Gluten Intolerance

Is There A Gluten Intolerance Test?

After experiencing the common symptoms of gluten intolerance, many people try keeping a food diary or cutting out certain foods themselves, but it can be hard to ascertain for sure what the culprits are. Moreover, a diet suitable for one person may not help another, as every individual has their own food triggers. It’s important to first be examined by your doctor before cutting things out or embarking on a gluten-free diet.

If you do get the medical all-clear and continue experiencing symptoms, it is worth considering a food intolerance test. Food intolerance is characterised as a delayed onset food reaction and is estimated to affect 45% of the UK population.

Understanding your personal food and drink intolerances, or ‘food fingerprint’, can help you identify what your body is reacting to. A YorkTest Premium Food Intolerance Test is a blood test that can pinpoint  which foods are causing elevated levels of IgG antibodies in your body, as it tests reactions to more than 200 ingredients and shows your degree of reaction through a ‘traffic light’ system.

It is also important to get expert nutritional advice, so you can replace your trigger foods with balanced alternatives and maintain a healthy diet.

Dr Gill Hart, Scientific Director at YorkTest, says:

“A lot of people now are self-diagnosing, the fad being gluten-free and dairy-free. People are doing that without any support and sometimes without replacing eliminated foods with something equally nutritious.

“They are doing that on their own and starting an elimination diet with no knowledge at all. What YorkTest provides is a starting point for an elimination diet, with results that reflect the body’s needs. The IgG antibodies are there in your blood, we measure them accurately and let you know about the foods your body is fighting.

“We encourage anyone who experiences negative symptoms after eating and drinking that they think may be attributable to food or drink ingredients to find out what’s personally holding them back from being the healthiest they can be. We’ve learnt from our customers’ feedback that diet personalisation not only holds the key to good health, but to losing weight, too.”

Is Gluten Intolerance That Common?

There is a rise in awareness of the prevalence of gluten intolerances, and the growth in ‘free-from’ food products shows how common sensitivities are. A quick search for ‘gluten intolerance’ in a search engine will bring up loads of advice, articles and bloggers detailing their experiences so you won’t have to feel alone. You’ll find plenty more nutritional recipes here too.

WHAT IS A GLUTEN-FREE DIET?

Gluten-free diets have surged in popularity in recent years. Supermarkets devote whole aisles to products, and restaurants have entirely gluten-free options on the menu to cater for customers’ dietary requirements.

Gluten-free is one of the biggest revolutions in the food industry since vegetarianism. From vodka to popcorn, there doesn’t seem to be a food that isn’t available ‘free-from’ if you want it.

Following a gluten-free diet consists of cutting out all foods that might contain gluten – such as wheat, rye or barley – which could appear as wholegrains or thickening agents in processed foods. Couscous, bulgur, spelt and matzo are also commonly removed.