I think this goes here...

My doc may be in changing me from a Rmaoi to a MAOI, this means I would have to follow the MAOI diet.. it wouldnt change my diet much as I look at the restrictions, the restrictions dont restrict many veg foods....except..



fermented soy-

bean products

(miso and some

tofu products)



Fava beans



and some cheeses I dont eat.



I can live without the fava beans, I dont eat the cheese as it is, most have rennet. but The tofu I am worried about, and how am I supposed to know which tofu is fermented and not. also this is from the patient info packet. but some sites recommend not having any soy... I cant do that, my life plan is to become vegan...



Anyone have any experience with MAOI's? or know what the difference is between fermented tofu and unfermented tofu is?



edit: just saw this on same site... im just sad about this but will live:

breads:

sourdough and

fresh,homemade,

yeast-leavened

breads

I have never even heard of MAOI. I'm guessing its due to a health problem, so I won't ask. Hopefully someone else will be able to help you out. Consider this a glorified bump

I'm allergic to soy, as you know, and it's a pain, I have big problems getting proper nutrition. Sort of similar... Try working with a nutritionist?

I don't think tofu is fermented. Fermented soy products would be miso, tamari, tempeh, and natto.



But if you can't have soy, try looking into other beans you can have. Don't forget nuts and nut butters, either! Good luck with your diet. Is it temporary?

Jinga, MAOI is a class of antidepressants. MaOIs destroy enzyms that degrade the amino acid tyramine which lead to tyramine build-up and dangerously high blood pressure. People who take MAOI need to avoid tyramine-containing food such as Java listed (plus whole lot more)



Java, is "Rmaoi" stand for "reversible MAOI"? From what I understand, it may be that your previous meds----rMAO, which has less side effects associated with tyramine, was not working too well for you (?). Classic MAOIs have more side effects but can cover broarder range of symptoms.



Fresh tofu is not fermented but I need to do some more research and get back to you about vegan food options.



Edit: this article has extensive info on MAOI, including food issues

www.vh.org/adult/provider/psychiatry/CPS/19.html

freemouse- yup it is a reversible maoi, Manerix or mocloblemide (sp) i dont think its destributed in the US so not many people know about it. but no it doesnt have the tyramine side effects even at high doses, (im on a rather high dose above normal range). why he wants specificaly to switch to an MAOI i am not sure, although I suspect its partly because every other option will have been exhausted.



according to that article it seems the tyramine content of tofu is rather low compared to other things.. perhaps it wouldnt be such a big problem then I have to read the artcle in more depth first. thank you.



Clickman - yes. I think working with a nutritionist would most definately be in order. esps. with my history

it's not difficult to be a soy-free vegan. there are plenty of other things to eat. in stead of soymilk, try nut milks or rice milk. instead of tofu/tempeh/etc, go with whole legumes (i assume that you can have other legumes?), wheat gluten, etc.



it's possible.

wow yeah totally forgot about rice milk, that i actually like, hmm, and yah legumes I can eat,





this is starting to sound feasible, if small amounts of tofu are ok, even if soy milk, soy sauce, and soy products are out of the question this I could handle, it would just mean a lot of home cooking. I wish they labeled tryptophan levels....



another question...

yves just like ground... is that wheat or soy? and what about the veggie slices and burgers?



I likely have a month to make any formal decisions on this, so I am going to be doing some serious label reading..

you may consider quorn products, which i believe are soy free, but i don't know. I wouldn't use those types of products (i don't really anyway), because most of them have soy. so, perhaps this is a 'splurge' type food if it is something that your body can handle.



but, i would really start to explore different kinds of beans and easy bean recipes. USing canned beans is really easy, and it's easy to learn how to sprout as well. there's a great cookbook called "Lean Bean Cuisine" that has lots of good bean related recipes. I'm pretty simple though, beans on salads (cooked or sprouted), bean dips, and bean soups. Those are my main-stays for beans.



It's not really 'a lot' more cooking, unless you eat out every day or something. once you get the hang of how to use these things, how to put things together quickly, it's really quite simple. Most of my meals take under 10 minutes to make (it's usually just assembly), and my evening meals make take 10 minutes to get started and then 10 minutes to cook/simmer through before service. Sometimes, i don't even bother to cook it. For instance, i made curry the other day that had soaked cashews, raisins, mixed raw veggies, and sprouted chick peas. I used a bit of veggie broth to make the curry wet and creamy, and then tossed it through the veggies and such. it was very good and required no cooking! only 10 minutes. If i'd wanted to, i could have cooked it for 10=15 minutes and it would have been hot and spicy.



SO, i hope that helps. It's pretty easy to live without soy--just start to find new recipes. you'll move toward mroe whole foods anyway, and that'll keep you happier and healthier.