Food Intolerance Tests
Have you been wondering whether you have a food allergy or intolerance? Well, there are a couple of different ways in which you can test yourself to determine whether you are intolerant to specific foods. One is to have a blood test, and the other is a method called the Pulse Test.
Food Intolerance Blood Test
If you want to save time and be much more certain about whether or not you have a food intolerance or allergy, then a blood test is your best option. What you do is, you get a nurse or doctor to take a blood sample from your arm, and then this sample is sent away to a specific address where they test it against certain food ingredients. The great thing about this method is that they are able to test your blood against a wide range of foods, giving you really good idea of how your body reacts to different foods, and whether or not you need to avoid them. The only down side with this approach is that it can cost quite a lot of money.
The Pulse Test
If you can’t afford the blood test, then the pulse test is a good free alternative for you. It can be done in your own home, although it is very time consuming to do.
Here’s what you need to do:
The first thing you need to do is to remove all suspected foods from your diet, and avoid them for several weeks. Once you have done this, do the following test for each food item (with a minimum of 10 days between each test):
1. Make yourself a snack or meal with a lot of the particular food.
2. Sit or lie down, until you are totally relaxed.
3. Once you feel totally relaxed, take your pulse. This is your resting pulse rate. Make a note of it.
4. Eat the snack/meal that you prepared earlier.
5. Record your pulse rate at 5, 10, 30 and 60 minutes after having eaten the food. Make a note of each number. Also write down any immediate symptoms you experience (although there won’t necessarily be any).
6. If any of your pulse rates after eating the food are 10 points or more higher than your original resting pulse rate, then it means your body feels challenged by the food you have just eaten.
7. Over the following 3 days, record any symptoms you experiences. Food intolerance symptoms can appear up to 3 days later.
If you do find you have an yeast intolerance, I highly recommend Yeast Free Cooking by Lori Winders – it’s a 155 page book full of extremely valuable information about living on a yeast free diet, and it’s packed full of delicious recipes that are really easy to make.
