Friend is dealing with soy allergy - any advice?

Soy is really hard. You just have to get used to making things from scratch really. I did finally find a bread I can buy for him - Arnold Dutch Country 100% whole wheat. It says on the allergen statement that it has a trivial amount of soy flour, so I tried it and he had no reaction. He's been eating it for about 6 months now with no problems. He also has no problem with Goldfish crackers even though they say canola and/or soybean oil on the label. Since soy isn't a life-threatening allergy, it's easier to try things like that and figure out what he can get away with.

I disagree with the Heidi's comment that soy isn't life threatening. I wish that were true, but I can tell you from experience (and multiple trips to the ER with anaphylaxis) that it IS a life threatening allergy. I developed my allergy in my early 20's. My first reactions were what I considered to be mild, hives on various parts of my body. As long as I could cover them up, it really didn't seem to be that big of a deal, and they eventually went away. That lasted until my first run-in with anaphylaxis, after eating a bagel. I was driving to work when it happened, and I had absolutely no idea what to do. That's when I finally went to a specialist and got tested.

It has been a definite learning experience. I have learned to read every label every time (and can someone explain why soy protein would be in fruit juice or ice cream?), and I have a printed card that I give to the wait staff every time we go out to eat (which is not often). It is hard to go to a restaurant and find out that the only thing I can safely eat is a bowl of lettuce with salt & pepper, while everyone else is having steak. And I can't remember the last time I ate dessert at a restaurant. But, it has been over 3 years since my last trip to the ER, which makes it worth it.

Actually it depends whether it's life-threatening. There are many different people with different levels of severity and different levels of how much an allergy will be outgrown over time. I'm allergic to soy, but, however, every time I'm exposed it gets less threatening and will eventually fade away completely. I'm also allergic to peanuts; however, with each exposure, (thus reaction) it becomes more deadly and more quick to suffocate me. It continually gets more severe. With soy, most people will eventually grow out of it, but that does not mean you don't have to be cautious. For the first few years, it was difficult for me to eat anything new, cause everything had soy in it. I'm not sure how much help I can be of now, since I've partially outgrown it, I can't really give efficient and safe advice. I think it's just something that's different for everyone and needs to be figured out individually...Sorry! =(