18+ ways to do a gut health test, and some of them won’t cost you a dime.

The common thought is,

Something feels off, but I know it has nothing to do with my gut because my stomach does not hurt.

But I’m here to tell you that almost everything will come back to something involving the gut.

In fact, you have already heard it, but I’ll mention Hippocrates again. He stated,

All disease begins in the gut.

So, does it?

While the 6 words have been debated over time, they have also been proven mostly true.

Here are 4 recent studies to back it up:

1. With the recent virus, which I wrote about long before now [HERE], “Gut bacteria tied to disease severity, immune response.” (source)
2. Your gut microbiome may be linked to dementia, Parkinson’s disease and MS (source)
3. Large-scale study finds gut microbes associated with lower risks for diabetes, heart disease, obesity (source)
4. Gut Bacteria Linked to Inflammatory Skin Disease (source)

Am I sharing the above to scare you?

Absolutely not.

I’m simply stating facts.

Gut Health Test {free and paid}

Click HERE to save this post for later.

But from the moment you first experience any sort of symptom, it all becomes confusing.

And, in fact, I’d argue that due to this confusion, we experience the inability to take action.

But action is 100% what you’ll need to do in order to ensure healing takes place.

This is where I want to help today (and always); enable action, stopping paralysis through analysis.

So, then, how? And what are the gut health tests for starting?

I am offering options that are both free and paid.

Check My Body Health {free}

When thinking about writing this post, I was reminded of how many times I say,

Test. Don’t guess.

And it’s not just me who will tell you that. 98% of doctors will tell you the same thing.

But here’s the problem…..money.

When we say that the only solution is, “test and not guess,” it can feel scary for many.

Here’s why:

1. If you don’t have medical insurance, the test and not guess concept is extremely overwhelming.
2. Even if you have insurance, the traditional testing many times won’t help you uncover what’s truly going on. And thus, you’ll be sent on your way with the “It’s just IBS,” diagnosis, sending you further down the spiral.
3. Going outside the traditional medical realm where insurance covers most testing is expensive. Even though it’s where a majority of the answers will be uncovered, uncovering them might prove too costly for consideration.

I’m not blind to any of the above.

In fact, they aren’t just facts, but they are major flaws and problems in our “healthcare” system.

Anyways, regardless of if you are wanting some free ways to test gut health because it’s extremely early on in your journey or the finances are not there for heavy testing, consider these today.

7 Ways to Test Gut Health {free}

Note: If I have already written about one of these free and/or paid testing options below, I have linked to it. Click for more information.

1. Track the “bulk” of your bowel movements via the Bristol Stool Chart.
2. Monitor how many times per day (or lack thereof) you poop.
3. Make note if you have any pain or other (not normal) sensations while going to the bathroom.
4. Pay attention to the smell of your bowel movements. (Obviously it won’t smell great, but there is a difference between normal smelly and awful stench. Believe me.)
5. Notice the color of your poop. You’ll find the color chart we made HERE.
6. Keep a journal. Now, of course every single thing in this post works better when you keep a healing journal because you are no longer relying on your memory. However, I have to put, “keep a journal” as a free way for testing gut health because if you keep one, you might start to see patterns like:
   1. have milk, then diarrhea
   2. when I eat bread, bloating follows
   3. with ice cream, I get stomach cramps
7. Consistent adverse reactions. If you’ve been noticing that you’re constantly having aches, pains, nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea – anything – in or around your gut region, this can be cause for concern. Knowing yourself, what’s normal and what’s not, is completely free. The problem is that we doubt ourselves and/or don’t want to admit these feelings.
8. Rome Criteria

And by the way, remember, the free ways for testing gut health above are strictly focusing on the digestive system.

There are many other free ways to know if your gut health is off. Consider THESE 9 signs your gut is unhealthy.

11 Ways to Test Gut Health {paid}

But let’s say you are in a place to pay for some gut health testing or you are desperate for more answers because the free ones just aren’t cutting it any longer.

Of course I am going to recommend further testing. They are, after all, the golden standard. It’s how any and all official diagnosis are made.

So with that, here are 11 options.

1. Food allergy and/or food sensitivity panel (they are not the same)
2. FODMAP-specific (hydrogen breath) testing via FoodMarble AIRE
3. SIBO breath test
4. Celiac blood test
5. Blood tests specifically looking for systemic inflammation ((i.e. C-reactive protein (CRP) and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR))
6. Colonoscopy
7. Endoscopy
8. Functional stool testing (comprehensive stool analysis); can test anything and everything from H. Pylori to parasites, other pathogens and more (i.e. GI Map)
9. Gut biome testing via a company like Zoe, Onegevity, Viome, etc.
10. X-ray and/or CT scan
11. Organic Acids Test (OAT)

Beyond these, there are many other general tests to consider that could help lead to an IBS and/or IBD diagnosis.

Here are 3 of those (that I personally did):

1. CBC (Complete Blood Count)
2. DUTCH Complete Hormone Panel
3. Adrenal Stress Profile

If you’re just starting a journey with a bum tum, consider the free options first. Honestly, there is so much you can do on your own.

But if you’re already dealing with too many red flags, do everything in your power to have the diagnostic testing performed.

Remember, it could save your life.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

1. Milk Sugar {All About Lactose}
2. FoodMarble Breath Test {with Aonghus Shortt}
3. Complete List of Gut and Hormone Tests

Xox,
SKH