MY HELIX FOOD SENSITIVITY+ TEST RESULTS
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Helix for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
I've had a TON of interest and questions about my Food Sensitivity+ testing since I posted about receiving my kit from Helix.
If you’d like to read more about my experience using the kit to test my
saliva + blood for my body's response to 96 foods, you can
head here. Otherwise, I’ll catch you up. Basically, a company called
Helix sent me their DNA kit to collect and sequence my DNA so that their
partner EverlyWell could analyze my DNA for a genetic predisposition to
different food sensitivities. Helix uses Exome+ sequencing which reads
every letter of all 22,000 protein-coding genes and produces 100 times
more data than most consumer genetics companies. Then, once you've taken
and sent back your DNA sample, they'll store and protect your genetic
data so you can access and share just the relevant portion with any
Helix partner of your choosing (such as EverlyWell) without ever having
to provide another DNA sample. And if you're interested in finding out
more about your DNA, Helix offers other tests to help you dive further
into that information too. They offer cool tests for ancestry, family
planning, hereditary cancer screening - all kinds of different things if
you're interested in exploring further.
I did a
kit called Food Sensitivity+, made by Helix's partner EverlyWell, that
tests elevated levels of immune antibodies in my blood, plus, it
measures my genetic predisposition to metabolize and absorb foods and
vitamins. Food Sensitivity+ needs just a few
drops of blood (plus some saliva for the DNA part of the test) and it
can test for genetic predisposition to reactivity to 96 foods (like
gluten, wheat and dairy) as well as genetic influences on lactose
intolerance, caffeine, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and magnesium. That’s
AMAZING! And way more info than I get from my doctor in a single visit,
too. ?
And guess what?! I just got my results
back! I’m so excited to share them with you guys, and frankly was just
so excited to have some insight on why I am having these constant tummy
troubles. I knew there had to be something contributing to some aches
and pains, but I couldn’t pinpoint what. You guys are not going to
believe what came back in my results! Some serious surprises and things I
was eating literally EVERY DAY. This test is a quick (results came back
within about two weeks), safe, and effective way to figure out what
your food sensitivities are.
So what were my biggest sensitivities?
Soy and most types of dairy came up as highest reacting; no surprise
there! I already do my best to avoid them because of how badly I do
react, so this just reinforces for me that I should be
reducing my intake of them. The real exciting (and disappointing) part
comes next; I had sensitivity to the following foods, in order of
reactivity: sweet potato, cashew, clam, crab, green beans, pineapple,
sesame, wheat, chia seed, malt, sunflower, kelp + gluten. Yeah, I’m just
going to let the take a moment to sink in. I had to. That is a LOT of
foods that I very regularly eat showing up on my sensitivity test. Ugh.
For me, that means a lot of foods that
I was eating nearly every day - cashews, gluten, pineapple and chia
seeds, specifically - may be causing a reaction. And it made a lot of
sense! For someone who eats a pretty healthy, balanced, nearly
sugar-free, plant-based diet - I shouldn’t be having so many issues. Or
so I thought! But compound that same diet with a host of inflammatory
foods and you’ve got a recipe for an upset stomach + a bunch of skin
issues - which is exactly where I’m at. ??
Along with food sensitivity testing,
the DNA portion of the test also tested for genetic variants for things
like B6 + B12 levels, lactose intolerance, magnesium levels and caffeine
metabolism. Everything there came up normal for me except my genetic
predisposition for low B12 levels. Even though the test doesn't tell me
that I currently have low B12 (I'd have to confirm with a doctor), I'm
definitely going to try to have more foods with B12 in my diet. I might
consider grabbing a niacin-free B12 supplement too.
Just knowing what my body
reacts to is going to help me so much. I can alter my diet to reflect
the removal of said foods, and can be on high alert when I am having a
stomach ache or reactive effect for what I may have ingested that
affected me. I have started trying to reduce my intake of
the other foods that I’m most sensitive to, but I still find that wheat,
gluten, and chia seeds slip in here and there.
I am hoping to start the New Year by
trying to reduce my intake of some of the foods I have highest
sensitivity to, to see how my body reacts. Since finding out which foods
most affect me I’ve been trying to cut back a bit on them, and have
already started to see small improvements in my eczema and acne. Score!
I look forward to using the Helix DNA
collection towards one of their awesome biomarker tests, too - because
once they have it on file, they keep it on file. And they have so many
great accompaniment kits I’d love to try! You can get 30% OFF any purchase on any Helix product with code: HelixJPfO. But HURRY - only the first 25 unique users get the discount!
This post is sponsored, which is a
tool we use to keep the content on this site fresh and relevant. While I
was paid for this post, all thoughts and opinions expressed are true
and from my own experience.