First of all, thank you SO much for all the love on Wednesday’s post. You guys are amazing, and I am so grateful that I have so many amazing people to share my journey with. The support means more than you know!!! Finally, I wanted to chat with you guys a little bit about one of the tests I mentioned in that post: the Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test. This is in no way sponsored or endorsed by them, I just feel so passionately about it that I had to share!
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A few friends urged me to take a food sensitivity test after months of complaining about me feeling bloated, tired and seeing no results in the gym. I researched a few brands and then found out that Everlywell was on Shark Tank. I immediately searched on YouTube for the episode and felt so inspired and empowered by the founder, Julia Cheek. Check out an amazing interview with her here. I found her so relatable, and her struggles sounded similar to mine. She had been to doctor after doctor and had a ton of data that she had no clue how to analyze.
So I bit the bullet and ordered the test. It was the best $200 I have ever spent, I try and live a very healthy lifestyle. I swore by Be Well by Kelly’s Fab 4 smoothie and would have that every morning. Well, turns out I was reactive to coconut and had been ingesting coconut every single day. Out of the 15 foods that I reacted to, I ate about 8 of them on a daily basis. YIKES!
About EverlyWell:
EverlyWell is placing the lab testing process into your hands. With their convenient at-home sample collection process and your results delivered to you on our secure platform in just days – it has never been easier to take control of your health. They offer a ton of different tests from Food Sensitivity and Metabolism, to STD and Thyroid. Their easy-to-read results visualize exactly what the test results are telling you and how they could be affecting your health. They provide detailed information on all of your markers and links to additional information so you can make the best choices for a healthy life. And it could not be easier. You simply order the kit, prick your finger, send in your sample and get results very quickly, I had mine back within 8 days.
My EverlyWell results:
Out of the 96 foods they test for, I had one moderate reaction, which means that I should eliminate that ASAP, and 14 mild ones. They are as follows:
- Brewer’s Yeast (moderate)
- Baker’s Yeast
- Lima Bean
- Egg Yolk
- Coconut
- Cashew
- Wheat
- Safflower
- Gluten
- Malt
- Beef
- Bran
- Grape
- Ginger
- Black Pepper
As you can see, these are some pretty common and what I considered to be healthy for me foods. I 100% ate egg yolk, cashew, coconut and black pepper every single day. When I was feeling sick, I had ginger tea. We cooked beef once a week. I always bought grapes or raisins to snack on. All of these were things I thought to be healthy for me. Turns out I was very mistaken.
What does food sensitivity mean? Food sensitivities may affect many aspects of your wellness, including headaches, inflammation, acne or eczema, or gastrointestinal issues. Your sensitivity to certain foods is influenced by a mix of environmental, physiological, and genetic factors. Food sensitivities can also evolve over a number of years based on changes to your lifestyle or environment.
Some symptoms of food sensitivity:
- Skin Problems
- Joint Pain
- Fatigue
- Inflammation
- Digestion Issues
- Headaches
I had just about all of those; no wonder I felt like absolute shit.
Lactose and cheese didn’t show up for me, and I was super confused. My 23 & Me results showed that I was in fact lactose intolerant. So I dug a little deeper. If you do not eat a certain food, it’s difficult to test your sensitivity level. If you had symptoms and eliminated a food with noticeable improvement, then you’ve already identified a food sensitivity. I had no dairy in my system, so this did not show up in my results. I still avoid dairy like the plague.
So what now? Well, I eliminated all of those foods, and I feel like a new person. I am sleeping better, I have majorly depuffed, and my digestion issues are gone (based on my reactions they recommended I take a probiotic, and I have been swearing by this one). Was it hard to accept that I will probably never be able to have wine again? Yes. Will I survive? Yes. I’ve learned the hard way that making sacrifices for your health is always worth it. For some of the foods, it will recommend how often you can integrate them back in, for example, cashews every four days.
I can’t say enough about EverlyWell. I had such a great experience with them, and I will for sure be trying a few more of their tests. I love that they explain everything in a detailed report. All of my blood tests from my doctors, I still have no clue what anything means.
