Allergic to turkey - why a Northam mum will be tucking in to beef on Christmas Day!

16 December 2009 

NORTHAM mum-of-two Becky Short has banished the traditional turkey from the dinner table this Christmas - because she is allergic to the nation's favourite festive bird.

She has discovered it was part of the reason she had been ill for more than four years.

After taking a food intolerance test, 27-year-old Becky will be eating beef on Christmas Day, without having to suffer the consequences.

She had been struggling with stomach problems since the birth of her first child in 2005 yet, despite seeing her GP, was unable to overcome the feeling of pain and discomfort.

"Some days I was doubled-over with pain and it was so sporadic that I never knew when an attack would occur," said Becky. "I would have severe bloating and often feel sluggish and would feel pretty much in agony a lot of the time. My doctor told me I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It got to a stage where I wouldn't dare go out for a meal because I never knew when the pain would return. Eventually a friend told me about food intolerance testing and so I decided to go for one that came recommended by Allergy UK

When I got my results it revealed I had problems with turkey and chicken, eggs and milk. That explained a lot, since Christmas was a time when I never felt great and now I know it was all down to what I ate."

The test taken by Becky required a small sample of her blood to be sent away to a laboratory in York. There, it was mixed with extracts of 113 of the most common foods in the Western diet, to identify the presence, or not, of a food intolerance.

"Within about one month of cutting out the foods I was better," said Becky.

"Christmas is going to be different this year. In the past I have eaten turkey and added cream to my swede - and felt the effects pretty soon afterwards. I'll be going to my mum's this year and have left strict instructions that we're having beef and not turkey, even though it is my husband's favourite."

A spokesperson for the food testing company, YorkTest, said: "The YorkTest FoodScan

has helped thousands of people who were previously suffering from long term health problems. In scientific studies it has been proven to help three out of four people and these are patients who have usually drawn a blank with the treatment received from their doctor or GP.

Source : http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk