Sarah Johnson

“After 2 weeks I was seeing larger differences in my energy levels and my skin had completely cleared up”

23-year-old financial adviser, Sarah Johnson, was dealing with a range of unpleasant symptoms. Sarah had suffered with painful bloating and acne for several years. Then, in the past year she found she was having frequent asthma flare-ups which left her tired and breathless.

When asked about how these symptoms affected her life, Sarah said: “I never wanted to be out long after eating a meal as I felt so uncomfortable. I felt I couldn’t work out as my stomach was bloated and any time my asthma would flare up I would go to bed and try and sleep it away.”

Sarah added that, whilst at university she had given up dairy and gluten and seen a really positive impact. But during lockdown she started eating both again and found her symptoms came back worse than ever before. That’s when her sister suggested she take a look at YorkTest…

Sarah ordered the Premium Food Sensitivity Test, with her results indicating that her body was reacting to wheat, gluten, swede, Pinot Grigio, dairy and blueberries. Sarah expected wheat and dairy, as she’d seen positive effects when eliminating them from her diet before, but was surprised by the rest.

We asked Sarah how she felt after removing these trigger foods, she said “After the first week, I was already finding small improvements in my symptoms. After two I was seeing larger differences in my energy and my skin had completely cleared up.” Perhaps the biggest change has been an end to the painful bloating. Along with the new medication for asthma and changing her diet, Sarah has also had few flares ups.

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, Sarah 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 Sarah’s symptoms and helped her be more active. When asked about her nutritional consultation, Sarah commented: “The consultant was really helpful in guiding me to what I can replace foods with. I am still keeping clear of my food sensitivities. I tried to introduce a little bit of wheat back into my diet but I found I was getting heartburn so I eliminated it again.”

When asked how life had changed since taking the test and how she would summarise her experience, Sarah concluded: “I have been able to go to the gym more and walk my dogs for longer as I have more energy. I am not as tired all the time, and I feel that it has also helped my asthma. I am happy, energetic and more active!”