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| Photo Credit: EverlyWell |
Have you struggled to figure out what foods you are eating might be causing you mild discomfort? Elimination diets can be quite struggling to pinpoint what food might be a trigger for your symptoms. Are you like me and your doctor just isn’t fast enough to help you out? EverlyWell Food Sensitivity test might just be an option as you are on your journey to taking control of what foods you eat.
Disclaimer: First off I am not a health care professional and all the information I will be sharing is of my own personal opinion. It is highly recommended by EverlyWell that you talk to your own health care physician to seek treatment, further testing and any care you might need. This post may contain affiliate links to which I may earn credit towards future purchase or a small commission.
I think many of you know I started this blogging journey some 13 + years ago with sharing which gluten free products I tried and which to avoid. What you might not know is why I chose gluten free as my topic. Well many years ago my youngest child was having several digestive issues that back then the doctors could not pinpoint. My child actually tested multiple time as inconclusive for celiac disease and at that time the doctor suggested we try a gluten free diet. We saw improvements in my child’s health and we stuck to it. Since I had also had digestive issues my entire life I decided to also switch to a gluten free diet. To my surprise I also saw improvements in my overall health.
Fast forward to today, I have been extremely strict with my gluten free diet for 13 years but I occasionally still suffer from some digestive discomfort. I will spare the gory details but lets just say after most meals I quickly exit stage left to find the nearest restroom. Through trial and error I have discovered that besides gluten, I also seem to have some issues with Soy ad Oats. I’ll admit lately I haven’t been as careful to avoid these foods, with that being said my reaction isn’t the same every time I accidentally ingested the suspected foods. What makes it even more frustrating is sometimes I have no reaction at all.
This is when I decided I needed some extra help investigating what other foods might be a culprit. It took months of searching the Internet and asking friends for suggestions before I finally decided to purchase a kit from EverlyWell.
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| Photo Credit: EverlyWell |
I chose EverlyWell Food Sensitivity test because:
I didn’t need a prescription
I could test in my own home at my convenience
It was more affordable as compared to other companies
Finger Prick instead of a blood draw
Large Variety of Foods to be tested
User friendly
I received my test kit a few days after ordering. All the instructions were extremely easy to understand and all the supplies were included in the kit. They also had videos on their site to help walk you though the steps to ensure you were testing correctly.
After watching the videos, I felt confident to begin my test. I actually video recorded it as well which you can find on my Instagram here.
I first made sure to disinfect the area where I was going to be testing and laid out all my supplies. After washing my hands and warming up my fingers I was ready to test. I’ve tested using lancets before to check my blood sugar so I was familiar on how to use a lancet and what the finger prick will feel like. The lancet prick is quick and depending on your pain level you might feel minimal discomfort but it fades fast.
From start to finish the entire testing was less than 5 minutes. I did have a little bit of trouble with my finger dropping out the blood but after rubbing it that helped get the blood to flow. If you are unsure about your test simply card you can always email them a photo and they will let you know if it looks like an accurate sample. After the card was dry I packaged it up and sent it off to the lab via the prepaid USPS label provided.
Several days later I got an email and a text saying my results were in. One thing to note if you have been avoiding a certain food for a period of time (for example I was avoiding Gluten, Soy and Oat) more than likely it is not going to show up on the test. Remember this is not an allergy or an intolerance test this is a food sensitivity test. My test showed 9 foods reacted to this test. I was actually surprised it wasn’t more and even more surprised at what came back.
My Results:
Moderate-
Egg white
Mild-
Asparagus
Banana
Garlic
Kelp
Cow’s Milk
White Mushrooms
Pineapple
Yogurt
The test results are broken down into 4 ranges normal, mild, moderate and severe. I didn’t have any foods in the severe range and the rest of the foods fell within the normal range.
So now what? What do I do with this information? I have several options, I could choose to do nothing and just limit my exposure, bring this information to my doctor to discuss or I could do an elimination diet to see how my body truly reacts to these foods. It is possible that during the elimination diet once I reintroduce the food that my body might not react to it. This is very confusing to me but what you have to remember the body’s cells are always changing and adapting to life.
At this point in time I am not entirely sure what I am going to do. It is very difficult to give up foods that you love and eat often. It is suggested by EverlyWell to start with the moderate on an elimination diet for 30 days and then work your way down the list. Some of these food items I had already suspected while others were a complete shock. Personally I think at this point in my life and being that it is so close to the holidays I am going to try my best to limit most of these foods but at this time an elimination diet for 30 days isn’t going to work for my lifestyle.
If you are interested in testing with EverlyWell I have a coupon code to share with you that will save you 20% and I will receive a credit on my account toward future purchases. EverlyWell has a variety of testing kits way more than the Food Sensitivity test. I also read that some insurance companies will pay for reimbursements as well, certainly something to look into.
