Do Food Sensitivity Tests Work?

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Food sensitivity tests that exist out there, blood tests, antibody tests, poop tests, the problem with them is that they're going to say, eat this, not that. And so when you have a food intolerance, when you reduce the food intolerance, you notice that your symptoms improve. When you work it back in,you notice that some of the symptoms come back. But what's far more important, from my porspective, is not just t what is the food? The question is, what is the amount?

1 in 5 people suffer from food intolerances, a figure that’s growing each year. As a result, people are eating increasingly restricted diets, removing dairy, gluten and many other foods from their plates. Unfortunately, they end up eating highly processed foods that damage their gut microbiome and lead to long-term health problems. Even with food restrictions, many people see limited improvements in their symptoms.

The whole topic of intolerance is full of pseudoscience, dubious blood tests, and miracle cures.

However, in the last few years, we have seen a revolution in our understanding, with gut bacteria now the stars of the show. This new understanding has profound implications for how we should treat our food intolerances.

Today we’ll focus on what the latest science says. Jonathan is joined by Will Bulsiewicz, board-certified gastroenterologist, New York Times best-selling author and ZOE's science board member, whose latest book is all about food intolerance.

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

Timecodes:

00:00 - Intro

00:09 - Jonathan’s introduction

01:29 - Quick-fire questions

03:43 - What are food allergies and intolerances?

10:33 - The rise of food allergies and intolerances

14:38 - Training your microbes

17:13 - How do I know if I have a food intolerance?

19:37 - The difficulty of managing your diet and reintroducing foods

21:26 - Can you fix these food intolerances?

23:01 - The counter-intuitive approach to improving allergies and intolerances

24:54 - What can parents do to prevent allergies in their children?

25:39 - How do FODMAPs relate to the step by step exposure concept?

26:26 - What is a FODMAP?

27:34 - FODMAP examples

27:59 - FODMAP intolerance considerations

29:43 - Celiac disease tests

30:36 - Can FODMAPs tolerance be increased?

31:40 - What is histamine intolerance and what can you do about it?

40:15 - Summary

44:22 - Goodbyes

44:34 - Outro

Read Will Bulsiewicz’s cookbook, “Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome” in all major bookstores.

Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.