What should you know about ordering a food intolerance test?

Food intolerance describes difficulty digesting or reacting to a particular food without the immune emergency pattern associated with a severe allergy. Symptoms can include bloating, abdominal discomfort, wind, or diarrhoea after eating. A test result on its own may not explain every symptom, and some commercial panels have limited clinical value. A clinician may instead consider the timing of symptoms, medicines, bowel changes, existing conditions, and whether symptoms improve when a food is removed and return when it is carefully reintroduced.

Read more about [Food Intolerance](/conditions/food-intolerance/) and symptoms such as [Bloating](/symptoms/bloating/) or [Diarrhoea](/symptoms/diarrhoea/).

Keep a short food and symptom diary before an appointment. Record what you ate, how much, when symptoms began, and bowel changes, while also noting medicines and supplements. Do not remove several food groups for a long period without advice, because this can make meals unbalanced and make the assessment harder. A clinician may recommend a focused elimination and reintroduction plan or [Food Intolerance Testing](/treatments/diagnostics-and-screening/food-intolerance-testing/) when appropriate. [Nutrition Counselling](/treatments/lifestyle-and-wellness/nutrition-counselling/) can help protect nutritional variety.

Arrange medical advice for ongoing symptoms, unexplained weight loss, blood in the stool, repeated vomiting, fever, difficulty swallowing, or symptoms that wake you from sleep. Seek urgent help for breathing difficulty, swelling of the lips or tongue, faintness, or a rapidly spreading reaction after food, because these features may indicate a serious allergy rather than an intolerance.

Ask which foods and symptoms should be tracked, whether allergy testing is more appropriate, how long any elimination plan should last, and how to replace nutrients if a food is avoided.