Sandra Freeman

Symptoms: bloating, stomach cramps, skin conditions

Food Reactions: egg, gluten, wheat, yeast, coconut, plaice, sole, lentils, soya bean

“I was constantly tired and had lost my passion for life”

Sandra Freeman, 56, had been suffering from a variety of conditions that were negatively impacting her day to day life. These conditions included bloating and stomach cramps, itchy skin and frequent sinus infections. This left Sandra feeling drained and deflated.

“I was constantly tired and had lost my passion for life. Work and social life were affected – I was always choosing the path of least resistance, which meant exercise and other things fell by the wayside. I just never felt 100%.”

In an attempt to get to the bottom of her ill health, Sandra visited her GP who tested her for Coeliac disease but the test was negative. Referred to a dietitian, Sandra was advised to try an elimination diet but was daunted by the huge task of pinpointing her problem foods.

“Eliminating foods was a minefield – there was no way of knowing where to start. A colleague who had used YorkTest told me I was never going to find the culprit foods by random elimination. She said she ‘changed her life’ using YorkTest so I took the plunge.”

After receiving the results of her test, Sandra discovered she had an intolerance* to many common foods, including cow’s milk, egg white and yolk, gluten, wheat, yeast, coconut, plaice, sole, lentils, soya bean and brazils.

“Some of these ingredients I would never have found using random elimination. Indeed, I had been using coconut milk as a substitute for dairy for a long time, thinking it might alleviate the symptoms!”

After removing her trigger foods, with the help of one of YorkTest’s Nutritional Therapists to optimise her diet with nutritious and satisfying alternatives, Sandra was thrilled to start to see her symptoms improve and is looking forward to the continued effects.

“Once I had eliminated all the foods I am intolerant to, I started feeling better in a matter of days. At last, I feel in control. I feel like I have barely started on the improvements in my life. Since eliminating trigger foods I have a much better quality of life. I take regular exercise now, I have started a new job, and my husband says I have stopped snoring!”