Food intolerance testing can be incredibly useful when trying to identify specific foods that cause your symptoms – whether they may be bloating, diarrhoea, skin rashes, headaches, fatigue or something else. But it’s important to avoid mistakes when testing in order to avoid skewing your test results. I’ve been using food intolerance tests like these for 16, and here are some common mistakes I see in the clinic:
Mistake #1: Using guesswork and not testing for food intolerances at all
Rather than a mistake, this is an option initially favoured by many who would prefer not to spend money on testing their food intolerances. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to identify food intolerances through an elimination diet alone, especially if there are multiple foods to be avoided. It can feel restrictive, and results may not be showing if there are still trigger foods being consumed. Testing with a tried and tested test method such as the finger-prick blood sample ELISA test method used by Test Your Intolerance food intolerance testing removes the guesswork and tells you exactly what you need to avoid.
Mistake #2: Not providing sufficient blood samples for testing
When you order your food intolerance test from Test Your Intolerance food intolerance testing, you’ll receive a test card with circles on it, and you’ll need to make sure that each of the circles is filled with blood from your fingertip. This may mean that you need to use more than one finger – it’ll be worth it, though! If you fail to fill the circle, as in the invalid samples in the image, then your sample may be returned to you, and you will have to start again with a new test card.
Mistake #3: Choosing a test that covers IgG types 1, 2, 3 and 4 rather than just IgG4
It can be tempting to think that testing more types of IgG antibodies will give you more detailed results than a test that only covers IgG4. But, in reality, testing for IgG 1-3 antibodies can lead to a significant number of confusing false positive results as they are not produced due to continual exposure to a food. Testing for IgG4 antibodies only, as with Test Your Intolerance food intolerance testing, ensures you have targeted and actionable results.
Mistake #4: Not eating your normal diet before taking your food intolerance test
Whether it’s because you’ve been dabbling with an elimination diet or you’re avoiding something that you think gives you symptoms, it’s important to make sure you are eating your normal diet for at least a few weeks before testing (seek your doctor’s advice on this if they asked you to change your diet, and definitely speak to them if your reactions are severe – we don’t want you to make yourself ill over this). Eating your normal diet will help to avoid false negatives in your test results.
Mistake #5: Taking medications or supplements that can affect results
Antihistamines, ibuprofen, and steroids are common medications known to suppress test results through their mechanism of action. There are other medications that can cause issues, but it’s important that you don’t consider stopping any prescribed medicine without speaking to your GP first.
Supplements that improve the breakdown of food in the digestive system, such as digestive enzymes, may reduce the accuracy of your food intolerance test. It would be wise to avoid digestive enzymes for up to 4 weeks prior to testing in order to ensure reliable results.
Mistake #6: Testing while you have an active infection
OK, so this one can happen without you realising it. Often, it is only after testing that we suspect there may be an infection, with lots of suspected false positive results. The most common infection I see in the clinic, after the usual coughs, colds, flu, etc, would be a gastric infection of Helicobacter Pylori bacteria. The symptoms of Helicobacter Pylori overgrowth include nausea, loss of appetite, belching, bloating, stomach ache/burning, and nausea – all of which could be mistaken for a food intolerance reaction. Your doctor can do a simple stool test to rule Helicobacter Pylori in/out for you.
Now that you know the mistakes to avoid, you can order your test kit from Test Your Intolerance with confidence and look forward to a future where you are in control of your symptoms.
