After weeks of persistent stomach discomfort, health writer Steve Smith took a food intolerance test and discovered he was reacting to a long list of everyday foods, including egg whites, gluten and cow's milk. He now recommends such tests to everyone, whether paid for privately or pursued through a doctor.
Stomach issues prompt a visit to the GP
Smith, a content editor who writes about lifestyle and money for Reach's websites across the UK, began feeling uncomfortable in the stomach department a couple of months ago. He described a trapped wind feeling where you want to burp but cannot, lasting for weeks on end.
Given his job frequently involves health matters, he was aware that bloating can be a sign of something serious, such as bowel cancer. That knowledge, alongside someone very close to him going through bowel cancer in the past year, prompted him to see his doctor rather than put up with it.
His GP took his concerns seriously and sent him for both blood tests and a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), the test for bowel cancer offered to people aged over 50 in the UK. All came back normal, ruling out anything truly nasty, but it did not change how he had been feeling for around six weeks.
Searching for answers and trying a food intolerance test
Smith continued looking into what could be causing his symptoms, using Google AI and checking where it sourced its information. One possibility mentioned was mild constipation. He took some medication for a reset, which helped, and also decided to cut down on bread, which he ate at least twice a day.
The turning point came at work when he edited the story of a woman who had stomach issues for years before taking a food intolerance test from Supply Life. She said it led to her changing her diet and transformed things for her.
His doctor had mentioned food intolerances as a possibility before testing for nasties, so he decided to give it a go. According to organisations such as the British Dietetic Association, it is estimated that between 1% and 10% of the general population has a true food hypersensitivity or intolerance, but as many as 20% experience some degree of adverse reaction that leads them to believe they do.
Ordering and doing the test
Supply Life offers three different tests at three price points. The core test (£137) checks for 60 foods, essential (£207) covers 200 and complete body (£239) checks for 209. The company says the middle one is its most popular, so Smith placed his order for that test.
The kit arrived a couple of days later and contained everything needed to do the test and send it off to the lab. Following the instructions, Smith used the pin prick to draw blood, which he then squeezed into a vial. He struggled to create enough blood to fill the tube, and his wife had to help milk his finger to get enough. After packing it up as per the instructions, he sent it off.
Supply Life says this can take a week or so, but a couple of days later his results came through, accessed via his online account as well as sent via email.
The results and what they mean
A nine-page report awaited him. The report marks antibody levels for each food and food group as either normal (green), borderline (yellow) or elevated (red). Green is all good; red means these are the foods you are reacting to and should consider reducing or eliminating.
Top of his list of intolerances was egg whites, followed by gliadin, a component of gluten found in bread and the primary trigger for celiac disease. From there, in order of reactivity, were barley, soya bean, brewer's yeast, couscous, spelt, baker's yeast, orange, wheat, durum wheat, cow's milk, malt and agar agar, a vegan alternative to gelatine.
Smith noted that eggs, bread, beer, pasta, milk, yoghurt and anything else with cow's milk in it were potentially causing his issues. Nobody is saying he cannot eat these things, but cutting them out and seeking alternatives would not be a bad idea.
Meal plan and nutritionist chat
As part of the process, Supply Life offers a meal plan and a follow-up call with a nutritionist. Smith described it as a really useful call. Nutritionist Catalina talked him through the key things, starting with egg whites and gluten as the main areas to focus on.
The idea is to practice a 90/10 rule, cutting the problem foods out most of the time but not being afraid to enjoy a treat when going for a meal out. Catalina said it was pretty much impossible to avoid everything that contains egg whites, so to concentrate on limiting the consumption of eggs themselves, as well as egg-heavy things like mayo. With gluten, it is a case of looking for gluten-free options.
Smith has already cut his bread consumption in half. For cow's milk, he plans to switch to almond or oat drink in his tea, alternative cheeses such as goat's cheese and perhaps a vegan yoghurt alternative. Catalina gave him plenty of alternatives to think about during their chat and in a follow-up email, right down to specific brands.
The suggestion is to cut out the problem foods, subject to the 90/10 rule, for a period of six to nine months to see whether it changes how you feel. You can then reintroduce the eliminated foods one at a time to see if it goes OK, helping to narrow down further what might be the culprit. Smith described the experience as pretty enlightening overall and said doing a test like this is likely to be life-changing in some way for pretty much everyone. He plans to take action based on all of this and report back sometime in 2027.
