FIT

I just found out today that I'm lactose intolerant, and I have been for the past 24 years...

I was shocked when I received the results of my Food Intolerance Test. I knew I was allergic to a lot of things but I did not expect I was intolerant to wheat, corn, milk, mussel, and peanut -- food products I like and often eat!

Food intolerance is different from food allergy, see why here. Basically, food allergies are sensitivities caused by a reaction of the body's immune system to specific proteins in a food while food intolerance is a food sensitivity that does not involve the individual's immune system. 

Unlike food allergies, or chemical sensitivities, where a small amount of food can cause a reaction, it generally takes a more normal sized portion to produce symptoms of food intolerance.

Eczema can supposedly be a symptom of Food Intolerance (you can read more here). Studies have shown that managing your diet around your allergies and intolerance significantly improves symptoms of Eczema.

FOOD INTOLERANCE TEST


Getting tested for food intolerance is super easy, I got mine at Life Science located at Fort Bonifacio. They just need a sample of your blood which will be taken at the center through your finger or venous blood draw. I chose the latter cause I'm more used to it that way. Just thinking about the nurse pricking my finger drives me crazy.

It takes a couple of days, depending on the number of people being tested. The bloods are tested by batch but if you're really in a rush, you can pay an additional fee for express processing. I didn't opt for the express, I got tested Thursday and I had my results back Monday. Pretty quick.

The result looks like this:

They test over 200 food products. The higher the number, the more intolerant your are to that certain product. Shaded in red are the one you are to totally cut out from your diet, you can still occasionally eat the ones shaded in yellow, and those in green are the safest.

If the test is too expensive, you can also do an elimination diet.

It's going to be hard but it's another to step to managing eczema, challenge accepted!