appreciate all the replies. I think I definitely need to learn more self control when it comes to food. It's always easier to eat the foods I love and pop a couple benadryl than to just avoid the food altogether. I have been told to be more careful because my allergies could worsen if I continue to eat those foods. I'm hoping that because I will be reading ingredients that I will make smarter decisions on everything that I eat.

[eccoboy]

Many vegans insist on eating legumes every day, mostly because they want to make sure that their diet has enough protein. Well "enough" protein is not much, maybe 50 grams per day (according to the experts). If you eat a wide variety of WHOLE plant foods you will get everything you need. Of course legumes have other nutrients and are tasty, but you don't need them to be healthy on a vegetarian/vegan diet.