My Experience with the Pinnertest Food Intolerance Test: Part 2, The Results

Two weeks ago I took the Pinnertest food intolerance test, hoping that the results would help put an end to some of my skin struggles. If you missed Part 1 of this series, you can read about how to take the test in this post.

After mailing my blood sample, I waited a little over a week to receive my test results via email. I check my email on my phone first thing in the morning (I know, it’s terrible. I shouldn’t do this), and when I saw the email from Pinnertest, I immediately sat up in bed. One part of me was so excited to read the results and the other part of me was nervous. For months I was convinced that I was intolerant to a food I was eating daily because every morning I woke up with tiny pimples in the middle of my chin. I was worried that maybe I was intolerant to eggs, peanuts, or coffee — all foods I love and eat on a daily basis. I really didn’t want to give them up.

As a reminder, the Pinnertest tests your intolerance to over 200 foods, including everything from poultry to spices.  Your results are split into two columns: red and green. Anything in the green column indicates no reaction/no intolerance. These foods can be eaten without restriction, unless of course, you know that one of these foods causes you discomfort. Anything in the red column indicates a food intolerance, and you should avoid these foods as much as possible. The foods in the red column are also marked with a degree level: +1 (low intolerance), +2 (moderate intolerance), or +3 (high intolerance).

Here is a snapshot of my results:

As you can see from the above, my results indicated that I am highly intolerant to soybeans (the degree level is +3). The additional results pages showed that I am also intolerant to broccoli (+2), mushrooms (+2), and cocoa beans (+3).

The Pinnertest suggests you should eliminate all foods in your red column and see how your body reacts. I have no problem eliminating broccoli and mushrooms, but soybeans and cocoa beans are much harder. Soybeans are found in a lot of foods. I cook with soy sauce often, and even my cooking spray contains soy lecithin (albeit a small amount). For me, avoiding cocoa beans will be the most challenging. I LOVE chocolate. Brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate croissants, I crave them all! But to be honest, I know cutting back on these sugary treats can’t hurt. 😉

My plan is to eliminate all four foods (broccoli, mushrooms, soybeans, and cocoa beans) for three weeks, and then see how I’m doing. The clearest indicator for me will be how my skin looks. I am already one week in and I can honestly tell you that my skin looks SO much better! When Travis and I were in Europe, I woke up every morning with tiny pimples on my chin, and now I think it was probably due to all the chocolate croissants I was eating (because #yolo). For the last four days, I haven’t had a single pimple or redness on my skin (knock on wood!), isn’t that crazy? So needless to say, I’m really excited to see where I am two weeks from now.

I’ll plan to check back in with you guys in about a month to give you an update. I am so thrilled that I was able to take this test and (hopefully!!) fix my skin issues from within, rather than with expensive (and potentially excessive) topical medications.

So many people struggle with food intolerances, but most people don’t even know it! Food intolerances can show up in so many other ways, such as eczema and weight gain. If you’re interested in trying the Pinnertest for yourself, you can use the code LITTLECHEF for $60 off. I’m also happy to answer any questions you might have, so feel free to email me.

 

 

I was provided the Pinnertest for the purpose of this post, but all opinions and words are 100% my own.