A few weeks ago I introduced you to Helix, a personal genomics company, who partners with the health company, EveryWell, creators of the product Food Sensitivity+. I walked through the steps to collect all the necessary samples and the mailing process. Now my food sensitivity test results are back, and I know what foods I’m sensitive to! Gasp! I'm so excited to share and finally have some answers!

Reading your food sensitivities test results

The results are as I suspected. Drum roll, please…

Under Moderate Reactivity we have:

Gluten
Wheat
Cow’s milk
Brewer's yeast

(I probably ate too many of these no-bake lactation cookies before the test!)

The test results are categorized into four areas: High Reactivity, Moderate Reactivity, Mild Reactivity, and Low Reactivity.

A food reactivity is different than an immediately life-threatening food allergy. Food reactivity is a delayed immune response by the Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody, the largest circulating antibody in our immune system. Some studies suggest that up to 20% of the population has reactivity to certain foods, and these reactivities may contribute to headaches, joint pain, eczema, gut malabsorption, and other chronic conditions.

Identifying your sensitivity to certain foods can be difficult since we eat so many different types of food in the course of a few days. While reactivity does not always correlate with symptoms, it serves as guidance to pinpoint foods that most likely cause symptoms.

I'm looking at you, gluten!

Luckily, mine were only Moderate Reactivity, but food sensitivities may affect many aspects of your wellness, including headaches, inflammation, acne or eczema, fatigue, joint pain, or gastrointestinal issues.

Hello, I have 75% of those symptoms listed!

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.

EverlyWell provides steps for an elimination plan, where you can remove the reactive foods from your diet for a few weeks, and then slowly reintroduce them to see what may be affecting your health.

What do these food sensitivities mean for my diet?

Well, it's complicated. My main goal for this year is to eat foods to help manage my health, in conjunction with managing my hypothyroidism. Eliminating gluten and wheat specifically feels like a good starting point for me. Moreso white flour or processed foods. Eating gluten-heavy foods causes me to feel sluggish and foggy. I also suffer from skin issues like eczema and “chicken skin” often associated with gluten sensitivities.

However, I want to be realistic and make it an approachable shift that can fit my families meal needs.

Here are some foods I have been making lately that are healthy and are family-friendly, if you are in need of ideas for gluten-free and dairy-free meals and snacks:

Smoothies with plant-based milk
Whole grain bowls with meat
Seafood with steamed veggies
Fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks
Replacing flour products with corn (tortilla chips, corn tortillas, sweet potato tortillas, etc)
Cauliflower sauce or "Boss Sauce" in place of cheese

I am relieved to have some answers in my journey to a path of wellness! Full disclosure, I love all things buttery and full of carbs, and I am a believer in balance, so this is a path of discovery and what feels right for my body.

My next steps

Now that my DNA has been sequenced by Helix, I can purchase any of their DNA powered products without having to submit another DNA sample! I would like to learn more about my personalized fitness needs and health information.

So many of you wonderful readers have sent me emails and messages asking about Helix and Food Sensitivity+. It's a fantastic product. Helix is also offering you 30% off any product in their store using the code "THEBUTTERHALF30" at checkout.

This is only available for the first 30 people, so hurry up and snag the products you have your eye on! Click here to check out the products in their marketplace, and click here for the Food Sensivity+ product from EverlyWell.

Let me know if you have any questions, and look for some new wholesome family recipes coming your way!

This post was sponsored by Helix, but all opinions are my own.

SaveSave