Food sensitivities can be caused by an imbalance in the microbiome.
A food sensitivity test can be useful, but if you've already done a different test with us, it's important to give your gut some time to reap the benefits from your Healthpath plan first.
Be aware that it can sometimes take a few months to fully benefit from the changes in your gut microbiome following a Healthpath plan.
Food sensitivity tests and gut health
A food sensitivity test will highlight more intolerances in an unhealthy gut. An imbalanced microbiome or a leaky gut fuels disorder in your immune system.
Because the test picks up on immune system reactivity, the more balanced your gut, the more accurate a food sensitivity test will be.
Your Healthpath plan will be designed to rebalance the microbiome, reducing reactivity to foods over time. So, if you're already following a Healthpath plan, it's better to complete that and see how your reactions to foods reduce over time.
How an unhealthy gut affects food sensitivities
In a nutshell, intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and dysbiosis increases the likelihood of a food sensitivity test coming back positive for a wide range of different foods. You may then stop eating those foods and reduce diversity in your diet.
Because diversity is crucial for gut health, you should only cut out the foods you really need to, for a short time.
To reduce the reactions to food, we focus on improving gut health, by:
- eradicating any overgrowth in the small intestine
- optimising the state of the large intestine
- ensuring appropriate stomach acidity and absorption
- eating mindfully
These recommendations are the first steps, before we would necessarily encourage you to carry out a food sensitivity test in addition to a Gut Health Test.
Start at the beginning
To improve your gut health, you need to start at the beginning. Think about:
- how you prepare your food
- if you are chewing your food properly
- whether you are able to digest your food efficiently
Your digestive process starts with the sight and smell of your food. Don’t forget those basics: we ignore them at our peril!
Are you eating a sandwich from the petrol station in the car on your way to your next business meeting?
Are you eating your lunch at your desk in the office when you have the option of going to the canteen?
Sometimes these basic strategies are actually the ones that lead to the biggest improvement in symptoms.
I'm still having symptoms
If you have followed the recommendations in your plan and are still reacting to foods, 1 to 1 support from a practitioner may be beneficial for you. This will allow you to dig deeper and understand the reasons for this.
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