The complex way food affects our everyday lives is an emerging area and diagnosing the cause of symptoms which seem to be ‘unexplained’ is often difficult. People who experience some of the symptoms of food intolerance are often led by the medical profession and the media to believe that their condition is ‘all in the mind’ and are treated for the physical manifestation of the condition rather than the cause.

However there are now answers to your questions and ways to identify the cause of your symptoms leading to long term relief. Although not life threatening like food allergy, food intolerance should never be underestimated as its impact on sufferers can be significant, severely impacting on their ability to live normal healthy lives.

Food intolerances refer to the difficulty in digesting certain foods. The food particles that enter the bloodstream without being properly digested are perceived by the immune system as foreign invaders and trigger significant adverse reactions. Although not life-threatening like food allergies, food intolerances should never be underestimated as their impact on sufferers can be significant and severely impacting the ability to live normal healthy lives.

Food intolerances may produce a variety of symptoms including; lethargy, bloating, stomach pain, weight control problems and headaches.

The symptoms of food intolerances can be delayed for many hours or even days and for this reason, it is often difficult to identify what the problematic foods are. The compelling need to identify these food intolerances encouraged Health & Beauty by Brown's to offer a NEW Food Intolerance Test that covers 57 of the most common food intolerances with just one drop of finger-prick blood.

The test uses a modified Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) that detects antibodies to foods. A simple prick test will allow for a detailed assessment of any intolerances present.

The diagnostic kit tests your reaction to the following foods;

Grains: Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oat, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Goosefoot, Corn, Rice, Gluten.

Nuts & Seeds: Peanut, Hazelnut, Almond, Cacao, Mustard.

Egg: Egg white, Egg yolk

Milk: Cow’s milk, Goat’s milk, Sheep milk, Casein

Vegetables: Carrot, Celery, Cabbage, Broccoli, Garlic, Onion, Leek, Potato,

Fruits: Banana, Lemon, Orange, Strawberry, Grape, Peach, Apple, Pineapple, Kiwi fruit, Tomato

​Legumes: Soy, Pea, Green bean

Meats: Lamb/Mutton, Pork, Beef, Chicken, Turkey.

Fish & Seafood: Cod, Salmon, Trout, Tuna, Shrimp, Squid, Octopus

Others: Baker’s yeast, Brewer’s yeast, Coffee

If you are positive to any food groups in the test, the simple act of removing them from your diet for 3 months can completely change your life. A personalised dietary guide will be provided consisting of a detailed assessment of the result and professional advice to support the recommended lifestyle modifications. Food intolerances and food allergies are different. Food intolerances involve the digestive system while food allergies involve the immune system. A different test to identify your allergies is also available.