The food intolerance test said bread was fine. It wasn’t.

My dad’s digestion became a mess in his later life and his doctor couldn’t find an obvious cause. Having gone through my own experience, I encouraged him to explore food intolerances. He took a food intolerance test and the results came back saying he was fine with bread. For most medical tests, that would have been reassuring. Except his symptoms persisted.

I never took a food intolerance test myself even though I would have loved an easy way to find out which foods I was reacting to. A simple test would have been a lot more straightforward than trying to figure things out through trial and error. Even today, I would love to sense check if I’m eating anything my body is still not entirely comfortable with.

However, the allergy specialist I saw warned me early on that food sensitivity tests are not reliable. They can give both - false positives and false negatives. It’s not what we’re used to; we’re used to having a range of tests done, from blood tests to scans like MRI, CT and ultrasound. We trust medical tests and they’re often very effective.

My dad relied on his food sensitivity tests too much. Whenever I encouraged him to simply leave gluten off the menu for a while to see if he improved, he’d say “but the test was negative”. It was frustrating because of the knowledge and experience I’d accumulated myself. Eventually, when his symptoms became quite debilitating, he agreed to give it a go - to leave gluten out for a couple of weeks to see if he’d improve. And he did, his symptoms disappeared. I still remember his confusion - the test being negative but clearly that was a false result.

It makes me sad to think how much more he could have enjoyed the last years of his life, when he was still well enough to do so, before an unrelated illness took his life. Things could have improved for him so much sooner if only he hadn’t relied on that test so much.

The most reliable way to figure out if you’re suffering from food sensitivites is an elimination diet. It’s not easy, it’s slow, and takes effort. It’s nowhere near as appealing as taking a quick test and getting a list of things to avoid.

But if results don’t reflect what’s actually happening, you can spend weeks or months following something that isn’t helping and missing what actually helps.

What I was advised and experienced isn’t unusual. There’s guidance from reputable organisations that raises the same concerns.

https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/igg-food-test

https://gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-information/testing-and-monitoring/food-intolerance-testing

If you want a reliable way to figure out what you’re reacting to, an elimination diet is still the recommended approach.

It doesn’t have to be as daunting as it sounds with a bit of preparation and a way to track your reactions that’s manageable.

I’ve created a system that supports both the practical side and the emotional side of figuring this out.
You can find out more here: Food Sensitivities Support System‍ ‍
Or start with my free Food Sensitivities Starter Guide

About the Author
Nurture & Thrive is written from lived experience of managing multiple food sensitivities over more than 15 years. The content reflects personal experience of navigating symptoms, diagnosis, and recovery, and is focused on the practical and emotional realities of living with it day to day.