Cheap: Best DIY At-Home Gut Health Tests

Are you starting to think you may have suboptimal performance of your gastrointestinal system, or are you just wanting to check and make sure all things are running smoothly? Listed below are a few at-home gut tests that can be taken with items you probably already have to help gain cost-free insight into what may be happening internally. Additionally, if tests are positive, holistic tips and tricks listed below to help you get back to feeling like your best self.

Candida Spit Test:

Increased fatigue, acne, brain fog, increased UTIs / yeast infections, sugar or carb cravings, white coating on tongue? All of these and many more could be common symptoms of a candida (yeast) overgrowth. An easy at-home test for this is the Candida Spit Test.

1. Fill a clear glass with room temperature water

2. Before brushing teeth or eating in the morning, spit in glass 5 times

3. Let sit for 15min

4. Recheck the glass, healthy spit should dissolve or stay as a cohesive blob at the top of the glass. If strings are floating down from the saliva, saliva that sinks to the bottom of the glass or suspended cloudy specks in the water you likely have a candida problem and further lab testing is suggested.

So you have a positive test:

Making lifestyle changes to reduce the amount of sugars, simple carbs and processed foods in ones diet should help decrease symptoms of a candida overgrowth. Be wary of any “candida diets” that suggest going keto or removing majority of carbs from diet. Carbohydrates are needed to maintain proper glycolysis and energy pathways, disturbing this will cause more problems in the long run. Also avoid antimicrobials / killing agents like: berberine, oil of oregano, apple cider vinegar and many many others. Before supplementation takes place of any kind I would recommend further lab testing to know what exactly is out of balance to then provide insight into what to properly add to a supplementation stack. The Organic Acids Test (OAT) is a great follow on candida overgrowth test and for a more in-depth stool test I recommend a 16S sequencing or Shotgun Metagenomics test.

Nakrani, M., Wineland, R., Anjum, F. (2023) Physiology, Glucose Metabolism.

Corn Transit Time:

Constipated, bloated, sluggish, gassy, bad breath/body odor? These and many more symptoms are related to decreased intestinal motility. If you require a stimulant like caffeine, pre workout, or laxatives to produce bowel movements multiple times a month performing this test along with the follow-on suggestions may be of help.

1. Eat 1/2c. of corn, can be with a meal, mark down time ingested

2. Continue to visually check stools to see how long it takes to pass corn, mark down time it takes to see corn in stool

   Healthy transit time of the corn should be within 24-48hrs.

So you have a slow transit time:

There are many things one can do to increase gut motility. Listed below are just a few:

• Increase fluids: Staying hydrated will keep the stool soft and easier to pass.
  Recommended water intake: Take your weight in pounds and divide in half = suggested amount of ounces in a day

• Increase fiber intake: Soluble fiber helps bulk up stools and coat them in a gel lining aiding in the ease of passing the stool.
  Psyllium Husk is a relatively safe supplement one can add to help increase motility.

• Squatty Potty: Getting your knees higher than the level of the hips, in a squat-like position, helps the pelvic floor muscles around the anus relax along with decreasing pressure on the colon allowing for easier, strain-free poops. Squatty Potty found here

• Exercise: Walking for 10-20min after a meal can help increase intestinal motility from a compression / decompression stance. Additionally, when one is having trouble passing stools they are likely straining while on the toilet. Implementing the exercise techniques below for 2 weeks may help reduce straining and recruit the deeper transverse / oblique abdominal muscles needed to pass strain-free stools.

  1. Hooklying Low Reach
  2. 90-90 Hip Lift
  3. Standing Wall Reach
  

Baking Soda Burp Test:

Acid reflux, heartburn, bloating, abdominal pain, feeling fuller sooner, undigested food in stool, etc can all be signs of hypochlorhydria, or low stomach acid. When a stomach is more alkaline it provides an environment more suitable for pathogens to live. Thankfully there is a test for that! Baking soda with the combination of stomach acid produces CO2, increased CO2 should increase the frequency of burping. If you suspect possible low stomach acid, try out the test below:

1. Mix 1/4 tsp of baking soda with 4-6oz cold water, first thing in morning before eating / drinking anything

2. Drink the baking soda / water solution within 2 minutes

3. Time how long it takes for a burp/belch to be produced

   Not belching within 5 minutes is a sign of potential insufficient stomach acid production

** If test is negative, however symptoms persist, lab-based testing is indicated. Do not rely solely on this at-home test **

So you have low stomach acid:

Making diet changes to increase the acidity of the stomach is the first line of defense. Diet changes for this would include reducing: fatty, fried, processed, and spicy foods. Items to increase in ones diet are listed below:

• Chew Food Longer: It’s a simple tool that many overlook however makes complete sense. Digestion starts in the oral cavity. Taking longer (20min) to eat food will increase the digestive enzyme content in our food and aid in increased digestion capability of our stomach.

• Zinc supplementation: Zinc deficiency can be a cause of low stomach acid. Zinc is an essential mineral our body needs for boosting immune system function and to create HCL in the stomach to increase stomach acid. It’s a relatively safe supplement for most. If wanting to be extra cautious, getting an essential mineral test to check zinc levels before supplementation is a great option: Oligoscan, Cellular Micronutrient Assay (CMA), Dr Data Hair Follicle Test

• Fermented Foods: Increasing fermented foods can nourish our “good” bacteria in our gut and naturally increase stomach acid. Fermented foods include: sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, kefir etc. Go slow when implementing these foods as too much could cause some unwanted “die-off” symptoms.

• Digestive Enzyme Support: Supplementing with digestive enzymes is relatively safe and can greatly aid in the increase of stomach acid for improved digestion. Hydrochloride acid (HCl) in combination with pepsinogen create pepsin to break down and digest protein. Therefor, supplementing with a digestive enzyme high in HCl and pepsin can aid in increased stomach acid. Brand example: Betaine HCL and Pepsin; If you notice fatty stools or difficulty breaking down nuts an enzyme high in lipase (breaks down fat) may be a better fit, example: Enzalase
  Guilliams, T., Drakem L. (2020) Meal-Time Supplementation with Betaine HC1 for Functional Hypochlorhydria.