Welcome to my best home gut health test for a healthy gut microbiome! My best gut health test ever.
Since 2019, the prevalence of telehealth has been on the rise in our healthcare systems around the world for obvious reasons, referred to as transformational by Oxford Academics. Since then, virtual care and at-home health testing has proven to be a major need and provides a great opportunity for direct-to-consumer telehealth providers and consumers who need care at home.
Perhaps our overall health has changed focus in recent times, or better yet (I’m keeping it real here), getting care or online testing from the comfort of our own homes, as opposed to having to drive to the doctor’s office, wait in an infested waiting room, cough up co-pays and be told of obvious problems after waiting nearly 30 minutes.
With inflation soaring and the health care system at maximum capacity due to the closing of previously open floors, health care insurance is now at an all-time high and scheduling doctor appointments has become more difficult.
Well, not online at …… It’s actually very easy.
And, if you want to get a gut health screening for a healthier gut microbiome, it’s now easier and more affordable than ever.
As a registered dietitian, I’ve been helping my clients improve their gut health by adopting foods that promote gut health, such as antioxidants. But sometimes the first step is to actually perform a gut health screening to find out if something is wrong or, if you’re doing something right. For some, this can be a harsh reality check, while for others, it can be a relief and confidence booster.
How important is it to have a healthy gut microbiome? Well, your gut microbiome plays a key role in many aspects of your health, for example.
- It affects your immune system
- Has a positive effect on fighting pathogens
- Helps in the synthesis of vitamins
- Helps you maintain a healthy weight
In this article, I will share the most effective at-home tests for gut microbiome health screening, as well as the importance of a healthy gut and how to choose the best test for you.
A Quick Summary of the Top Home Microbiome Gut Health Tests
Gut microbiome test kits differ from each other in terms of price and test content. For example, some have personalized food and probiotics (or even prebiotics) after the test, while others just give you the test results. In this list, I will give you the top five gut microbiome test kits and their corresponding pros and cons to help you make a good choice.
| No | At-Home Gut Test | GW Rating | Product Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viome | 4.9/5 ⭐ | best price |
| 2 | Ombre (previously thryve) | 4.9/5 ⭐ | best price |
| 3 | THORNE | 4.7/5 ⭐ | best price |
| 4 | BIOHM | 4.6/5 ⭐ | best price |
| 5 | Floré | 4.5/5 ⭐ | website |
#1: Viome
The Viome Gut Health Test also has a unique approach to achieving a healthier gut microbiome, offering more than just a test. Like Ombre, Viome has personalized food and supplement recommendations based on the results of your gut microbiome health test.
Viome’s mission is simple, but effective. They want to “bring your body and gut microbiome back into balance.” This is something I can definitely get behind. Viome’s Gut Smart Test is best at using artificial intelligence and RNA sequencing to identify species of bacteria, viruses, parasites and yeast to get a complete picture of a person’s gut microbiome. This is a very sophisticated test designed to identify the root cause of poor gut health.
Currently, Viome has two specific tests.
Health Intelligence Test: For gut and cellular health, $179
With this product supported by personalized supplements and food recommendations.
- Gut Microbiome Health
- Cellular Health
- Immune System Health
- Stress Response Health
- Mitochondrial Health
- Biological Age
Gut Smart Test: For Intestinal Health, $79
This product is supported by personalized supplements and food recommendations.
- Gut Microbiome Health
Many of Viome’s customers have reported improvements in the following areas
- bloating
- stomach pain
- Anxiety
- Low energy
- Confusion in the brain
- Difficulty sleeping
Pros
- Very sophisticated testing tools
- Excellent customer support
- Also a leader in gut microbiome testing
- Personalized nutrition and supplementation program, if you choose one
- Simple process
Cons
- Can be a bit too much information for complex testing
#2: Ombre (Thryve) Gut Health Test
Ombre’s Gut Health Test (read a review of Ombre’s Gut Health Test) is more than just a test. In fact, they can match you with personalized probiotics and food recommendations designed to support your immune system. Their microbiome test provides accurate insights into your bacteria, and then you are able to see personalized recommendations after the results come back from their ISO-certified lab. These reasons alone make Ombre the best gut health test on our list.
At the heart of Ombre, their mission is to help improve the quality of life for those dealing with chronic disease. They are an industry leader, rely heavily on science, and continue to research gut health (over 36,000 indexed microbiome research articles to date).
Ombre’s Gut Health program analyzes stool to target the good and bad bacteria in your gut so you can treat the root cause of your symptoms.
There are three pricing plans, all of which are super valuable and affordable. You can choose.
Pros
- Available for testing only, if that’s what you’re after.
- Personalized food and probiotic subscription plans, if you choose this pricing model.
- Researched and published over 36,000 microbiome articles (leading the way in gut health with all the data they have accumulated).
- A scientific committee team that is highly respected in their field of study.
- Outstanding customer service.
- Very simple program to get started.
- Affordable.
Cons
- For some people, testing may be too simple.
