The food intolerance test has been updated. A few people were showing a very mild intolerance to kola nut, but with so little information available on what foods this is added to and why, no real action could be taken to avoid further symptoms.
Cola nut has now been replaced by tea, which is very common in the British diet and should an intolerance to tea occur, definite action can be taken.
If you do have a kola nut intolerance, it is likely to be very mild. However, avoiding it is very difficult. The most information that I've been able to glean is "Kola nuts and kola extract are used in the manufacture of soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, candy and nutritional supplements" (ref).
Mike came to see me at the end of January with skin and stomach problems - mainly his stomach. He didn't smoke, wasn't a heavy drinker, had a healthy diet and exercised.
After a consultation, we decided that a food intolerance test was suitable and went ahead with the 59-food test. The results came back positive, showing a reaction to brazil nuts, mushrooms and yeast.
Yeast plays a major part in Western diets - as well as the obvious foods such as bread and pizza, yeast extracts such as Bovril, stock cubes etc..., there are also fermented foods to consider such as beer, vinegar and soy sauce. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so a major dietary change was required, which would not be easy.
However, I recently received an e-mail from Mike:
Hi Emma, Been meaning to send an email for a while now. You did a food intolerence test for me in January which showed I had an intolerence to yeast.I have cut out alot of foods which contain yeast- mainly bread-and the results have been really good, I no longer get stomach problems which had caused me a lot of grief in the past.I hope this continues and I am very pleased the food intolerence showed this up,the test was worth every penny! Kind regards Mike
I'm really pleased for Mike that the test worked and has such a positive result.
Food intolerance testing for 59 foods costs £89 and results can be obtained within an hour. Alternatively, there is an indicator test costing £20 that will tell you whether you have an intolerance or not, if you are not sure that your symptoms are caused by foods.
The Yorktest Foodscan food intolerance test has been reviewed in a previous post, and to complement this, I took the plunge into the world of online video making.
There are several food intolerance tests in the marketplace, and generally, Yorktest is considered the best. However, it does come with a heftier price tag. This two-part review investigates the Yorktest FoodScan 113 in more detail.
introduction
At Aqua Viva Health, we perform food intolerance testing and use a 59-food test, which costs £89. Results are obtained within an hour of taking the blood sample and I sit with the client immediately afterwards and discuss the implications of the results. We also offer the Yorktest FoodScan tests, but send the results off for analysis, requiring the client to come back for a second visit.
A simple way to have the Yorktest FoodScan intolerance test is to order it directly on the Internet, and do it as a home test kit - it costs the same and you get the consultation and advice over the telephone direct from Yorktest.
When advising clients which test to have, if they have a good idea what their food intolerance is, it's on the 59-food test, and they just want confirmation, I suggest the £89 kit. However, if they are unsure what is causing their symptoms, I suggest the Yorktest kit instead.
which foods are tested in each test?
Aqua Viva Health in-house test
Cereals - corn, durum wheat, gluten, oats, rice, rye, wheat
Nuts and beans - almond, brazil nut, cashew, cocoa bean, olive, peanut, 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)
Other - carob, cocoa bean, coffee, cola nut, hops, sunflower seed, tea, yeast (brewers and bakers)
receiving the Yorktest pack
After placing the order, my foodSCAN pack arrived really quickly from Yorktest through the Royal Mail. The contents were:
Introductory letter giving an overview of the entire procedure.
Customer Details form pre-filled with my details:
These needed checking for accuracy, and a few more boxes filling in e.g. date of birth, symptoms, and ensuring that I'm not on any unsuitable medication that could stop the test from working.
Signature, date and marketing opt-out required.
Yorktest marker pen - I'm not quite sure why this was sent, but free pens are always a bonus!
Test kit:
Sleeve with a few testimonials and a list of what you get with the test results:
Lab analysis test results
Support pack including guidebook, food diary and recipes
1 year free membership to Allergy UK
Two free telephone memberships with a qualified nutritionist
Re-tests at discounted prices
Green plastic case:
Instruction leaflet
Blood collection kit:
antiseptic wipe
single-use lancet
absorbent wand and container
plaster
Prepaid return envelope for the sample.
first impressions of the Yorktest pack
I felt it was a well organised pack without complicated instructions. The green plastic case was difficult to get into though - one clip came undone easily, I nearly broke a nail on the other (and yes that is a very girly thing to say!).
I was impressed that the telephone number provided (if you needed further help) was a freephone number - a lot of companies give you a national rate number to call, especially after they've taken your money!
Instructions were clear, although I had doubts as to the relevancy of a plaster as further instructions stated to take the sample from a finger or thumb tip - an awkward place to put a plaster if you've ever tried.
I also wondered what would happen if the lancet was misused, didn't work, or not enough blood was collected the first time. They are single use devices, whereby the needle retracts so it cannot physically be used again. Perhaps two lancets in the kit would be better.
The instructions also stated to return all parts of the test kit - both the used lancet and sample so that everything could be disposed of in the right way, which was a nice feature. It prevents a small child or pet getting hold of anything they shouldn't do.
the test itself
Admittedly, I am a bit of a wimp, so wasn't looking forward to the finger prick blood test. I firstly ensure the form was filled out correctly, then laid everything out for the test itself and had a quick read of the instruction sheet. It was very straightforward and the test itself only took a few minutes - rinse hands in warm water (to ensure the blood is flowing properly!), then clean the finger with the sterile wipe provided. The sterile wipe wasn't the nicest smelling thing in the world, but washing my hands afterwards soon sorted that out.
Twist the cap off the lancet then hold it firmly against the finger tip and press the plunger. I also realised that unscrewing the lid of the container with the absorbable wand in first, would be easier than when I had blood on my finger.
I chose the middle of the pad on my middle finger, and perhaps this was slightly more painful than if I had gone more to the side. It was a very slight pinprick in the end though - the anticipation was much worse than the actual event! By squeezing the finger, a small drop of blood had formed, and I started 'mopping up' with the wand. It was a very easy method - much easier than using a capillary tube, and by squeezing/massaging the finger, the wand was filled really quickly.
When putting the wand back in the container I noticed that on the instruction leaflet, the container had a name written on, but there was no mention of labelling it with your name in the instructions - I guess that's where the free marker pen comes in.
I put the used lancet and sample in the green plastic case and put it in the return envelope with my customer details form and dropped it in the letter box.
Let's see how long I have to wait until the results come back...
Part two of this Yorktest FoodScan113 review will be posted on the blog shortly. (Why not subscribe by RSS reader or e-mail so you don't miss it?)
There's a lot of confusion over the difference between food intolerance and food allergy and this article will summarise the difference.
Food Intolerance
Food intolerance is a delayed reaction which occurs when the body is unable to completely break food down into absorbable components, due to an insufficient amount of digestive enzymes e.g. lactose intolerance, to a pharmacological effect (chemical sensitivity) e.g. tyramine in red wine, or IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibody reaction to the food.
In enzyme insufficiency, the food remains undigested in the small intestine, it exerts an osmotic effect, which means that salts and fluids are drawn in to the small intestine. This mixture moves rapidly into the large intestine, where it provides an ideal environment for the bacteria that normally reside there without doing any harm, to ferment the undigested foods.
When the foods are fermented, different substances and gases are produced, including carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide - all causing bloating, cramping, wind and general discomfort. Other substances produced are re-absorbed into the body where they can produce feelings of nausea and headaches etc...
If undigested food remnants pass through the small intestine wall into the bloodstream, rather than passing into the large intestine mixed with salts and fluids, the immune system recognises these as 'foreign' and and launches an attack by using IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibodies to destroy them. In some people, especially after food poisoning or other gastro-intestinal illness or disease, the small intestine wall becomes inflamed or irritated. This allows partially digested foods to leak into the bloodstream, which causes the IgG reaction; in this case, the condition is known as 'leaky gut syndrome', and people with this typically have multiple food intolerances.
Food intolerances are not generally life-threatening, but can be very unpleasant.
If after eating you regularly experience the following symptoms, then you may have a food intolerance:
Bloating / stomach pain
Diarrhoea / constipation
Wind / "grumbly tummy"
Headache / migraine
Lack of energy / constant tiredness / lethargy
Food cravings especially for wheat (bread, pasta) or dairy foods
Food Allergy
Allergies are caused when a substance, called an allergen, comes into contact with the body. The immune system thinks the allergen is an 'invader' and launches an attack by using IgE (immunoglobulin E) antibodies. These IgE antibodies release histamine to destroy the allergen but this also causes the allergic reaction.
If after eating you regularly experience the following symptoms, then you may have a food allergy:
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