Identifying Food Sensitivity With Reliable Test Methods

If you suspect you have food sensitivity because you’re regularly experiencing symptoms such as stomach pains, bloating, and headaches, it can be hard to know where to start. After all, so many testing methods are available; how do you know which is the best for you? To make the task easier, we’ve looked at the difference between food intolerance tests and elimination diets to help you decide which is the best option. Identifying food sensitivity or intolerance has never been easier, thanks to us.

What is a food intolerance test?

A food intolerance test is a simple process that helps you understand your body’s unique needs. By sending 4/5 strands of your hair to our lab with a submission form, we can test their cells to see how they respond to a variety of foods. Your results will then be emailed to you with a full breakdown of the items that you’re most reactive to. Once you know what foods your body has difficulty digesting, you’ll have a clear idea of what you need to eliminate to minimize your symptoms and improve your health.

What is an elimination diet?

An elimination diet involves cutting out the foods you suspect your body has difficulty tolerating, along with items that are renowned for causing discomfort. These foods are then reintroduced, one at a time, every two-three days while you monitor the re-occurrence of symptoms. If you don’t experience a reaction when you reintroduce a food group, you can assume that it is OK to eat and move on to the next item. However, if do you experience symptoms after eating a food, you can identify it as a trigger and eliminate it from your diet. The whole process takes approximately five-six weeks, depending on how many foods you eliminate and then re-introduced. Can you wait 5-6 weeks when identifying food sensitivity?

Which testing method is best for me to identify food sensitivity?

Although elimination diets are commonly used to identify food sensitivities, they have disadvantages. The main drawback is that they can be a long process from start to finish when identifying food sensitivity. What’s more, it’s quite difficult to identify a link between food and your body’s response because symptoms can often kick in hours or even days later. A lot of people also find them quite restricting, especially if foods that are notorious for triggering uncomfortable symptoms are eliminated, such as legumes, dairy products, and spices. You could even cut out foods that aren’t responsible for triggering your symptoms and deny yourself meals that you enjoy while trying to figure out the dietary changes you need to make.

Try a food intolerance for quick results

Taking a food intolerance test is a much quicker way of getting to the bottom of your symptoms. Once the hair sample has been received at the US Food Intolerance lab, your results will be emailed to you within a matter of days. You can even opt for the 48-hour priority service if you want them in a hurry. Unlike an elimination diet, our food intolerance tests are very clear in their findings and include a detailed breakdown of the items your body has difficulty digesting. Our Ultimate test also looks for vitamin and mineral imbalances and checks your reactivity to E-numbers so they fully assess your digestive health.

Because they investigate your cells’ response to hundreds of items, intolerance tests cover more foods than you’d be able to exclude as part of an elimination diet. This means you could find out that you’re sensitive to ingredients you hadn’t even suspected and save yourself the inconvenience of suffering more symptoms further down the line.

Contact us for more information about identifying food sensitivity

If you’re interested in ordering a food intolerance test, please click here to look at the different options available on our website. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about having a food sensitivity, so please email [email protected] or fill out your details on our contact form. It’s important to remember that while we will always try and answer your queries, our advice should never replace that of a medical professional, so please speak to a doctor if you’re concerned about your health.