Taking Back My Health After Kids: How an Allergy Test Helped Me Reset My Body and Mind

After having my two daughters, something shifted - mentally, emotionally, physically. It’s hard to explain unless you've been there, but the version of “me” that existed before motherhood had slowly disappeared under a pile of nappies, school lunches, and sleepless nights. I’d lost touch with my body, and I wasn’t the person I used to be. I’d gained three stone on top of a weight I’d felt amazing at, and I didn’t like what I saw when I looked in the mirror. 

It wasn’t about social pressures to conform to a certain ‘look’. I just didn’t feel healthy, or my best self, at all. Every photo I saw of me had the tell-tale signs – mainly, how swollen my body looked. You could’ve easily mistaken me as being heavily pregnant on many occasions. I knew something needed to change - but I wasn’t looking for a quick fix or a fad diet. I just wanted to feel well again.

More than anything, I wanted to understand what was going on with my gut. I’ve struggled with IBS for years – and while I have often suspected it is associated with the chronic stress in my life, I’ve never really dug much deeper into what was causing the symptoms than a doctor’s visit to check it wasn’t anything more sinister. 

I knew there had to be something more I could do. So, after months of saying "I'll get around to it," I finally decided to prioritise my health and booked an allergy and food intolerance test. It was something I'd wanted to do for a long time but had kept putting off, partly because of the cost and partly because I wasn’t sure what it would reveal - or how I'd cope with the results.

The Results That Changed Everything

When the test results came back, I was genuinely surprised. One of the main allergies it flagged? Rice. Rice! A staple I had assumed was neutral and safe. I absolutely love an egg-fried rice Asian dish, or a creamy Italian risotto dish!

On top of that, it also flagged that I was intolerant to gluten and dairy - two big pillars of a typical Western diet. These were things I was consuming every day without a second thought. Toast for breakfast, bread for lunch, pasta for dinner. Suddenly, it all made sense. The bloating, the fatigue, the sluggishness - it wasn’t just motherhood or aging. It was my body crying out for change.

I won’t lie and say the changes were easy. Trying to eliminate rice, gluten, and dairy from my daily meals felt like learning to cook all over again. And don’t get me started on trying to find a satisfying milk replacement for my tea (spoiler: the quest continues). But even with those small struggles, I started to notice changes almost immediately.

What Changed - for the Better

The first thing I noticed was how much less puffy my face and stomach felt. It’s like the swelling I’d grown used to as "normal" suddenly lifted. I felt visibly slimmer. Within a matter of weeks, I’d lost several pounds and three inches around my waist - partly because I was trying to lose weight, but also because the inflammation and bloating had gone down so much.

Beyond the physical changes, I felt different inside too. I had more energy, less brain fog, and my IBS symptoms calmed dramatically. I wasn't spending half the day uncomfortable or wondering what food might set things off next. That peace of mind alone was worth every penny I spent on the test.

One of the most unexpected (but welcome) side effects of this journey has been how much more adventurous and nourishing my meals have become. Without relying on easy carb-heavy staples like bread, pasta, and couscous, I started exploring alternative grains, more colourful fruit and veg, and fibre-rich foods I’d often overlooked. I’ve enjoyed drinking my smoothies with almond milk, adding coconut yoghurt to my breakfast staples, and digging into all kinds of quinoa salads. 

I now eat a much broader diet than I ever did before. I’ve also fallen in love with cooking again - this time with intention, curiosity, and care for what my body actually needs.

It Was Never Just About Weight

Yes, I want to lose some weight - but this experience has been about so much more than numbers on a scale. It’s been about reconnecting with myself, prioritizing my health, and putting myself first. About choosing to make time and space for my health, even when life feels overwhelmingly full. It’s about taking a breath, listening to what my body is saying, and responding with kindness.

If you’re in a similar place - postpartum or just worn out by years of ignoring your own needs - I can’t recommend enough getting to the root of how your body reacts to food. Sometimes, we normalise discomfort to the point we forget what feeling well even is. For me, this test was the first step back toward feeling whole again.

What Helped Me Along the Way

If you're curious about exploring a similar path, here are some resources and tools I’ve found especially helpful and inspiring:

• YorkTest – The at-home food intolerance and allergy testing kit I used. It gave me the clarity I’d been craving for years.

  
  

• Soph's Plant Kitchen: Delicious High Protein Recipes to Fuel You for Life – The Sunday Times Bestseller 2025

  Full of easy, satisfying recipes that actually fill you up and don’t leave you missing dairy or gluten.

  
  

• Dinner: The Instant Bestseller

  120 vegan and vegetarian recipes that made dinner less of a chore and more of a joy again.

  
  

• Bazaar: Vibrant Vegetarian and Plant-Based Recipes (Persiana)

  Bursting with flavours and colours - my go-to for spicing things up in the kitchen.

  
  

• Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East & Beyond (10th Anniversary Edition)

  A beautiful cookbook with rich, celebratory meals—many of which can be adapted to suit new dietary needs.

  
  

• The Mocktail Deck: 52 Classic and Modern Mocktail Recipe Cards for Every Occasion

  Next goal: Find a way to cut down on alcohol too. One elimination at a time! 

  
  

This journey isn’t about perfection - it’s about progress. If nothing else, I’ve learned to pause and check in with myself more often. And that, for me, has been the most powerful change of all.