Nutrition and Your Health

As we strive to maintain our health and wellness, understanding our nutritional needs can play a significant role in achieving our goals. Any Lab Test Now® offers convenient and affordable nutritional testing options to help you uncover vital information about your body’s nutritional requirements.

Nutritional Testing Options at Any Lab Test Now

  1. Basic Nutritional Panel: A comprehensive panel that examines 11 different components in your body to determine whether you’re getting the nutrition you need. This test is ideal for those looking to lose weight or suspect they may have a vitamin deficiency.
  2. Micronutrient Test: This test measures your body’s ability to absorb vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. It helps to identify deficiencies that may be affecting your overall health and provides a plan for correcting them.

The Importance of Nutrition Testing

Nutrition testing not only guides you toward a healthier lifestyle, but it can also provide valuable insights into potential health issues that may not be immediately apparent. By understanding the deficiencies and imbalances within your body, you can make informed decisions about your diet and well-being.

What is Poor Nutrition?

Poor nutrition starts when you eat foods that do not provide the nutrients you need most. Low-nutrient foods include those low in fiber and vitamins, or high in fat, sugar, and salt. Processed and pre-packaged foods are some of the unhealthiest choices you can make. They are packed with added sugar, sodium, and fat. These ingredients make food taste better, but too much of them leads to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you are under-eating, you could deprive your body of the nutrients it needs which may lead to anorexia or bulimia, two eating disorders that can cause a variety of dangerous health conditions.

Check Out These Food Facts: 

  • Diet is thought to be partly responsible for about 30 to 40 percent of all cancers, although diet alone is unlikely to be the “cause” or “cure” of cancer.
  • Salty foods increase blood pressure. To balance sodium levels in your bloodstream, your body retains water to try and rid your body of the excess salt through urine. This excess fluid travels through your bloodstream, and the increased volume presses against your blood vessels to cause high blood pressure.
  • Women who drank two or more diet drinks a day had a 29 percent higher chance of heart disease, a 31 percent higher chance of stroke, and a 16 percent increased risk of dying earlier than women who drank them less than once a week. 

Convenience, Affordability, and Professionalism

With Any Lab Test Now, you don’t need a doctor’s order to get tested. Simply walk in and choose the lab tests you want, with work-friendly hours available for your convenience. Plus, our transparent pricing ensures that affordable, high-quality testing is within reach for everyone.

Take control of your health today with Any Lab Test Now. Visit our website to find a location near you or explore our wide range of lab testing options, including general health, DNA, drugs and alcohol, STD, and additional tests.

Don’t leave your nutrition to chance – unlock the secrets to your body’s nutritional needs with Any Lab Test Now. Your journey to optimal health starts here!

FOOD INTOLERANCE VS FOOD ALLERGY

As we gather to feast with our friends and families during the holidays, keep in mind that not all foods sit well with everyone. More than 32 million Americans have food allergies. But did you know one in four people suffer from a more common dining dilemma called food intolerance? Most of them don’t have a clue because they test negative for food allergies. They think the problem is in their head, and they keep eating the same food and continue to get sick!

Intolerances differ significantly from allergies. Unlike allergies, intolerances may vary from situation to situation, while an allergy always produces the same reaction. Intolerances are caused by the body’s inability to process specific substances and may cause bloating, digestive problems such as gas and/or diarrhea, fatigue, headaches, and even the inability to lose weight or weight gain. 

Symptoms may be difficult to link to specific foods, environmental substances, or food additives because they may not occur until hours or days later. To complicate the situation, everyone has a different tolerance for specific foods, so even if a person has an intolerance, it may be so mild that a small amount of the food doesn’t cause a reaction until enough of the food is eaten or is consumed consistently over time.

Here’s the difference between food intolerance and food allergies:

 

Food Intolerance – inability to digest particular foods

  • You may be able to eat small amounts of the offending food without trouble or prevent a reaction.
  • Food Intolerance symptoms are generally less serious and often limited to digestive problems. Some symptoms include bloating, stomachache, hives, and headaches. 

Food Allergy – immune system reaction to particular foods

  • A true food allergy causes an immune system reaction that affects numerous organs in the body.
  • Can cause a range of symptoms. In some cases, an allergic reaction to a food can be severe or life-threatening. 

Take the Tolerance Test

A food sensitivity test uses a small blood sample to measure your IgG reactivity levels to different types of foods. A high reactivity to a certain food indicates a potential intolerance. Any Lab Test Now offers five different levels of food intolerance tests, including the Platinum Comprehensive Sensitivity and Intolerance Panel, which measures the body’s cellular reaction to 320 items, including foods and food additives. 

Food Intolerance Card

When the results come in, Any Lab Test Now includes a Food Intolerance ID Card that lists foods that should be avoided. People can take it to restaurants and hand it to servers or send it in advance to family gatherings to alert a host about the foods they need to avoid. Keep the holidays happy and healthy by pinpointing allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances now so you’ll know what to avoid later.

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Food Sensitivity Testing: Your Body and Your Diet

Have you ever felt “off” after eating a meal? Maybe you’ve experienced an upset stomach, acid reflux, heartburn or some less-than-pleasant symptoms that send you rushing to the restroom. It might be time to figure out if you are sensitive or even intolerant to certain types of foods.

There are three types of health issues associated with food — food allergies, food sensitivity and food intolerance. It is important to know the differences.

Food Allergies

Food allergy symptoms are immediate and can range from minor to life-threatening. A food allergy is an immune response to a specific food, which triggers a histamine reaction with potentially severe symptoms like anaphylaxis or hives. People who suffer from common food allergies typically know about their allergens based on the extreme reactions and immediate response times.

While most food allergies start in childhood, many adults develop an allergy to a food they’ve eaten before with no issues.

The most common food allergies in adults are peanuts, fish, shellfish (shrimp or lobster) and tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans and cashews).

People with extreme food allergies require an EpiPen — which contains epinephrine. This injection is given at the first sign of symptoms so the medication can shut down the body’s allergic response.

Food Intolerance

Sometimes confused with a food allergy is food intolerance. The difference is food allergies involve the immune system, while food intolerance involves the digestive system. A food intolerance reaction can occur if you don’t have enough of the specific enzymes needed to break down a food. This can lead to symptoms such as intestinal gas, abdominal pain or diarrhea.

It is estimated that up to 20 percent of the world’s population may have a food intolerance. While there are many foods people can have an intolerance to, here are eight foods that are the most common causes of digestive issues.

Dairy – Lactose intolerance is extremely common. People with this condition have a shortage of lactase enzymes, which causes an inability to digest lactose and results in digestive discomfort.

Gluten – People with an intolerance to gluten have trouble digesting a protein found in several grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale. It is known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This is different from celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease related to gluten or a wheat allergy. People can also have a sensitivity to gluten. Testing is the only way to figure out which of the three types is bothering you.

Caffeine – This stimulant is found in a wide variety of beverages, including coffee, soda, tea and energy drinks. Most people can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day without any side effects. However, people with a caffeine intolerance can experience extreme reactions, such as rapid heartbeat and anxiety, after consuming even the smallest amount.

Salicylates – These are natural chemicals found in a wide range of foods, including fruits, vegetables, teas, coffee, spices, nuts and honey. However, some people are extremely sensitive to these compounds and develop adverse reactions when they consume even small amounts. Reactions can trigger hives and even asthma attacks.

Amines – These are produced by bacteria during food storage and fermentation and found in a wide variety of foods. The most common type of amine associated with food intolerance is histamine. It will build up in the bodies of people who can’t metabolize it properly, causing many symptoms, including stomach cramps and possibly low blood pressure. People with a histamine intolerance should avoid foods high in this natural chemical, such as fermented foods, avocados and citrus.

FODMAPs – An acronym for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-Saccharides and Polyols — FODMAP intolerances are common in people who eventually get diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, a.k.a. IBS. FODMAPs are a group of short-chain carbohydrates found naturally in many foods that can cause digestive distress. Apples, soft cheeses, milk and beer are examples of foods high in FODMAPs.

Sulfites – These are chemicals usually used as a preservative. They are added to foods and beverages to prevent spoilage caused by bacteria. Because a sulfite intolerance is very common in people with asthma, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates that the use of sulfites must be declared on the label of any food that contains sulfites or where sulfites were used during the processing of food.

Fructose – This is a simple sugar found in fruits and vegetables, as well as sweeteners like honey, agave and high-fructose corn syrup. In people with fructose intolerance, fructose isn’t efficiently absorbed into the blood and causes digestive distress.

Food Sensitivity

The terms food sensitivity and food intolerance are often used interchangeably. However, there is a slight distinction between the two.

Food sensitivities involve the immune system, while food intolerances involve the digestive system. And unlike with food allergies, which trigger IgG antibodies, food sensitivities involve immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. Also, food sensitivities can cause reactions hours or days later.

Specific foods may create an immune reaction that generates a multitude of symptoms. The symptoms are not life-threatening, but they can be quite disruptive and include joint pain, stomach pain, fatigue, rashes and brain fog.

Get Tested

If you are struggling to identify which foods are a problem for you, an easy solution is to get tested.

Any Lab Test Now offers a variety of tests to help you determine whether you have a food allergy, food sensitivity or food intolerance.

The Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Panel is a simple blood test that measures the body’s cellular reactivity to the foods in the 100 Food Panel.

Any Lab Test Now also offers the Comprehensive Combination Allergy Panel IgE tests to uncover food allergies.

Be at Ease

Any Lab Test Now wants you to be at ease when it comes to seeking out any type of lab work, including finding out what foods may be affecting your digestive health.

We provide you a safe and clean alternative location for lab work. Each of our 185+ stores is sanitized several times a day, in accordance with the CDC’s protocols. Any Lab Test Now is a committed partner in helping you manage your family’s healthcare so you can make educated decisions that will directly affect your quality of life. We want to put you at ease during the coronavirus outbreak. We are here to help.

Find your closest Any Lab Test Now store at www.anylabtestnow.com.

Tackling Food Intolerance With a Simple Test

If you need a nap on Thanksgiving after indulging in all the delicious food, you’re not alone. But if tackling a big plate of turkey with all the fixings makes your stomach ache, overeating might not be the reason for your discomfort.

One in four people have a food intolerance, but many are unaware because they already tested negative for food allergies. A food allergy sparks an immune system reaction and can produce life-threatening symptoms. A food intolerance, on the other hand, causes a host of digestive issues, including nausea, cramps, diarrhea and gas. In many cases, a person with a food sensitivity lacks the enzymes needed to digest the protein found in certain foods. The most common culprits of food intolerance are dairy and gluten, according to Mayo Clinic.

Don’t miss any Thanksgiving football games by continuing to eat the same foods that send you to the bathroom this holiday season. A visit to your nearest Any Lab Test Now location can help alleviate some of your holiday stress by helping you learn what foods you need to avoid during the season and beyond. Any Lab Test Now provides walk-in medical testing without a trip to the doctor’s office.

A certified medical assistant at your local Any Lab Test Now location can consult with you on your symptoms to determine which simple blood test is right for you. The Gluten Allergy Tests lgE will let you know whether you have a food intolerance to gluten. If you don’t think gluten is responsible for your stomach woes, Any Lab Test Now offers a 50 food panel, which will get to the bottom of your discomfort.

Aside from lacking enzymes needed to digest certain foods, other causes of food intolerance include:

  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Sensitivity to food additives
  • Stress
  • Celiac disease — an autoimmune disease that flares when a person eats gluten. Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from this disease, according to WebMD

Key triggers to avoid

While gluten and dairy are the top sources of food intolerance, they are not the only two foods that give people grief. Chemicals added to food to prevent bacteria growth and add flavor, like MSG, wreak havoc on the digestive tract, revealed Cleveland Clinic. Sulfites hide out in red wine and occur naturally in some foods. Dried fruits, canned food and baked goods often contain sulfites. And the bad news is, many of these food triggers are part of your Thanksgiving spread in the form of pies, casseroles and alcoholic beverages.

Long laundry-list of symptoms

Most people with a food intolerance complain about digestive distress — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gas and bloating are all common. But the symptoms of food sensitivity do not end when the toilet flushes. Food intolerance can also cause heartburn, headaches, irritability and nervousness, Cleveland Clinic reported. Some patients report joint pain and overall fatigue. Patients with sulfite sensitivity can suffer from mild wheezing to a more serious breathing problem requiring medical attention, WebMD revealed.

The diagnosis of a food sensitivity does not have to ruin your holiday fun. There are three simple strategies you can take once you know your food intolerances.

Find a food substitution

Gluten-free substitutes for pasta, breads and sweets can be found at any grocery store. If you’re diagnosed with an intolerance to dairy, make your mashed potatoes with a non-dairy alternative such as oat milk or lactose-free milk. Relying on food substitutions is trickier during the holiday season because someone else is often doing the cooking, but paying attention to ingredients and making alternatives of your favorite dishes will pay off.

Cut back on portion size

Holiday tables typically welcome elastic pants and loosened belts. Eating big meals, finishing the bottle of wine and sneaking cookies all add to the magic of the season. Don’t be afraid to indulge, but cut portion sizes on your food triggers. Many people with food sensitivities can alleviate unpleasant symptoms simply by eating smaller portions of the offending food. This Thanksgiving, take half a piece of pumpkin pie if you have a sensitivity to gluten, instead of double helpings. Your stomach will thank you.

Read food labels

Gluten and dairy are easy to spot. But some of the other food triggers are difficult to identify. Reading food labels is an easy way to make sure to avoid many of the problematic flavor enhancers and food dyes causing your food intolerance. If you think a food you typically serve on Thanksgiving might contain one of these hidden ingredients, take a few minutes away from the flurry of preparations for the big meal to read the label.

Knowing your food triggers can help you manage your diet and put a halt to embarrassing and uncomfortable symptoms. Visit your local Any Lab Test Now to get your diagnosis before the holiday season arrives.

Keeping Your Bottom Line Healthy With Any Lab Test Now!

Deciding to exercise is smart! So is choosing a salad over a hamburger or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. You are faced with dozens of choices every day, and many of them can affect your health. A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is just one of those choices. A Flexible Spending Account allows you to use your dollars (pre-tax!) to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses not covered by your insurance.

As the year starts to wind down, many people find they are left with a few dollars in their accounts and are faced with a “use it or lose it” situation. It’s your money; don’t let it go to waste! Any Lab Test Now offers you hundreds of ways to get the most from your FSA dollars, while you’re taking control of your health. Browse through our tests and you are bound to find something that can help you improve your health — and provide you with information that may not necessarily be covered by your usual annual physical. Here are a few ideas that can help you get started.

MMR TITER TESTING

After a certain age, you just sort of forget to worry about the measles, mumps, or rubella but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “Not so fast!” The CDC is watching outbreaks in several jurisdictions and warning people (especially those traveling) to make sure they are protected! The MMR Titer measures your antibody levels and can provide you with a sense for whether your immune system has the ability to respond to an attack from one of these diseases. These latest measles outbreaks are no joke! According to the CDC, as of August of this year, 1,203 individual cases of measles have been confirmed. One hundred and twenty-four of those people were hospitalized, and 64 of them had complications! The MMR Titer is definitely money well spent!

FOOD SENSITIVITY AND INTOLERANCE TEST

Do you find that you seem to suffer from digestive problems now when you never had any problems in the past? Food intolerances develop later in life due to compromised digestive functions brought on by stress, alcohol intake and the use of NSAIDs. That means that foods you’ve been eating your whole life can begin to have a totally different effect on your body. The 50 Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Test can help you pinpoint what could otherwise be a “needle in a haystack” kind of situation. Remember, these aren’t allergic reactions! These are going to be much more subtle — bloating, fatigue, headaches, or weight gain.

ANEMIA PANEL

Fatigue and exhaustion seem to be states that we simply accept as a consequence of modern life, but we shouldn’t! Stress can cause fatigue for almost all of us, but should it be a way of life? You could actually be suffering from an undiagnosed medical condition like anemia. It’s estimated that approximately three million people in the United States suffer from anemia. Anemia is a condition where your red blood cell count is lower than normal. The lack of hemoglobin in your red blood cells can cause fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and a number of other symptoms. Don’t just assume — know, with the Anemia Panel.

Any Lab Test, literally!

From nutritional testing to DNA results, Any Lab Test Now offers hundreds of high-quality and accurate tests that can help you answer many questions you might have about your health or your history! Don’t let your FSA dollars go to waste. You can walk into your convenient Any Lab Test Now location without an appointment and talk with our experts there and they can guide you to an appropriate test. Just like eating your vegetables, Any Lab Test Now is another smart health choice!

How Student Athletes Can Benefit From Lab Testing

Many parents and students are starting to make preparations for heading back to school, but for elite athletes and those looking to make serious performance improvements, the preparations have never really stopped. Summer leagues, camps, and training have probably been a regular part of the routine over the summer, but what about lab testing?

Lab testing and athletics? You might wonder how those two go together. Any Lab Test Now can become your student-athletes’ partner in training. We offer a variety of tests that can help improve performance and recovery so your athlete can reap all of the benefits of their hard work.

When it comes to tracking your fitness and health progress, there are a lot of avenues you can take. If you’re not sure which way to go, just ask one of our knowledgeable health professionals. Let them know what you want to achieve and they will guide you to the proper tests. Any Lab Tests Now has a few suggestions that can help you get started down the right path toward your fitness goals.

Basic Nutritional Panel

Your diet is a great place to start your journey to better performance. The Basic Nutritional Panel provides you with information about vital and energizing vitamins and nutrients like ferritin levels. Ferritin is an intracellular protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion. If the levels are low, that could mean your iron levels are low. Remember, iron plays an important role in carrying oxygen to all parts of your body. To athletes, oxygen is fuel! Endurance would likely be affected.

Along with ferritin levels, the Basic Nutritional Panel offered by Any Lab Test Now will check vitamins B12, D, and C along with zinc and homocysteine levels. You’ll also receive a Complete Blood Count, which will give you a decent snapshot of your overall health, as well as a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP). The CMP alone makes this test worth it for the elite athlete. It includes testing for multiple electrolytes and metabolites, which can frequently be abnormal in athletes. It can let you know if you are taking in enough (or too much!) water. Low albumin levels can be a sign of inflammation in athletes. All in all, the Basic Nutritional Panel is a good place to start when considering lab testing for athletes.

Performance Hormones

Hormones play a critical role in athletic performance and are vital to the recovery process. If your hormone levels are out of whack, then your performance could suffer. Some key hormones to watch:

Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Testing

Let’s face it, if you’ve got a food allergy, chances are you already know about it. But intolerances are more subtle — and can have a huge impact on athletic performance. An undiagnosed food intolerance can cause inflammation, which can slow down your recovery time. It can impact your breathing and diet, causing you to gain weight. It can even keep you from fully absorbing nutrients if you experience digestive problems. Any Lab Test Now offers a variety of food intolerance tests to choose from.

That’s just a sampling of what Any Lab Test Now can offer athletes. Also consider, that in some cases, you may benefit more with repeat testing, particularly nutritional testing. Visit your local Any Lab Test Now location to get started on reaching your peak performance before the school year starts.

Foods to Avoid During the Holiday Season

It’s time to deck the halls, light candles and visit with friends. From fancy cocktail affairs to cozy kitchen gatherings, people from coast to coast are getting together and bringing out their favorite fare during this season. While a little bit of nibbling can be okay for most people when done in moderation, overdoing the treats can cause serious health concerns.

What Foods to Avoid

Consumed mindlessly or in large quantities, any food can wreak havoc on your health. However, during the holiday season, these seem to be more frequently available than at other times of the year:

  • Tempting beverages. Alcoholic beverages, in general, can cause a variety of health concerns, such as cirrhosis of the liver or increased blood pressure, and alcohol consumption increases during the holiday season. Beyond concerns about over-consumption, seasonal favorites like eggnog, buttered rum and mulled cider tend to have significant amounts of fat and sugar that should be avoided.
  • Fatty meats. Prime rib, pot roast and the darker cuts of turkey will weigh you down with their high saturated fat content. (And this doesn’t even take the gravy into account!)
  • Rich, creamy sauces. Drenching mashed potatoes and topping green beans, these sauces certainly add appeal to your veggies, but they also increase the amount of fat, sodium and sugar in the dishes.
  • Extra candies. Candy canes are traditional sweets, but they are simply loaded with high fructose corn syrup that rubs up against your teeth, so be aware! And, there are other sugary culprits too: bowls of peppermints, Grandma’s fudge, and Auntie’s peanut brittle pop to mind.

From avoiding cardiac issues to maintaining hormone balance, food plays a critical role in your overall health and well-being. That’s why it’s important to become more aware of what you’re eating during this festive season.

How to Stay Holly Jolly

Of course, being careful doesn’t mean that you should skip out on all the fun! Instead, try these suggestions for taking part in the festivities without sacrificing your overall health.

  • Pick your favorites. Have a taste of the favorites you crave, but limit it to just a bite or two and be selective about which you choose.
  • Select healthier options. Grab a few nuts instead of heavy hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy a salad instead of the green bean casserole. Try gingerbread or pumpkin pie at dessert time instead of pecan pie or cheesecake.
  • Drink water. Before you leave for the festivities, drink a glass of water. This will help to control your appetite so you don’t over-graze.
  • Investigate alternatives. Instead of butter in baking, consider apple sauce. Instead of heavy cream, use low-fat milk. Try whole-grain rice instead of mashed potatoes. A quick search online will offer plenty of alternatives to help you cut down on fat, sugar and sodium in your cooking.
  • Try tracking. Since this time of year can be so hectic, consider keeping a food log or using a calorie counter app. Using one can help you become more aware of the choices that you’re making at each gathering, and help you remember all the fun items you’ve already nibbled on.

Know Your Body

While most people can sample a sweet treat or delve into a fatty dip once in a while, there are cases where a stricter diet is still advised. For instance, people who are managing their diabetes or have specific food sensitivities may need to bring extra caution to their diet as they join in the fun! If you want to know where you stand as the holiday season approaches, walk into your local Any Lab Test Now for a screening. Doing so will allow you to indulge a little bit while still knowing that your body can handle the impact of the food you’re enjoying.

Food Allergies Are Sneaky; Here’s Why

Do you think you have a food allergy? If so, are you sure that’s what it is? Some people mistake having food allergies with a food intolerance or sensitivity. Here’s the difference.

An allergy happens when your body creates antibodies to protect itself from something your body sees as harmful. The next time your body comes in contact with that particular something, histamines, which are produced in response to foreign intruders, are released causing allergic reactions.

Intolerances are different because they can vary depending on the situation, while an allergy reacts the same each time. Intolerances are a result of your body’s incapability to process certain substances.

The right lab test will answer your questions and get you on track to ease your symptoms. Check out our Gut Health Profile test. This measures your gut health on the genetic, antibody and cellular levels and will let you know exactly what’s going on inside your body, including Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance. To make sure you take the correct test, talk to one of our ANY LAB TEST NOW® medical assistants.

Don’t be deceived by the perception of a food allergy. If you’re not sure, make yourself sure and Take Control of Your Health®.