Food Detective™ is a blood test for food antibodies (IgG). You don’t have to send off a sample and wait weeks to receive results from a testing laboratory.
The test only requires a small blood sample taken from a finger-prick.
Foods Tested
Cereals
Corn, Durum Wheat, Gluten, Oats, Rice, Rye, Wheat.
Nuts & Beans
Almond, Brazil Nut, Cashew, Cocoa Bean, Peanut, Legume Mix (pea, lentil, haricot),
Soya Bean, Walnut.
Meats
Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Pork.
Fish
Freshwater Fish Mix (salmon, trout), Shellfish Mix (shrimp, prawn, crab, lobster, mussel),
Tuna, White Fish Mix (haddock, cod, plaice)
Vegetables
Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Cucumber, Leek, Peppers (red, green, yellow), Potato.
Fruits
Apple, Blackcurrant, Grapefruit, Melon Mix (cantaloupe, water melon), Olive, Orange & Lemon, Strawberry, Tomato
Other
Egg (whole), Cow’s Milk, Garlic, Ginger, Mushroom, Tea, Yeast.
So what exactly is food intolerance?
The complex way food affects our everyday lives is an emerging area of understanding, and diagnosing the cause of symptoms which seem to be ‘unexplained’ is often difficult.
Although not life threatening, food intolerance should never be underestimated as its impact on sufferers can be significant, sometimes affecting their ability to live normal healthy lives. The incidence of food intolerance is extremely wide and it is estimated that 45% of the population could be affected. Many people with food intolerance experience more than one symptom. Symptoms can often be vague and the root cause of the problem, food, is not always correctly diagnosed. Sufferers often complain of seeming to be in a ‘fog’, feeling bloated and being tired all the time.
Essentially food intolerance is your body’s abnormal reaction to certain foods which can manifest itself in a number of ways. Some people will have one symptom such as a severe headache whilst others will be unfortunate to experience irritable bowel syndrome, migraine and skin or respiratory conditions. Realising that your food is a catalyst for particular symptoms is not easy when, unlike the immediate reactive symptoms of food allergy, food intolerance symptoms often appear hours or even days later. In fact many food intolerance sufferers have commented post diagnosis and after having removed their problem foods that they realise they had been experiencing minor symptoms as a result of intolerance for their entire lives.
A common confusion generally exists whenever the words food allergy or food intolerance enter a sentence.
A classical food allergy (such as peanut or shellfish allergy) is usually characterised by an immediate and often severe reaction of the immune system to exposure to a specific food.
The symptoms of food allergy include sneezing, rashes, skin irritation, swelling, runny nose, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting. Normally symptoms occur within a few minutes of eating or coming in to contact with the offending food, although they can be delayed by up to two hours.
Food allergy is quite rare with only about 2.5% of the population being diagnosed with the condition. The most common instances of food allergy are to peanuts, tree nuts (almonds and brazils), eggs, milk, fish and shellfish.
When exposed to the source of food allergy the body makes specific antibodies (IgE) to ‘fight off’ the allergens found in these foods and when the food is next eaten it triggers an immune system response which results in the release of histamine and other naturally occurring chemicals in the body. Allergic reactions to food can vary considerably in their severity and some can be fatal.
Food intolerance and food allergy in brief
Food Intolerance
Reactions are usually delayed and symptoms may take several days to appear.
You can be intolerant to several different food groups at the same time.
Sufferers can experience multiple symptoms, from migraine to bloating, diarrhoea, lethargy and a general feeling of unwellness.
Food Allergy
Reactions usually occur quickly, with a maximum of 2 hours after exposure to the ‘reactive’ food.
Food allergy involves the body’s immune system and is a reaction to a specific food.
Symptoms include: difficulty breathing, rashes, swelling, runny nose and anaphylactic shock. These can potentially be life threatening.
Symptoms
If you have any of the following symptoms you could be suffering from food intolerance.
Food intolerance sufferers can also experience more than one symptom at the same time.
- Anxiety (acute or chronic)
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Bed wetting
- Bloating
- Bronchitis
- Coeliac Disease
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Fibromyalgia
- Gastritis
- Headaches
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Insomnia
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Itchy skin problems
- Malabsorption
- Migraine
- Sleep disturbances
- Water retention
- Weight control problems
Diet change – Living with Food Intolerance
If the Food Detective™ test shows any positive reactions, it means you have an elevated antibody reaction to that particular food indicating their body’s intolerance to it. Reactions can be mild, moderate or strong.
Once you are aware you have a food intolerances it is advisable to eliminate any ‘reactive’ foods from your diet for at least 3 months.
If there are a lot of positive results, you might find it too challenging to eliminate all of the foods at once, and therefore they may find it easier to:
a) avoid the foods with a moderate and strong reaction
b) to rotate the foods showing a mild reaction.
The thought of cutting out certain kinds of food from your diet (possibly some of your favourite foods) can be daunting at first. Some people can often feel worse for a few days when they eliminate a food and although certain foods can be difficult to give up, you need to persevere.
When removing foods from your diet you must try and replace those foods with substitutes. There are often more alternatives than you think.
Cost
The test costs $295 which includes the test, results AND a 30 minute naturopath consultation to discuss your results.
We will take a very small amount of blood from your finger, process the test in our clinic and then provide you with the results.
If you require a more comprehensive consultation with one of our naturopaths about how to incorporate the findings into your diet, you can make a one hour additional appointment.
When making your appointment, please specify it is the Food Detective Test you require.