You may remember that a few weeks ago, I shared with you my YorkTest food intolerance review, sharing the process that I went through (nice and simple) to my results and how I was getting on. Well today I want to talk about their new FoodScan Junior tests, designed for children.
YorkTest FoodScan Junior Review
The YorkTest FoodScan Junior Test Kits
The testing process for FoodScan Junior from a customer’s point of view is the same as that of an adult. The difference is that the kits include a sticker for the child and you need to somehow persuade said child to have a blood test. Hmm, not the easiest thing in the world, but we got there in the end after much negotiation with the 7 year old and screaming (him) and bribing (us) with the 4 year old. It’s just a pin prick test and the little vial of blood is then sent off in a prepaid envelope to the YorkTest laboratory.
As soon as it had been received safely I got an email confirming that they had it, and then a further email a few days later advising me that the results were on the way.
The Results
The results come with a pack with useful advice on making dietary changes. They detail all of the food and drinks tested and then use a traffic light system to show whether any intolerances have shown up, detailing the foods as either ‘No Reaction’, ‘Borderline’ or ‘Reaction’.
Little Man’s results came back and I have to say that whilst I wished they didn’t tell me what they did, I was not surprised. He is intolerant to wheat, gluten, egg whites, cow’s milk and borderline intolerant to egg yolks. I had a feeling that his body worked similarly to mine, and as I am egg white and cow’s milk intolerant, and sensitive to FODMAP foods such as wheat (my post about my test talks more about this) it seemed to fit that Little Man would be the same.
Boo’s results tell us that she is also intolerant to cow’s milk and then coconut. The latter one is easy as it’s not in that many things and she doesn’t like coconut, phew! As Little Man and I are also cow’s milk intolerant, this isn’t too bad as I have got used to making changes to my diet and then having them both making those changes together makes life a little easier. The complication with Boo on this one is that because she cannot have products with high fructose corn syrup, which is not actually screened for on this test, it’s just something we know from experience. She can tolerate some, but it is a balancing act, so we rule out fizzy drinks, fruit juices, too much squash, Fruit Shoots and the like, so what does Boo drink when she wants a treat aside from her normal water? Yep, milk of milkshake!
The Nutritional Consultation
As part of the YorkTest service, after you receive your results, you call up and book in an appointment to talk through the findings with a nutritionist, at a time to suit yourself. These are half an hour appointments and it is worth making a note of anything you want to check in advance. As with mine, the call was exactly on time and very useful.
We talked through alternatives to the products that came up as causing a reaction, along with discussing how the reaction might be manifesting so that I could identify them. It was suggested that I cut these foods out for 6 weeks before reintroducing them, so it’s half the time that I was recommended to do so.
Another tip that the nutritionist suggested was to not drink 15 minutes before a meal, during it, and for around an hour after it. This is because it dilutes the stomach acid that is needed to work hard at breaking down the foods, and will have to work even harder to break down food intolerances. My kids drink a lot, so it has been difficult to fully implement his, but being mindful of it has meant the liquids consumed around mealtimes has been reduced.
Changes Made
In Boo’s case, I am not too sure what symptoms she does show to milk, but I have switched her to the same A2 milk that I drink anyway, as with Little Man, and the children are now having Alpro yoghurts the same as me. They no longer have a probiotic drink daily and I have switched them to ham, tuna and jam sandwiches as alternatives to the cheese they sometimes have. I am not worrying too much about the milk traces in other products, I am working on cutting out the more obvious things.
Then with Little Man, I have stopped buying eggs so he no longer has them in their pure form, which is a shame as like me, he loved them. I have then found I am reducing his wheat and gluten intake wherever possible, and eggs in their other forms.
I think that when it’s your children rather than yourself, there are several factors involved. You want to get it right more so for them than yourself, but then, it’s more difficult to measure the effects that the changes are making as you cannot personally feel it. It is also difficult to make changes as easily in their diets as Little Man is a fussy eater, more likely to graze than eat full meals, and whilst Boo eats well and with lots of variety, she’s not keen on trying new things.
I will continue with the changes made so far, and keep looking for alternative meals and snacks for Little Man. It has had us finding a few new foods that he now likes. At this stage it’s tricky to tell what difference it is making, as I cannot feel it myself. I’m still feeling much better after cutting out milk and eggs, so I am sure this will make a difference for the children, too.
Competition Time!
I do now have one FoodScan Junior test available, worth £250, for one of my lucky readers. To be in with a chance of winning it, enter using the rafflecopter below. All entrants must be over 18 years old, be resident in the UK and please note that your details will be passed on to YorkTest. The competition closes at 12am 25th June 2017, good luck!
What interests you about these tests?
Disclosure: I received these tests FOC for the purposes of this post
I’m interested to see if my youngest is intolerant to tomato.
My son seems to struggle with dairy I would love to see if it’s connected to his exthma and constipation. He’s two
Such a good idea. I’ve never heard of this before. The blood test would be the hardest bit wouldn’t it? But the information that comes back looks very useful!
that you can learn alot about these’s tests
My daughter gets a constant rash when she eats gluten but the doctors aren’t taking it seriously
To see if I have any intolerance to any food
To see if my son has any intolerances. He suffers from hayfever and eczema
To see if the eczema is food-related.
i would be interesting to see if my son has any intolerance’s to food as i have a lot of issues with my stomach
I am intolerance to a lot of food. I have a strong feeling my son is too! Would be great to check it out.
I feel it gives you power to control and understand your body functions by knowing how food is interacting
What interests me about these tests is, depending on the results, your child could feel a lot better once the food they are intolerant to is removed from their diet.
My daughter has a few issues like bloating after some meals, tummy aches. Shes only 10 but for a few years her skin has become so rough with little bumps under her skin on her face and back of her arms, drs aren’t helpful , it would be really interesting to see if a test like this came up with anything significant.
My daughter is allergic to egg and i wonder whether she has other intolerances, would be interested to see if my mummy instinct is correct!
i would be interesting to see the results
I really like that food that could irritate or harm can be eliminated from our diet early on!
I think the whole concept of the test is interesting,if you need to make changes to your child’s diet you can.
My daughter is 5 and has always been intolerant to cows milk, but I believe there are other causing factors too so it would be great to see what comes up!
I’d like to see if my son is intolerant to anything
It would be so fascinating to find out any mild intolerances I may have without knowing
So many people (like me) go through our lives assuming we can eat what we like etc and we can to a certain degree but these test help to show us what we are tolerant to and what we are not – that has to be a good thing
Many foods have an effect on me and cause stomach aches, so I would like to find out more
I would be very interested to see if my son is intolerant to certain things which I think he is
Need to know what’s triggering these awful movements.
When you realise the importance of the fuel you give your child to grow healthy and strong every single day you become much more aware oh how certain products can help or hinder their development and this is a very simple way of pointing you in the right direction when it comes to offering a good diet.
it’s really interesting because it can gauge their reactions to the food
I’d love to find out the results, it’s not really something I can afford myself
My friends daughter has lost weight and is always constipated- would love to know if it is because of hr diet.
really need one of thess upsetting my stomache for the last 6 yearse tests to find out what
To identify what foods can be missed out to have a better effect on health
I’d like to see if my daughter is intolerant to anything.
I think it could lead to a healthier lifestyle for my family
would be interesting to know if I have any intolerances I don’t know about
Sometimes my son gets a bad stomach – I always wonder if its something that he eats,would love to try this and find out
I’d like to find out if my daughter is intolerant to any foods cus she certainly seems to be!
I would like to find out what else my son is allergic to, we know a few things.
I would be interested to see if my son has a food intolerance as he suffers with eczema.
interested to see what to avoid when feeding my kids x
I like how you find out about intolerances
my son is allergic to lots of different foods, id like to know what intolerance he has to other things and if it could have an effect on his asthma
I’m interested to see if any foods are going to adversley affect my daughter with regards to her health.
to see if my son has any intolerances to any foods
After reading your results I am defiantly thinking about trying a test for my youngest daughter. Who has had tummy problems since birth
I love the fact that it allows you to test so many foods! Such a great idea
My sons always complaining he has tummy ache and I read that there is a strong link between food intolerances and dyslexia!
I think it’s amazig in this day and age that we can carry out these tests. There are so many people with intolerances and this is a great tool to use.
My son suffers from eczema so would be really interested as I no foods can sometimes cause it to see if anything is making it worse. Very interesting that you can do this at home aswell.
i have intolerance myself and i think my nephew has some would love to find out
To see if I have any intolerance to any food
I have allergies so would be great to test my niece
Having suffered various miscellaneous minor ailments from fatigue to aches, migraines and such I wonder if they are food related.
What interests me about these tests is the range of things they test for, and the fact they actually seem to be accurate! I’ve had so many issues with my digestion the adult test is something I would love to do
I am very interested to see if my little sister has food intolerances, as she has been complaining a lot lately after eating most meals, so I think she might have multiple food intolerances.
Would like to see what causes my bloated stomach and pain.
I have some food allergies and although my child seems to be fine, it would be interesting to find out if there is anything that we could avoid in her diet.
I am diagnosed with coeliac disease as well as multiple intolerance’s and my children show lots of symptoms especially my eldest who comes out in rashes amongst other things so it would be great to see if i am correct about what is causing it.
Because I have IBS and cannot figure out my triggers at all. It interferes with my life so much! 🙁
I want to know more about my family’s health
My Daughter really worries me as she is intolerant to a lot of foods. We know she is Lactose intolerant but I think other foods bother her as well. I would love to finally get to the bottom of her problems by taking this test.
I’ve had stomach issues for a while now and the doctor doesn’t know what’s wrong and they say it’s got nothing to do with what I’m eating, but would love to check with this!
I’ve had stomach problems for a few years and the doctors can’t give me an answer and I hope that this can
Would be very interested to see if my son is intolerant to certain things which I think he is
My daughter had a lot of flare ups with her skin and I’m convinced it’s to do with food intolerance
I’m interested in nutrition and this is a natural extension of that, intolerances can affect you without realising it!
Don’t know how I would coerce a two year old into a blood test ?
my children’s father is from Jamaica and he is dairy intolerant as are most so I would like to see if they are.
i am interested to see what food intolerance i have. so i could avoid them. and going forward might be able to feel better in my self.
My little one seems to have problems with cows milk, yet when I speak to doctors they brush it off.
These really interest me as I have multiple allergies – nuts being the most troublesome for obvious reasons. We don’t have nuts in the house, but I’d like to see if my son has any allergies as then I will know what I have to exclude and what is safe for him.
To see if any of my children have the same allergy’s as me
I’d like to know if there’s anything we should avoid.
To see if my daughters doesn’t have trouble with any foods.
I might finally get to the bottom of what upsets my child’s tummy
I would love this for my daughter, she is very sensitive and breaks out a lot but the doctor just puts her on antihistermines and as yet I cannot get him to do an allergy test on her, so I would really love this, it would be interesting to see the results.x
I’m always ill after eating ice cream but I love it so I would like to see whether I really have a problem with it or not.
Love that I can see which foods my child should avoid. We’ve found with some brands of sauce an ketchup she comes out in a rash so this would be great to narrow down what to avoid.
They sound useful
My 4 year old daughter constantly complains about her stomach bothering her. I’d like to see if there is an intolerance involved.
Healthy eating is important but so is eating foods that agree with you. Would be good to get a steer on what to avoid.
it would be interesting to see if H has any food intolerances as I ave a fair few!
To see if I have any intolerance to food types.
My daughter has eczema and I know sometimes certain foods can trigger it or make it worse, this would be really useful to help me make informed decisions about her diet.
So hard to find out what it is that upsets my sons tummy ! He is almost two and 90% of the time I think it’s one thing and then he seems fine with it the next time ! Would love to be able to test and cut out the upset of trial and error !
my kid can’t eat lot of foods but we have no idea if it’s fussiness or he just feels rotten with them so would be good to know
sounds wonderful a must have item
wow this is amazing would love to win this to try on my eight year old 🙂
She says she feels sick when she eats tomatoes and pork
To see if I have any intolerance to any food
To see if my minor ailments are caused by an intolerance to certain foods
I would like to see things that may be affecting me
I’d be interested to see what our 8 year old son’s profile is.
My son is allergic to almonds,I would like to check if he is allergic to other things.
I think it is interesting to see what foods could be causing problems or not.
Would be good to if there are any intolarants turn up
I think my son has intolerance son would love to try
I like that they can tell you if you have food intolerance’s without having to go through a food elimination diet one by one. I’m intrigued to know if I have any food intolerance’s.
Would be interesting to see if there’s anything which should be avoided