If you’ve ever wondered why you’re feeling ill or uneasy after eating something, you would most likely assume your food was bad. Of course, this could be the truth, but what if the problem is your digestive system? What if you are living with a food intolerance? Many people do and don’t even know it, making an intolerance testing kit a thoughtful and potentially-life changing gift! Not sure how? Take a look below.
A food intolerance test you can trust
Food intolerances can be challenging to detect and track when you’re doing it yourself. Symptoms of food intolerances are vague and can happen hours to days after you eat the problem food. Sometimes, food intolerances can be tricky to isolate because you’re reacting to a different food than you think.
One of the most common types of testing is an elimination diet. This diet is where you carefully take out particular triggers or problem foods to see if your reactions disappear. This sounds good in theory but can be challenging since food ingredients can hide in places most of us wouldn’t consider looking.
This is where an intolerance testing kit can step in and offer support. An at-home test can test for 63 food intolerances and give you confirmed results without you having to do anything other than follow the instructions for 5-minute testing. The results come to you in 7 days in a detailed PDF so that you can learn how food impacts your life.
Top intolerances in our testing kit
It sounds good, perhaps, but what can you expect? This food intolerance testing kit does full lab testing on 63 of the most common food and drink ingredients. Some of the ingredients tested in the kit include:
Eggs
An intolerance to eggs is more common than you might think. Egg also exists in many food sources, making it hard to isolate without clear scientific data to guide you. Eggs can be found in battered fish but aren’t always listed. Another baffling source is, ironically, egg substitutes.
Barley
Most people would think of a cup of beef and barley soup as the key place to find barley. This is true, of course, but you’ll also find barley in other places. For example, caramel colouring (often used in baking) and coffee substitutes. Barley is not as popular a grain as other types, so many people wouldn’t automatically assume they are barley intolerant.
Cacao
Commonly confused with coffee beans, cacao is a different plant, and it is a popular chocolate-like superfood. Often used in healthy coffee substitutes, this rich and chocolatey ingredient is a common food ingredient. This ingredient is very common in many health foods, including baking mixes, protein shakes, and more. It can be hard to isolate as a food intolerance because of all the other ingredients it is mixed with.
Oats
Around the world, particularly in the UK, oats are one of the most common ingredients in cereals (2). So, most of us eat them daily for breakfast and don’t even know it. However, oat intolerances are common and can make breakfast and school snacks (such as granola bars) a problem for children and adults alike.
Fish
A great source of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, fish intolerances are very common. Fish itself is easy enough to avoid, but fish ingredients in other products can be challenging to spot and avoid. Fish byproducts are found in barbecue sauce and imitation shellfish, for example.
Is food intolerance testing important?
Some people live their entire lives with food intolerances and don’t even know it. They can be mild, moderate, and severe. This range is often what causes so many of the milder ones to fly under the radar.
While food intolerances are not dangerous to your body, unlike a food allergy, they can cause lifelong health complications. For example, many people start to avoid foods that they react to due to the ingredients in them.
Firstly, you may be avoiding the wrong foods (without any way of knowing which one you’re reacting to). And secondly, this necessary or unnecessary avoidance could compromise your health profile due to malnutrition in certain vital areas. Even if you have a strong suspicion of food intolerances, you should never adjust your diet without an okay from your GP or a nutritionist.
If you suspect you have a food intolerance, you should order an intolerance testing kit, and then, when you get the results to confirm what you are intolerant to, you can book an appointment with your GP and/or a nutritionist to take a look at what the next steps will be.
Food intolerances can interfere with your life unexpectedly, making testing a great option to consider if you have any issues with your daily diet. Your health depends on making the right choices, so tag in food intolerance testing when needed! The results won’t disappoint.