My Food Intolerance Test - Momma 'N Manila

Turning 40 has helped me realize quite a few things.

My body has not forgotten the damage that I did to it while I was 16 years old.

My metabolism has slowed.

Some of my body parts have shifted from where they used to be.

My skin is showing signs of aging.

AND

Something in my digestive system has shifted because my favorite foods don’t like me as much as I like them, anymore.

Starting the year off right by taking this food intolerance test. With the help of Hi Precision Diagnostics, I will be able to steer clear of foods that are not good for me. #healthy #hiprecisiondiagnostics #foodintolerancetest #gmtmanila

A photo posted by Michelle Aventajado (@mommanmanila) on Jan 3, 2015 at 10:15pm PST

For those of you just tuning in: I’m half Filipina and half Italian American. This means that I grew up eating lots of pasta, bread, and cheese. These are my comfort foods and most of the time, I prefer them over the readily available Filipino food that yaya can prepare even if I don’t feel like cooking.

I can have a dinner that consists of a caprese salad with some crusty Italian bread and some good olive oil to dip on a warm summer night. I can feast on zucchini tomatoes and eggs as a light meal, again, with warm crusty toasted buttery bread. I can eat pasta up to four times a week and feel really good about it…or rather, not so much anymore…

#Cheese board for Nino’s simple birthday dinner.

Treats like these will have to be limited with my new found understanding of food intolerance.

But what I have noticed is that I feel really bad after eating these foods. I get a headache, I feel bloated, and it’s like there is a switch that is suddenly turned off and I have to lay down because my body is working over time to digest and I need to sleep. (Ever heard of carb coma?)

I noticed all of these symptoms after I spoke with Melissa and Vanessa during the Crate & Barrel opening where my friend Tin introduced me to them. When Melissa and I got to chatting, she shared how she would constantly suffer from migraines. After her Food Intolerance Test results proved that she was intolerant to milk, she tried a test on her own to see if she drank milk how it would affect her. Sure enough, she had a migraine shortly after drinking a big tall glass of milk. Can you imagine how intrigued I was when Melissa shared this story? I wanted to learn more about the test!

Learning all about our #FoodIntoleranceTest results from #HiPrecisionDiagnostics and #GMTManila with the #SoMoms @gojackiego @thephenomenalmama @mymomfriday A photo posted by Michelle Aventajado (@mommanmanila) on Jan 27, 2015 at 8:10pm PST

Because I also want to make better health choices, taking the test was a no brainer. In fact, I was excited to have my blood drawn so that I could learn more about what foods I should stay away from, and start feeling better.

It is important to differentiate between food allergies and food intolerances. Please remember that if you have a food allergy, when you ingest said food allergen your body will go into defense mode by sending out histamines.

An allergic reaction is immediate an often severe.

Common Allergic Reactions

sneezing
rash
skin irritation
swelling
runny nose
fatigue
diarrhea
vomitting

Common Food allergens are shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, and fish.

Conversely, food Intolerance reactions are usually delayed. These symptoms may take sometimes up to several days to appear. It is not life threatening like a food allergy, and most of the time, you probably can’t even pinpoint why you might feel bad, if you aren’t paying attention to what you are eating.

Unfortunately, I learned that many of the foods listed on this slide are foods that I cannot enjoy as much as I used to.

Common Food Intolerances can be wheat, gluten, casein, eggs, and milk. (Pssst. I’m intolerant of almost all of these except gluten.)

Common Symptoms of Food Intolerance

migraines
headaches
bloating
diarrhea
IBS
lethargy
skin problems
arthritis
ADHD
weight control
depression or anxiety
feeling of being unwell

Essentially, this is what happens when we cannot digest certain foods. It can lead to all of the symptoms listed above.

I have to be honest. Seeing these symptoms on the standing tarp where we all had our photo ops, caused me to pause. I experience every single one of these symptoms at different times of my average day. I don’t think I ever attributed it to my eating habits, especially because I try my best to make healthy meals for my family of six. Thinking that I was eating healthy, never took into consideration that my body may have preferences of its own.

The thing I loved most about this day was the explanations and help that came AFTER I received my results. Having a nutritionist available to me and a doctor who could explain what all of the numbers meant next to each of the foods listed made it easier for me to understand what changes I could make in my diet for the better.

Hi Precision Diagnostics has 23 locations all over the Metro. Branches are clean, well lit, and easy to identify. It was orderly from the moment I walked through the door to the moment that the phlebotomist (painlessly) drew my blood. Even the way the receptionist was able to explain how results would be delivered after approximately two weeks was clear and effective.

Not all branches bear the “plus” mark. This just means that these labs are in more prominent areas and in light of that the costs of the tests might be just a fraction more.

It’s actually very simple to get tested.

The thing is, now that I know what foods affect me in certain ways, I have become more aware of how I am feeling. I am more in tune to what I put into my body, and how aware of choices that I make in my diet so that I feel better. Hi Precision Diagnostics makes it very easy for everyone by offering this Food Intolerance Test.

#HiPrecisionDiagnostics began in 1996 with Melissa’s mom. Her vision was to provide high quality healthcare for every Filipino. #quality #healthcare #GMTManila #FoodIntoleranceTest

A photo posted by Michelle Aventajado (@mommanmanila) on Jan 27, 2015 at 10:02pm PST

One More Thing…

When Melissa and I were talking she also mentioned that HPD would be launching their new app so that clients can retrieve test results right on their phone. In a day an age where we can get results faster, having an app which we can check regularly with a lab we visit consistently, only makes taking care of ourselves easier. (Remember, we need things to be easier in our lives…not harder.) So no need to go back for results when they can be sent directly to your smart phone.