“I’d 100% advise people to try yorktest because I’ve noticed such a difference myself.”
- Luca suffered with lethargy and fatigue, particularly in the evenings and was often unable to stay awake past 7pm
- The results of yorktest’s Premium Food Sensitivity Test revealed that he was reacting to a few different foods, ranging from wheat to chilli pepper
- After eliminating each of these foods from his diet, Luca noticed an ‘amazing’ improvement in his energy levels
Luca Bigg suspected that there was something in his diet that was causing his lethargy and fatigue. His symptoms were so bad on some occasions that they caused him to fall asleep at the dinner table.
“I was struggling to get past 7 o’clock at night,” recalled 17-year-old Luca. “I always thought it was something to do with food but I never got it tested.”
An opportunity to discover his food intolerances* came when his mum, Sally Gunnell OBE, became Brand Ambassador for yorktest in the summer of 2018 and she introduced their testing to her family.
Together with Sally and his brother, Fin, Luca took a Premium Food Sensitivity Test, which analysed his IgG antibody reactions to 208 foods and drinks. These ranged from commonplace foods and drinks like wheat and eggs to superfoods such as kale and quinoa.
Before the yorktest laboratory could test the IgG levels in his blood though, he needed to provide a sample. This involved a simple prick of the finger, in order to deposit a few drops of blood into a container. The container was then simply mailed back to yorktest in a pre-paid envelope.
Much to the amusement of his brother, Luca had to psyche himself into providing his sample and was dancing around the kitchen in fear.
“As soon as I’d done it, it was fine. It didn’t hurt at all,” he conceded.
After his sample had been tested in the yorktest laboratory, Luca received a comprehensive results pack, which included a colour-coded summary of his personal food intolerances*. These included a reaction to foods such as wheat and chilli pepper.
The next step was to cut these foods safely out of his diet. To assist with this process, two 30-minute telephone consultations with a registered Nutritional Therapist were included with his Premium Food&DrinkScan programme.
Luca’s first consultation was with Ali Orr, who took him through the nutritious alternatives that were available to him. Despite initial concerns, Luca soon got to grips with his elimination diet.
“When I first found out my reactions, I was really nervous about not being able to eat wheat because I thought wheat was in everything and I thought it wouldn’t be possible,” said Luca. “But going to the supermarket, it’s become easy. There’s so many alternatives nowadays that taste the same and I love them just as much. So I have found it okay.”
It only took a matter of weeks before Luca reaped the rewards of changing his diet, based on his yorktest results. He quickly found a positive change in his energy levels.
“It’s made such a difference,” he exclaimed. “To be able to stay up past 7 o’clock and not feel tired, it’s amazing.
“I wake up in the morning ready to do stuff instead of feeling all sleepy and even at night, as well.
“I’d 100% advise people try yorktest because I’ve noticed such a difference myself. I thought I wouldn’t really but now, after doing it, I understand that it needs to be done. You need to have a look at what you’re eating and your diet.”
Luca followed a Premium Food Sensitivity Test.
yorktest Nutritional Therapist, Ali Orr, helped him to optimize his diet safely and effectively.
