How Food Affects the Body
Understanding digestion, nutrition and individual responses
Food can affect our bodies, emotions and everyday lives in deeply individual ways. In this resource, I explore understanding digestion, nutrition and individual responses with compassion, curiosity and respect for the person behind the symptoms.
One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that there is no such thing as the "perfect" diet.
If you've ever searched online for nutrition advice, you've probably come away feeling more confused than when you started.
The human body is wonderfully complex, and no two people digest, absorb and respond to food in exactly the same way.
This is something I've become increasingly fascinated by, both personally and professionally. As someone who has lived with ARFID for most of my life, received an autism and ADHD diagnosis later in adulthood and later discovered my own food intolerances, I've come to appreciate just how individual our relationship with food really is.
As a psychotherapist, I also see another side of the story. Many people come to therapy feeling exhausted, anxious, mentally foggy or physically drained. Food isn't always the reason, but sometimes it forms part of a much bigger picture.
Understanding how our bodies work doesn't mean searching for one magic answer.
The aim is not to create fear around food or encourage unnecessary restriction. It is to help people notice patterns, understand the difference between allergy and intolerance, and make informed decisions with appropriate support.
YorkTest: Tests and Practitioner Discount
YorkTest offers a wider range of home-to-laboratory options, including: Premium Food Intolerance Test; Food Allergy Test; Food Intolerance & Allergy Bundle; Junior Food Intolerance Test; Gut Microbiome Test; Annual Health Test; Essential Health Check; Stress (Cortisol) Test; Female Hormones Test; Female Fertility Test; Menopause Test; Male Hormones Test; Thyroid Test; Liver Function Test; Cholesterol Test; Inflammation (CRP) Test; Vitamin D Test; Metabolic Health Test; and couples, parent-and-child, family and complete health-and-nutrition bundles.
If you decide that a YorkTest product is appropriate for you, visit www.yorktest.com/products/ and enter my practitioner discount code PLEAROYD at checkout for an additional £5 off.
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Testing should be considered alongside symptoms, clinical history and appropriate professional advice. A food allergy can be serious: suspected immediate allergy symptoms require medical assessment. IgG food-reactivity testing is different from diagnostic IgE allergy testing and remains debated, so results should not be used alone to diagnose illness or begin a highly restrictive diet.
By Maggie Learoyd
Psychotherapist | ADHD, Autism & ARFID Specialist
Founder of Space to Breathe Therapy
