Sibling of a Dietitian -What I learned from Kim

My sister Kim, always wanted to be a teacher. She loved teaching. We would play school for hours, and Kim would always come fully prepared with a real lesson planner and real teacher’s editions she was gifted from her teachers. She would call attendance and we’d be accountable for saying ‘present’ and doing our individual assigned work. Nothing has changed 40 years later.

Kim is still doing what she loves- nurturing and “teaching” those on their own personal health and wellness journey. She has her own spoken language and uses it in ways health and wellness experts, gyms, and textbooks can’t. I cannot lie, I was not always a believer or a follower until I was.

Many years ago when I was diagnosed with a second inflammatory issue, it was Kim and her magic touch who came to my rescue when doctors and specialists couldn’t help me. She asked me to trust her. I was scared, this was my health, what did she know about it? Kim explained to me about the Everlywell food sensitivity test, a test that might just help decipher why I had certain symptoms. She went on to say that she loved this test and that she urges her clients to take it as well. Jumping in to help, she immediately ordered one for me, and it arrived pretty quickly. When the Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test arrived, it was so easy. I poked my finger and sent the test back on the same day. A week later an email arrived, and the moment of truth was here. I WAS SHOCKED!! I learned more about myself from this test than from any allergy test or any doctor.

All the things that I loved, and ate often, were causing my body distress. I truly love egg-white omelets with American cheese and a side of hash browns and buttered toast. My sensitivity to eggs was high, and my sensitivity to egg-whites was even higher. Cheese was a no-no, dairy was marked high on the sensitivity test as well. The hash browns were cooked in oil, and guess who was sensitive to that type of oil? Imagine my surprise. At close to 50, my little sister Kim taught me something! I was her student, and I was so grateful. I even bought one for my son, he too found out that cheese/dairy was not his friend. So we now understood that this crazy cough that appeared after he ate came from dairy and cheese pizzas and burgers had to be eaten in moderation. Another thing we learned was that we shared so many similar sensitivities. Our brother and parents have also done this test (and thanks to Mom and Dad) we all have similar sensitivities and have changed our eating habits. This coolest notion for me- is like our sister, we tell everyone how amazing this test is.

My last 2 shares on this amazing test come from a friend of mine who thought that she was lactose intolerant all her life and took the test. She told me she was feeling bloated and uncomfortable, and always drank almond milk. She learned that she is moderately sensitive to almonds and almond milk. Another crazy discovery comes from a friend of a friend who shared her life-changing story. She has celiac disease and loved using avocado oil to make her food, turns out she is sensitive to avocados. Go figure!

Here is what you need to know: every body is different. Kim has taught me that we develop food sensitivities when we don't chew our food. Well, when we have a lot of emotional and physical stress, when we take antibiotics, and when our diet is low in fruits and vegetables and fiber. Food sensitivities are temporary, they cause a slew of digestive issues, like headache, bloating, joint pain, heartburn, gas, constipation, diarrhea, skin issues, like psoriasis or eczema, and so many other things so, if you or someone you know is suffering from any of these, knowing what foods are triggering this will be very helpful in healing their body. When you eat something you're sensitive to, your body will react within four hours and up to three days after eating it. Sometimes we don't recognize the signs our bodies give us when we eat what we are sensitive to because it doesn't show up for hours or days. When we eliminate the food we are sensitive to, our body has time to restore. We just need to give it support to heal. If you've taken this test it's worth repeating every six months just to see how well you are healing and if there's more work that needs to be done. I've learned that so much of it is controllable and preventable and I'm so excited to share this with you.

Take the test, you won’t regret it.

Xx

Brenda & Kim