The nutritionist in our center, which includes the best nutritionists in Qatar, sets the optimal diet for the patient, follows him up, and helps him choosing alternatives to foods that they have a nutritional intolerance to.
Food intolerance test or foodprint test will help you to know which foods your body is intolerant of, and guide you to foods that cause you health problems to avoid and enjoy a healthy and comfortable life.
You may have heard a lot about people talking about being tested for lactosecintolerance in Qatar or other countries, and others talking about being tested for gluten intolerance, or being tested for fructose intolerance, but these are some of the foods that are tested for food intolerance.
You should know first that food intolerance is very different from food allergy that some people suffer from, which may threaten human life in severe cases.
In this comprehensive article, we'll tell you everything you can think of about Food intolerance test, along with other people's experiences with it.
Stay connected to learn more about the best food intolerance test in Qatar:
What is a food intolerance test?
Let's first know what food intolerance is, which is defined as a negative reaction to a specific food.
In the case of intolerance to a food, reactions occur within the body caused by a deficiency of a specific enzyme or a chemical sensitivity to a substance present in the food ingested.
Or symptoms appear as a result of a reaction from the immune system in the body, which attacks a specific substance in this food, and secretes antibodies in order to protect the body.
Recent research has proven that food intolerance is closely linked to antibodies produced by the body's immune system.
Food intolerance causes disturbing symptoms and chronic diseases as well, but it is not life-threatening, unlike food allergies, which may be a cause of death in some cases.
45% of people suffer a form of food intolerance, hence the importance of a food intolerance analysis is that it helps you know which food to avoid in order to be healthy and
comfortable.
Therefore, the analysis of food intolerance, or the test of the foodprint, all these terms refer to one name, which is the test of food intolerance that aims at abstaining from certain food to enjoy a life void of disturbing symptoms and health problems.
What causes food intolerance to develop?
Foodprint test relates to each person individually and may have a genetic origin, but many people suffer from it in a large proportion.
Many people return to their normal lives after discovering the food that they have a food intolerance towards and replace it with another food.
It is worth noting that the causes of food intolerance are not understood, as it has many causes.
Some reasons for food intolerance:
Incomplete digestion.
Bacterial imbalance.
Candidiasis.
Parasites.
Intestinal infections.
An unbalanced diet.
As a result of the effects of drugs and medications.
Symptoms of food intolerance:
Symptoms appear some time after eating food, perhaps several days, which makes it difficult to identify the food causing it.
The body produces antibodies which is one of the ways the immune system interacts to defend the body against substances that have a negative effect on it.
These antibodies usually unite with proteins in food in the form of complexes that are eliminated by the immune system.
When the immune system is exhausted, these complexes enter in places such as the joints or the digestive system, which leads to the emergence of symptoms of food intolerance.
Symptoms of food intolerance appear 3-7 days after eating these foods, which leads to difficulty in identifying the food causing these symptoms.
One of the following symptoms may occur:
1. Digestive symptoms:
a. Abdominal distension.
b. Spasm.
c. Gases.
d. Hydropexia
e. Irritable bowel syndrome.
f. Constipation.
g. Diarrhea.
h. Colic.
i. Vomiting.
j. Nausea.
2. Dermatological symptoms:
a. Urticarial
b. Atopic dermatitis.
c. Eczema.
d. Acne.
e. Psoriasis
f. Itchy skin
g. Rash.
3. Central nervous system symptoms:
a. Migraine.
b. Headache.
c. Poor concentration.
4. Mood and behavioral changes.
a. Autism
b. Depression.
c. Anxiety.
d. Tiredness.
e. Dizziness.
f. Hyperactivity.
5. Musculoskeletal symptoms:
a. Arthritis.
b. Joints pains.
c. Muscle pain and weakness.
d. Fibromyalgia.
6. Respiratory symptoms:
a. Asthma.
b. Inflammation of the nasal mucosa and sinuses.
c. Hissing.
7. Other symptoms:
a. Overweight.
b. Weight loss.
c. Meatus ear.
d. Infertility.
The food intolerance test is the first step to identifying the food causing these symptoms, as the appearance of a high concentration of antibodies helps to identify foods that may be causing the food intolerance.
Why a food intolerance test?
As we mentioned earlier, the food intolerance test is the first step in determining the food that causes these symptoms for the patient, as the results of this analysis are attached to the patient';s comprehensive file, which helps to start making changes in the patient's food system and setting a diet prepared by the best nutritionist in Doha. In the event of any positive result - that is, a rise in antibodies to a food - removing it from your diet as a patient leads to a radical change in your life for the better.
Foods to which reactions are moderate or strong should be abstained for 3 months.
Most people feel better and symptoms go away 1-3 months after they stop eating foods with a strong antibody reaction.
Foods included in the food intolerance test:
There are many foods included in the foodprint test, which can be eliminated to improve the patient and get rid of the disturbing associared symptoms.
Foods included in the test are as follows:
1. Dairy and eggs: such as cow's milk, egg yolk, egg white, goat's milk.....etc.
2. Fruits: such as apples, lemons, grapes, pineapples, kiwis, oranges, berries, peaches, pomegranates, strawberries, apricots, ...... etc.
3. Vegetables: such as artichokes, chicory, all kinds of peppers, sweet potatoes,
cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, beans, watercress, red onions, peas, spinach, ....etc.
4. Fish and seafood: such as crab, salmon, swordfish, squid, sardines, eel, octopus, scallops, tuna, river fish, carp, caviar, .... etc.
5. Herbs and spices: anise, coriander, nutmeg, parsley, chamomile, marjoram, mint, garlic, rosemary, cloves, ginger, saffron...etc.
6. Cereals: such as wheat, barley, oats, buckwheat, bran, rice...etc.
7. Meat: such as cow, bull, horse, calf, chicken, lamb, partridge, rabbit, deer, ostrich, duck, turkey.
8. Nuts and seeds: such as almonds, coconuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, sesame, walnuts, ...etc.
How to perform a food intolerance test:
Food intolerance test is a simple test, as is done by pricking the tip of the finger, and using a very sophisticated technique, more than 220 types of food can be analyzed from a single drop of blood.
You do not need to fast before taking a food intolerance test, which can also be done for children from two years of age and over.
In order to take this test, all you have to do is:
Make an appointment with a nutritionist.
The laboratory technician will draw a very small amount of blood.
The test result appears in the form of a comprehensive file, containing the test report that shows the foods with positive results, and the changes that must be made to the patient’s diet to avoid symptoms of food intolerance.
Usually, changes in the diet focus on avoiding these foods or replacing them with other foods, and then reintroducing these foods again, but in a safe and gradual manner.
My experience with the Food Intolerance test:
Hala’s Experience in food intolerance in Qatar
I love pills very much, but after taking them for several days, I noticed pain in the joints, fatigue and exhaustion in the body. My friend told me that she was suffering from the same symptoms, but when she ate meat, and that she did a food intolerance test in Qatar, and the result was positive, and she suggested that I do this test.
The result of the food intolerance test was positive and it was found that I have a food intolerance to gluten.
A question crossed my mind: Is gluten-free the same as wheat-free?
And the nutritionist told me that the fact that the product is free of wheat does not mean that it is free of gluten and vice versa, as I can buy products that are free of both gluten and wheat.
The doctor told me that in the food intolerance test, gluten will be removed from the wheat and barley samples, and a separate test will be conducted for them. If any reaction appears towards wheat or barley, the cause may be any of the other proteins in them.
Since these grains naturally contain gluten, I have to avoid them because I tested positive for gluten.
Do I need to re-test for food intolerance again?
- Most people do not need to re-test, but if you want to do so, I advise you to take it after a period of no less than 6 months between the two tests, and also if you feel an improvement in symptoms and you can reintroduce foods again into your diet, there is no need to re-test.
Muhammad's Experience in Food Intolerance in Doha:
While browsing the internet, an article about food intolerances caught my eye, and I remembered that I have been avoiding certain foods for a while because of the inconvenience that comes with eating them.
I decided to take this test to find out if I had any food intolerances.
But, is it because I have avoided a certain type of food for several months that it will affect my test results?
I visited the laboratory and asked them the same question, where they told me that the food tolerance test depends on the response of the immune system in producing antibodies when eating certain types of food, so if you have avoided a certain type of food for more than 3 months, most likely the test will not be able to detect any antibodies and the response will be negative.
And to test for intolerance to a food, you must include it in your diet daily for at least 3 to 4 weeks before the test, in the event that this type of food does not cause you severe symptoms, then you must avoid it completely.
At the end of this article, did you remember that you previously suffered from one of the symptoms mentioned above?
In the event that you have suffered from one of them, you can take this test to find out which food was the cause of the disturbing symptoms for you, or at least to know the cause of these symptoms that worried you and were unknown to you.
And if you've taken the test, we'd love to share your experience with us.
We wish a life full of health and wellness to all visitors to our website.
References:
https://www.foodprintarabia.com/about/?lang=en