Our Family and The Food Intolerance Test

Have you heard of the food intolerance test? Most probably you have.  After all, I've heard about this test from several blogs already.  I thought about whether or not I can actually bring something new given that there have been several posts about the topic, but who knows, maybe this info will be new to someone and will find it quite helpful.

The food tolerance test is a blood test that allows you to find which kind of food your body finds difficulty in digesting because you lack the enzymes to do so. While eating food that your body is intolerant to is not life threatening, avoiding it means less headaches, tummy-aches (indigestion), lack of energy, feeling of being bloated, etc.  If you are trying to lose weight, it's best to avoid these kinds of food as well.  Interestingly enough, Another symptom of food intolerance is hyperactivity.  So if you notice your child being high amounts of energy after eating a certain kind of food, he/she might be intolerant to it

There are two kinds of tests.  The Food Detective, which gives you a general guide of foods to avoid and the Food Print, which is more detailed. At first, I was interested to have only me and Bry tested but we were offered a good rate if we got tested as a family.  And since the kids needed to be tested for blood-typing anyway, we decided to have it done for them as well.  It maybe costly but since you can refer to the results for the long term, it can be worth it. (It can be done for kids 2 years and up)

So here is a sneak peak of our results:

I only showed here the food items in the red zone which is the important part of the test.  I am curious as to how a bit of tweaking in our diet will affect our family's health.  As stated in the results, it seems, Ben and Bea may benefit with a low-Gluten diet.  And while I love eggs, I should remind myself to eat in moderation.  I am also hoping that some adjustments to Bry's diet might help him with his migraine.  

Here is something interesting, according to the results, all of us have low-tolerance for cow's milk.  And other patients I know who got tested also had cow's milk on the red list.  We grew up in a milk-minded society where we've been taught that milk is good for the body.  But if many people are sensitive to cow's milk, maybe it is about time to really think about other sources of calcium, specifically from vegetables.  I am guilty of this too, and it is hard to change a mindset that has been in our culture for years.  But what I learned from the test compliments what we were taught as lactation counselors that (1) breast milk is best because the alternative is not really ideal for our human babies and (2) once a child turns one, he/she doesn't need to drink formula milk as source of calcium.  

Let me reiterate the difference between food intolerance/sensitivity and food allergies.  Food allergies involve the immune system and are lethal, whereas food intolerance is not.  But that doesn't mean its not important.  In my understanding, it would be good to avoid foods that are on the red zone but it's effect on you will depend on the level of sensitivity you have on it (as can be seen by the number beside it).  Also, if you can talk to a nutritionist to better understand the results, that can really help a lot.

So, any thoughts about this test? Would you consider getting yourself tested given the chance? Hope these tidbits of info will be of help.

PS.  Another option would be researching on how to eat based on your blood type.  You can read a bit about it here.  However, just as in any other things I post, I suggest you do your own research, Especially when it comes to diet, it's not just your blood chemistry that should be taken into consideration but other things like medical history as well.