Do you suffer from a food intolerance? It might be time to get tested

We prick our finger and take a blood sample to check for food intolerances and allergies using NutriPATH’s Food Intolerance test. This is what we find out.

Have you ever suspected you were intolerant to certain foods, such as the usual hard-to-digest suspects gluten, dairy, eggs or soy? Ever wondered what’s involved in taking an allergy or food intolerance test or if it’s worth the money?

Sadly, gluten and dairy have never really enjoyed spending time in my gut. My tastebuds, on the other hand, love the flavour, but something goes awry as they make their way south through my digestive tract. After a good 15 years avoiding these foods then bingeing on them, I decided to “test, not guess” and find out what really goes on once these tasty morsels hit my lips.

After a consultation with my naturopath and a few hours of researching different intolerance tests available, I decided to go with NutriPATH’s IgG Super Food Intolerance Panel test. The process was simple; I ordered the kit online and the sample arrived by post a few days later. I had been advised by my naturopath to eat a wide variety of foods in the lead-up to taking the test, including foods that usually cause my digestion issues. That way, when I took the finger prick test, those foods would be in my system and show up in the assessment report.

One evening, after a second serving of delicious gluten-y cheesy lasagne, I was ready to take the test. I read the instructions twice and, using the provided lancet, I pricked my pointer finger. It created a clean, small prick. Then I squeezed a few drops of blood out and blotted them onto the collection card. In order to provide a valid test, I had to evenly saturate 15 circles on the card. I found this quite hard to do as I ran out of blood quickly. Eventually, I managed to fill the card in and admired my handiwork.

The results are in

The results arrived via my naturopath about three weeks later, who emailed them on to me. The extensive five-page document informed me what antigens I had tested very low, low, moderate, high and very high for. The 10 different categories included dairy, egg/meat/poultry, vegetables, herbs/spices, grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, fish/crustacea/molluscs, fruits and miscellaneous, as well as a Candida albicans screening section. The information was then further explained via a value range across the next few pages. The information was easy to understand and very comprehensive.

In the “very high” category, cow’s milk and whey showed up. In the “moderate” category, the results stated that I was intolerant to casein (a protein component found in milk products), gluten, gliadin (a type of gluten), wheat, egg whites, cod, peach and cocoa bean. In the “low” category sat spelt, tomato, egg yolk, duck egg whites, chestnut, cinnamon, clove, rockmelon, cherries, jackfruit and cane sugar. I also tested very high for Candida albicans, a pesky pathogenic yeast which I have tried to banish from my body before. Frustratingly, it had moved back in.

A lot of the foods that were marked as problematic surprised me. Peaches? I love peaches. And cod? I grew up eating fresh line-caught Murry River cod in Victoria. Instinctively, though, I steer away from raw tomatoes as they’ve always felt a bit acidic to me. And chocolate and I — unless it’s pure cacao — have a love–hate relationship. Having the confirmation that I was intolerant to dairy, gluten and eggs — three foods that I have trouble with — was a relief.

The results also came with a rotation diet. The concept behind rotation-style eating, NutriPATH explains, is to eliminate foods that scored high for reactivity in my test and to rotate the consumption of foods that scored moderately. The rotation diet guideline is designed so that I avoid consuming the same food more than once every four days and no foods of the same family more than once every two days. Rotation-style eating helps to create diversification of the diet and introduce new healthy gut bacteria.

So, equipped with my rotation diet guidelines, a follow-up naturopath appointment and a kitchen without my intolerant triggers, I set out to make some changes. It’s only early days but it’s been relatively easy to avoid whey, milk, gluten, eggs and cane sugar. Peaches, on the other hand, which just finished a beautiful season, I couldn’t get enough of. I baked them, poached them, turned them into pie and threw them in salads.

This reliable intolerance test by NutriPATH instilled a confidence in me that that I didn’t expect. Saying “no” to heavy gluten meals and dairy foods, while knowing that I have done the research and testing, is empowering. I am making better and smarter health decisions and, because of it, experiencing fewer digestive issues.

For more, visit nutripath.com.au.