Personalized Nutrition Testing: What Helps, What Hypes—and How to Use Results Without Overwhelm
A warm cup of tea. A snowy weekend on the horizon. And a question so many people carry quietly:
Should I get nutrition testing… or will it just make me more confused?
In our January Food for Thought webinar, oncology nutritionist Karen Shrum helped answer that exact question—without hype, fear, or pressure. Just clarity.
Because when you’re facing a diagnosis—or even trying to prevent one—testing can feel like stepping into a hallway of flashing red lights. Numbers. Ranges. Flags. And a report that reads like a foreign language.
Karen reframed it in a way that instantly softened the room:
Testing isn’t meant to scare you. It’s meant to give you intel.
And with the right guidance, that intel can help you stop guessing and start taking targeted, supportive steps toward a stronger body—what Karen calls an “optimal terrain.”
The difference between “normal” and “optimal”
One of the biggest “aha” moments of the webinar was this:
Most conventional lab ranges are built to help clinicians identify disease states. That’s not a bad thing—it’s simply a different goal.
Karen’s goal is different.
Her focus is keeping you out of disease ranges and moving you into optimal ranges—the kind of range that supports immune strength, metabolic balance, detoxification pathways, and resilience during and after treatment.
That’s why a lab result can look “fine” on paper while still leaving you feeling stuck, depleted, inflamed, or foggy.
A classic example? Vitamin D.
Many reports won’t flag it unless it drops below a certain point—yet Karen shared that “normal” doesn’t always equal ideal, especially when you’re supporting immune function.
Start with the basics—then go deeper with purpose
Karen emphasized that most people begin with standard bloodwork like a CBC and CMP—and that’s a helpful start. But those basics don’t always reveal the deeper patterns that can drive inflammation, immune suppression, metabolic dysfunction, or nutrient depletion.
So when does it make sense to go deeper?
When you want to understand:
- where inflammation might be brewing
- whether blood sugar and insulin patterns could be stressing the body
- whether thyroid function is truly supported (not just “barely checked”)
- whether nutrient status is strong enough to support healing
- how gut health might be influencing immunity and inflammation
The goal isn’t to test everything. The goal is to test strategically.
The “inflammation trifecta” you can ask about
Inflammation is a word many of us hear—but not everyone realizes that common bloodwork doesn’t always include key inflammation markers.
Karen named three that can give a meaningful snapshot:
- CRP
- LDH
- ESR (sedimentation rate)
She called these the “trifecta.” Not because they tell the entire story, but because they can help you see whether inflammation might be setting the stage for deeper issues.
And if something is elevated? You don’t panic—you make a plan. Then you retest to confirm you’re moving the needle.
Gut health: where your immune system lives
One of the most practical sections of the webinar centered on the microbiome—because gut health isn’t a trendy topic; it’s foundational.
Karen reminded us that a large portion of immune activity is connected to the gut, and that treatment can significantly impact the microbiome for months (even up to a year) afterward.
She outlined two common stool tests:
- GI-MAP for a helpful baseline (especially if symptoms are mild)
- Gut Zoomer for deeper detail (especially with stronger symptoms or suspected dysregulation)
In other words: you don’t start with the most intense test just because it exists. You start with what fits the goal.
Hormones, genetics, and “putting the puzzle pieces together”
For hormone-related concerns, Karen mentioned the DUTCH Test as a leading option for exploring sex hormones and stress hormones more comprehensively.
She also discussed cheek-swab genetic nutrition testing—like Nutrition Genome and the “3×4” test—explaining that these reports can be long, dense, and overwhelming… but powerful when interpreted by someone trained to connect the dots.
Because the real value is rarely in one single number.
It’s in seeing how the pieces fit together:
- a homocysteine marker
- a methylation-related SNP like MTHFR
- a nutrient pattern (like B12/folate)
- a symptom history
- and a plan you can actually follow
The best testing mantra we heard all month
Karen shared a line from Dr. Naisha that captured the heartbeat of the whole conversation:
“Test, assess, address—don’t guess.”
That’s the difference between empowered health choices and overwhelmed health spirals.
The takeaway
If you’re navigating a cancer journey—or supporting prevention—you don’t need more noise.
You need:
- a clear starting point
- a few high-value markers
- an interpretation lens focused on optimal health
- and a plan you can revisit and measure over time
And maybe most importantly, you need a reminder that even when life feels out of control…
Nutrition is something you can control.
Watch the full webinar replay here:
https://www.believebig.org/
And explore more Food for Thought webinars on nutrition and healing here:
https://www.believebig.org/
About Our Contributor:
Karen Shrum
NTM, ONC Nutrition Therapist, certified Oncology Nutrition Consultant
Karen’s nutrition journey began early on. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University, she moved to Colorado and began taking nutrition classes. As the youngest in a family of eight Karen became a good observer, and after watching family members battle cancer, hypothyroidism, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, she set out determined to find a better way.
