Food Intolerance Test

Having a food intolerance test might seem daunting, but this simple and relatively pain-free procedure can deliver results worth much more than the quick test itself. Once a small drop of blood is taken - just like how diabetics test their blood sugar levels - it is placed in a vial which is sent off to a lab. The scientists then do all the hard work. They test for over 200 substances, and find out what your body was reacting to. You can even do them from home!

Here’s the science behind it: food intolerances come about when undigested food particles enter your bloodstream. Your body treats them as a foreign substance, releasing antibodies to attack the offending particles. The scientists’ job is to figure out the antibody levels produced in response to these chemicals. They then get a sheet back explaining what was reactive, and thus what you are intolerant to. Simple as that!

The short answer is: the severity of the reaction. If you have an allergy, you are likely to already know about this as it involved a rather swift trip to hospital!

Intolerances are responses to allergens on a much smaller scale. These reactions are, essentially, a coping mechanism your body has put in place when faced with a particular ingredient that it finds very difficult to digest. Over time, buildup of this ingredient in your gut can cause larger food particles to enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation.

When we process foods normally, enzymes help us break the proteins down into small fragments that the body can absorb. When we struggle to break down certain foods, large particles can leak out undigested. Our bodies, then, try to protect us by fighting the undigested particles with antibodies.

Since everyone's body works a little differently, it is difficult to know what will cause this type of response. Intolerance tests help us decipher what your body is telling us from a biological perspective. That way we can help restore the body back to optimum function!

Our intolerance tests are always timely - we certainly aren't going to have you waiting for months to get some answers. The test itself can be completed in a matter of minutes, and your results conclusive in 5-7 working days.

Test results come complete with a comprehensive list of any items which flagged as reactive in the lab. This list broken down - for your reference - into 3 categories of severity: Red (meaning highly reactive), Amber (signalling slight activity, which may suggest items to be wary of), and Green (no visible response).

Intolerance tests simply help you identify which items are causing your body to work extra hard to process (and are causing harm to your internal functions). That means that strictly speaking, you won't have to avoid these things forever if you don't want to.

Food intolerances are a result of sustained damage to the gut. This means, in theory, we are able to reintroduce foods slowly once there has been a prolonged period of abstinence to allow the gut to recover.

Many people find they are able to begin gradually reintroducing foods they have cut from their diets once their body has had the opportunity to heal itself from the years of buildup.

Symptoms of intolerances are extensive - and not just in regards to skin. You can be looking at anything from bloating, headaches (or migraines) and tiredness; to nausea, IBS and stomach cramps. Even hyperactivity, joint pain and breathing problems.

In terms or skin: visible symptoms might include conditions such as: eczema, psoriasis or rosacea, as well as blemishes, severe redness, itchy or flaky skin and more generalised rashes.

It's important to remember that it is very easy to experience these without spotting any correlation to food, too. This is because symptoms can show themselves at very different times - from a few hours after you eat up to 3 whole days afterward! In actual fact, it is not even uncommon for sufferers to have developed a coping mechanism to help deal (or conceal) these symptoms!