Dad feels ‘like a new man’ after overhauling diet

A dad who suffered from bloating and sleepless nights says he feels ‘like a new man’ after overhauling his diet following a food intolerance test.

Paul Duplock, 44, spent years feeling lethargic and struggled to lose weight until he decided it was time to take action.

The accountant, who works at the bustling Smithfield Market in central London, took a test by Supply Life UK which detects food-specific IgG antibodies to 220 different foods. The test identified intolerances to cow’s milk, gluten and egg white.

After cutting them out of his diet Paul, from Kent, says the results have been ‘on the verge of life changing’ for him.

He said: “Over the last few years my health hasn’t been fantastic. I’ve had poor quality sleep, a lack of energy and weight loss has been almost impossible.

“I saw the tests and thought there’s nothing to lose, I’ll give it a go.”

Paul’s diet before taking the test in September was reasonably healthy, cooking most of his meals from scratch and even baking his own bread.

But unbeknown to him the foods he was counting on to help him live a healthier life were actually working against him.

He continued: “I loved eating eggs and I thought they would be good for me because they are a good source of protein.

“I was quite daunted by the results at first, cutting out all of those foods, but I’m so pleased I did.

“I had a free follow up call with a nutritionist which was really useful. They really emphasised finding suitable alternatives so that I wasn’t missing out on any of the nutrients I would be getting from these food groups.

“In the first seven weeks of cutting them out I lost nearly a stone, without any real change to my level of exercise.

“The weight loss and increased energy has been huge. I’m sleeping better than I ever have done. It has been on the verge of life changing for me.”

Paul’s career at London’s oldest trading market means getting up for work at 2.30am every morning, making good sleep extra important.

He said: “I’ve gone from lying in bed for two to three hours [trying to get to sleep] to falling asleep within 15 minutes. It’s got to the point where even colleagues are noticing the differences without me saying anything. They say I’ve got the colour back in my skin and I look rested and much healthier.”

Paul has now swapped his favourite breads and pasta with gluten-free alternatives and has found plant-based alternatives to foods such as cheese.

He said: “I think I’m now increasing my protein and fibre intake which is helping to keep me feeling fuller for longer.

“For the first week or two I felt very restricted but then I started to look for alternatives. Step by step I started to find things I like. Now I can still put together the same meals I had before but replace some of the things with alternatives.”

Supply Life specialises in IgG antibody tests to identify foods that don’t agree with a person’s body, helping them to lead happier and healthier lives.

They provide results from a lab in Cambridge and offer aftercare with their team of qualified nutritionists.