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Your health should be a top priority. But when it comes to healthy eating, everyone’s body is different. Something that’s ideal for someone else may negatively impact you. One of the big factors that affect your ability to handle certain fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals is your genetic profile. GenoPalate provides an in-depth nutritional analysis so you can become more familiar with your unique genetic profile, with a focus on nutrition.
So if you want to start eating for your genes, genetic testing is a great place to start. But how accurate is GenoPalate? Can you trust them with your data? And is their nutritional analysis even useful?
In this GenoPalate review, we’ll cover all these things and more. By the end of this review, you’ll be able to decide if GenoPalate is the right test for you, or if you’ll be better off using one of their competitors.
GenoPalate:
When ordering a kit through GenoPalate, you are given four different options, all with varying prices. If you’ve already taken a DNA test through a service that lets you download raw DNA data, such as AncestryDNA or 23andMe, you can save big by uploading your raw DNA data. If not, you’ll have to choose one of the two more pricey GenoPalate tests.
The price of each GenoPalate test kit is as follows:
When you order a GenoPalate DNA test kit, the box should contain the following (if you ordered one of the Existing DNA kits, you will not receive sample collection tools):
GeoPalate test kits are pain-free and it only takes a few minutes to properly collect your DNA sample and prepare it for shipping.
When using a GeoPalate DNA test kit, follow these 5 easy steps:
How to send in Genopalate kit
Go to GenoPalate.com and choose the Account option along the top of the homepage. Here, you’ll need to input your first and last name, email address, and the product code of your kit (check the barcode that came with the kit)
Do not eat, drink, or smoke for at least 30 minutes prior to collecting your DNA sample. Begin by removing the saliva swab from its packaging. Place the swab against the inside of your cheek and firmly rotate around 15 to 20 times.
Find the vial that came with your kit and open it. Place the sample collecting end of your swab into the vial and rotate it in a corkscrew motion. Push the swab into the collection liquid and rapidly move it up and down (without removing it from the liquid) about 10 to 15 times.
Pull the swab out of the vial by moving it in a corkscrew motion. Toss the used swab into the garbage.
Twist the cap back onto the vial, and place it into the biohazard bag and securely seal it. Place the bag containing the sample vial into the prepaid shipping envelope that came with the kit. Place package into outgoing mail.
Your results should be available both on GenoPalate.com and through the company’s app within 4-6 weeks.
When it comes to keeping your data secure, GenoPalate has plenty of room for improvement. According to the privacy policy, the company will collect several types of data. Some of this data is volunteered, such as your name, address, credit card information, and email. GenoPalate obviously has access to your genetic information as well.
The company also collects data when you download their app or log in to their website, such as your IP address and cookies. When you install the app, GenoPalate collects your service usage information, your geolocation, the websites you visit, and your app store info.
Clearly, GenoPalate collects a lot of your information, but what exactly do they do with it? Is this something you need to be worried about? Luckily, their privacy policy tells you exactly who the company will share your information with.
Your GenoPalate data could be shared with:
The above list may seem alarming. But while the company could potentially share your data with anyone we mentioned, GenoPalate claims they will only do so under certain circumstances.
Below, you’ll find a list of the different circumstances that would need to be present for your data to be shared:
Because of the amount of information that the company collects, as well as the number of situations in which they will share it, we decided to give GenoPalate a low rating for privacy. While their privacy policy is unlikely to cause you any issues, their willingness to give private information to third parties in order to advertise to you better is unsettling, especially for a fairly costly service.
While plenty of DNA testing companies include a health portion in their test results, there aren’t nearly as many DNA test kits with a sole focus on bettering your health outcomes through nutrition.
Some of the more popular GenoPalate test alternatives include:
GenoPalate’s test results are broken up into a few specific categories. We’ll cover each category that’s tested by GenoPalate below:
Your test results will cover the 23 different vitamins and minerals that you could use more — or less — of in your diet.
The nutrients that GenoPalate’s test kit covers include:
If eating for your genes is a top priority, GenoPalate’s test results have you covered. Through genetic testing, you’ll learn the top 100+ fruits, vegetables, and other foods that are necessary for your specific genetic profile. This nutritional analysis covers a variety of foods across 16 different categories. They even include some customized meal plans and recipes for your given genome.
The food categories that GenoPalate covers include:
Lastly, your GenoPalate test results will cover your sensitivities to certain common food items.
The four types of food sensitivities that the test covers are gluten, lactose, alcohol, and caffeine sensitivities.
They provide a scale of how likely you are to be sensitive to these foods based upon the results of your genetic testing. The scale will let you know if you’re not likely, likely, or very likely to have problems when consuming these items.
If you’ve already taken a DNA test through either AncestryDNA or 23andMe, you can download your raw data and run GenoPalate’s nutritional analysis for cheaper. Taking the Existing DNA or the Existing DNA + 5 Recipes tests will save you more than 50% off of the normal retail price.
All you need to do is simply upload your raw data to GeoPalate’s website, and you can get the same in-depth nutritional analysis at a huge discount. Unfortunately, due to the genetic markers that GeoPalate needs to analyze, they will only accept raw data from either 23andMe or AncestryDNA at this time.
While genetic testing can give you some insight into your nutritional profile, it won’t give you the full picture. Your genetics are just one factor that affects what constitutes “healthy eating” for a person.
Your test results, while informative, shouldn’t be relied upon as solid medical advice. Use your test results as a fun way to learn a bit more about your genetic profile, but they’re simply no replacement for advice from a licensed doctor or nutritionist.
While GeoPalate can be a fun way to learn a little more about your health and to help motivate you into healthy eating habits, it is no replacement for a doctor or certified nutritionist. Regardless, the informative test results are a good starting point for learning a little more about your genetic profile and how it relates to different health outcomes.
While the price tag is a little high, if you already have existing raw data from AncestryDNA or 23andMe, you can get a substantial discount.
We recommend GeoPalate for anyone who’s interested in a personalized nutritional analysis and custom meal plans based on their genome.
If you want to learn more about your nutritional profile based on genetic testing and are interested in custom food recommendations and meal plans, GeoPalate is definitely worth the price. This is especially so if you have raw data from either AncestryDNA or 23andMe to upload, as you’ll receive substantial savings.
GenoPalate analyzes your DNA to determine foods you’re likely to be sensitive to and foods that may benefit you. While their suggestions aren’t meant to be solid medical advice, the company’s CLIA-certified labs do an excellent job performing accurate genetic testing.
GenoPalate’s genetic testing is fairly accurate and does provide a pretty reliable nutritional analysis. While it’s not meant to replace the advice of a licensed nutritionist or doctor, their test results are a great starting point for improving your health.
By providing a small DNA sample in the form of saliva, GenoPalate can analyze a variety of genetic variants linked to nutrition. They use this genetic information to provide personalized nutritional recommendations and meal plans.