Everlywell Comprehensive Food Sensitivity Test (Review)
Everlywell Comprehensive Food Sensitivity Test
On a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 = Best and 1 = Worst
Performance:
5/5
Easy to Use:
5/5
Health Insights:
5/5
Experience:
5/5
Worth It:
Yes
Link to Everlywell Discount
Take me to the TLDR Summary
I originally bought Everlywell’s Comprehensive Food Sensitivity Test for my mom since she was experiencing consistent inflammation and we wanted to get to the bottom of which foods were causing her discomfort. After seeing my mom’s results and experiencing how easy and seamless it was to use this product, I decided to buy Everlywell for myself. Not only was I curious to see if the results would differ to that of my mom’s (spoiler alert some similarities yet some differences), but I was also curious to understand what foods led to inflammation in my body. For both me and my mom, I opted for the Comprehensive Test (204 foods) vs the Normal Test since it tested for a broader range of foods (96 foods). Transparently, I figured if I was already going to invest in the test, I may as well spend the extra money testing for as many foods as possible.
For those that aren’t familiar with Everlywell’s Comprehensive Food Sensitivity Test, it is a test that measures your immune system’s IgG reactivity to 204 foods. Keep in mind that reactivity is not the same thing as a food allergy. Rather, reactivity could be causing related symptoms such as headaches, bloating, indigestion, stomach pain, etc. Here is a nifty article from Everlywell that does a good job of explaining reactivity. The way that you measure reactivity is through blood samples and Everlywell does a phenomenal job with the process.
The Testing Process
I bought the test and it arrived in less than a week. The box includes everything (lancet, collection card, alcohol wipe, band-aid, box and prepaid envelope) you need to take the blood samples and send them back to the lab as shown in my first picture. Everlywell also shares a great video tutorial and FAQs to walk you through the blood sampling process. It took me about 5-10 minutes to collect the sample (see the second picture), and then a day (probably about 12 hours) to let the sample dry. After that, I was able to ship the sample back to Everlywell with the super convenient pre-paid label that is included in the box. I shipped the package with my sample on a Sunday 9/19, got a message that the lab received them on Thursday 9/23, and I had my results ready by mid-day Friday 9/24. Overall it took less than a week to get my results!
The Results
As soon as the results are ready, you get a text message with the link to view the results. On the results page, you get a view that highlights the foods for which you presented mild, moderate or high reactivity (see the first two pictures below). However, you can also filter results by food groups (e.g. dairy, meats, etc.) to see reactivity by food category (see the last two pics. Everlywell also provide insights into next steps and potential ways to deal with reactive foods.
Below is my review on how this product performs across 5 categories. Hopefully this will help you decide if Everlywell’s Food Sensitivity Test is the product for you.
Product Review
Performance: 5/5
This was such a great product! The process is really efficient and well thought out. The material is high quality and you have all of the tools to make at-home testing simple and effective. The turnaround time on the test results was super quick. Last but not least, there is an easy to use interface and good supporting material to view and interpret the results.
Easy to Use: 5/5
This was such a delightful and seamless experience. The product was easy to buy and easy to use. The box includes all of the material you need for testing, the video tutorials are really helpful, and the pre-packaged label makes it so easy to ship the results. Everlywell also did a great job of keeping me updated on the status of my shipment and the results.
Health Insights: 5/5
I really liked how Everlywell presented the results of the test. It was very easy to understand what foods I was reactive to and the level of reactivity. I was super intrigued by the results and was impressed to see the accuracy. Being a bit stubborn, I decided to eat some of my reactive foods only to realize that I do in fact get bloated and gassy when eating those foods. Overall, I feel like I have tangible insights and will certainly take into account reactivity as I’m deciding what foods to eat since I feel so much better when I eat foods with normal reactivity.
Experience: 5/5
The product is really well designed. The box is a sleek and the packaging optimizes for space. It is actually fun to take the test. The materials are extremely high quality and the webpage has a very clean design.
Worth It?
100%! I’ve tried similar health test products and, in this case, I feel like I was able to get health insights I can actually use that will help me optimize my nutrition and well-being moving forward. Everlywell does a fantastic job with the product, the overall experience, and the way in which they present the results. I found the test results so helpful that I am buying a food test for the other members of my family and am looking forward to using Everlywell for future at home testing.
Full disclosure, I write these blogs in my spare time. I do not have an editor and am the only one who reviews the content. As a result, it is likely I’ll have the occasional typo or grammar mistake. If you find anything, feel free to let me know.
Lastly, I’ll admit food photography is not my forte. If you make the recipe and have a better picture, please share and I will happily post it and give you photo cred!