Laura-Beth Spouse

“Doing this test has given me a lot of physical and mental freedom, which I’m really grateful for”

27-year-old wedding and event marketing consultant, Laura-Beth Spouse, was dealing with a range of unpleasant symptoms. Laura had suffered with bad stomach ache, breakout in spots, chest pain, cramps and diarrhoea all of her adult life.

When asked about how these symptoms affected her life, Laura said: “Quite a lot. With my job I do a lot of driving, so quite often I’d have to plan my route knowing I had a decent service station en route, just in case, and I’d have to allow extra time in between appointments in case I had a loose moment. I had very urgent symptoms whenever I ate certain foods but I couldn’t pinpoint what the foods were exactly. I constantly carried Rennies and Imodium with me.”.

Laura added “I love going out for brunch, however up until recently I stopped going out for brunch as I was tired of feeling so rubbish afterwards. I’d generally have to race home, especially if I had eggs and then I’d spend the rest of the day looking 6 months pregnant and in pain”. That’s when her mum told her about YorkTest and gifted Laura a food intolerance test for Christmas.

After taking the Premium Food Intolerance Test, Laura’s results indicated that her body was reacting to eggs, milk and yeast. “The eggs and milk wasn’t too much of a shock, if anything it was a relief to know, however yeast was really shocking! I instantly thought I’ll never be able to eat food I enjoy again!”.

We asked Laura how she felt after removing these trigger foods, she said “Literally like a new person. Without going into too much detail, I found myself having much more time away from the bathroom, my skin looks and feels so much better. I only really bloat now when it’s my time of the month, my chest doesn’t feel so tight and I feel healthier.”.

Laura can now also enjoy activities she previously found difficult, “I go out for brunch all of the time now! I tend to stick to a vegan diet whenever I can. Yeast is a difficult one though, but I try to make decisions that aren’t as bad. For example, instead of a nice cheesy bread bun, I’ll have gluten free bread or pitta bread so it’s not as heavy.”.

Our test analyses your IgG reactions to 200 food and drinks – from common ingredients like gluten and cow’s milk, to health superfoods like kale and quinoa.

The process involves sending a finger-prick blood sample back to YorkTest, Laura then received her results within 7-days through the Wellness Hub, in an easy-to-read traffic light-based format.

Eliminating the trigger foods and sticking to her diet plan has helped clear Laura’s symptoms and helped her be more active. When asked about her nutritional consultation, Laura commented: “Really helpful! I was quite anxious about it as I thought the call was going to be about everything I can’t eat but actually it was the opposite. She was really supportive and positive which made me feel a lot better too.”. Similarly, Laura also found the customer service team helpful, “I’ve struggled with this for a good 12 years and whenever I’ve gone to professional places, I always felt like a nuisance or an opportunity for someone to make money. However, YorkTest was completely the opposite. I felt heard and supported throughout the process and I always recommend them to my friends.”.

When asked how life had changed since taking the test and how she would summarise her experience, Laura concluded: “Sounds really cheesy, but I’d say that I feel free. I think unless you’ve suffered with an intolerance before, you just think people are being dramatic, but that isn’t the case at all. Doing this test has given me a lot of physical and mental freedom which I’m really grateful for.”.