Our Zoe Test Review 2022 - Is It Really Worth It?

Everyone has concerns about their health, people want to know they are eating right and doing what is best for themselves and their body’s well-being. However, it can be really hard to gauge what is right for you.

No diet will work for everyone because everyone’s body is different. Different blood chemistry, metabolism, timing of eating, and more will all impact how a person gains weight, loses weight, and gets the healthiest diet.

Zoe is a brand that wants to help people do what is best for their body, and wants to give them all the information that they need to do so, to gain a better understanding of one’s body is to know how to best serve your body.

That being said, when it comes to our health wellness and body image, we are always skeptical of companies that say they can help us, because so many don’t.

Why is this? Simply because not every method is suitable for everyone. Zoe claims that they want to help you identify what will work for you based on the overall makeup of your body.

Can you trust them? Are they legit? And most of all, what is the Zoe test, how does it work, and what can you expect to get from it?

In our review today, we will talk to you about all these things, so that you know what to expect from Zoe, and if they will truly help you optimize your health.

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All About Zoe

Z o e is a brand that believes that everyone has a right to understand their body. They have an online testing kit, which looks at your overall metabolic health, which will work out how your genetics, timing of food, blood chemistry, and more will have an overall impact on your wellbeing.

It is designed to help other people lead healthier lives. It is also backed up by a certified scientific advisory board that conducts the research. They do seem to be well-supported, with a following of 26.8 thousand on Instagram.

They have also been recognized by, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

If you are ready to start eating right, in a way that is specifically tailored to your unique body and self-care routine, then perhaps Zoe can actually lend you a helping hand.

Today our review will go into deep detail about the Zoe test kit, the brand itself, customer thoughts, and more. Hang on to your seats!

Why you should trust us?

Our team has spent over 15 hours extensively testing and researching the best wellness products, including Zoe test. Our goal is to find the best brands who care about your well-being and help people live better lives. We evaluate supplements based on their adherence to quality, and their latest medical evidence.

We often ask ourselves a simple question: would we buy the product for ourselves and recommend it to our family and friends? This review is medically reviewed and thoroughly vetted by Amy Bells, our in-house dietian nutritionist, wellness expert and product tester herself!

What Is The Zoe Test?

First of all, we know you are itching to know everything there is to find out about the Zoe test kit. You might say ‘an apple a day, keeps the doctor away’, however, if you’ve ever actually tried this, you’ll know this to not be quite so true, and Zoe knows it’s not that simple either.

Aside from genetics, every person can have unpredictable responses to food, allergies are a thing that can cause chaos when we are trying to be healthy and change our eating habits.

The gut microbe is something that is responsible for ensuring that we keep a healthy heart, brain, and immune system. And so, if we do not take care of our metabolic health we can become more susceptible to conditions such as diabetes, and chronic heart disease.

While so many nutritional experts and doctors will state that weight is the biggest culprit, Zoe believes that it is all about our inner biology, and we can kind of see their point.

After all, no one gains weight for the same reasons, in the same way, and not everyone can lose weight the same way, so it has more to do with what is going on with our biology than simply weight.

Zoe will take a magnifying glass and stare at your microbial health to give you a rundown on what you should look for in terms of your eating habits.

This means that you can differentiate between the good and the bad gut bugs, and therefore switch your diet to better improve your internal system.

All you need to get started is one of their health tests.

A Zoe Overview

Before we leap in with all the nitty-gritty details on how this all works, let’s take a quick look at the brand as a whole.

Firstly, Zoe is not a singular person, they are a brand. Zoe is actually a Greek term which means ‘life’.

While you may look at Zoe and think a woman heads this brand, it was actually founded by three men Tim Spector, Johnathan Wolf, and George Hadjigeorgiou, in 2017.

Tim Spector had an interest in the interaction between genes and gut microbes. He took a microscope and took a good look at the cell biology of 13,000 twins.

He was shocked to discover that identical twins often had different reactions to food, despite their genetics being the same.

Inspired by this, he teamed up with his cofounders to ultimately put their backgrounds in technology to good use, and make something of these findings.

Using the brain power of a team of nutrition researchers, they made their official debut online, with their headquarters in London.

They wanted to help people understand more about their health, taking people on a rollercoaster ride to understand their individual metabolism and their genetic makeup.

This means that after involvement with Zoe, you might actually find it easier to make decisions that are good for you when you shop for groceries.

They made a statement, directed towards people who need their help;

“We believe that the first step to reaching your best health is to discover how your body works, and then retrain your biology from the inside out. By avoiding dietary inflammation and improving your gut health, the Zoe program can help you unlock energy, manage your hunger, your weight, and acquire your best health naturally.”

That last line is something that everyone wants and needs to hear when they have been struggling with their health.

Now, before we go on to explain how this all works, let’s have a gander at some of the pros and cons of Zoe.

Pros

Zoe is designed to be easily accessible and discreet.
Customers can easily monitor eating habits to track their gut health simply by using a mobile app.
Those who use Zoe can make efforts to reduce any dietary inflammation and increase their overall well-being simply by using the Zoe online test.
Members who join are assigned a coach who will help guide them through their results.
The tests are backed up by the latest advancements in technology and cutting edge science.

Cons

Orders are all final sale.
You will need to request access as it is currently backlogged.
The service is only available in certain states.
The Zoe online testing kit is rather pricey, however they are working on lowering these costs.

How Does It Work?

Modern human life has a very complex, and not particularly great, relationship with food. Many of us have a brief understanding of the food pyramid, but there is a good chance that the discussions about microbial health are shoved aside.

Instead of thinking about the more complex areas of eating and health, we tend to think about the involvement of cards, proteins, and products that are high in minerals and vitamins.

What Zoe does is help us to reevaluate the deepest core of our eating habits. They offer an at-home test which will analyze the microbiome of your gut, as well as blood sugar levels, and your body fat percentage. All this is done with the power of muffins.

They are carefully formulated to integrate the right amount of carbs, proteins, oils, and calories. They will send you a batch of these tasty treats in the name of biology… who can say no to that!

Their recipe contains plain vanilla, and you care not to add in any extras to this, not even a singular blueberry or almond!

Then you will use a continuous glucose monitor or a CGM, which will prick at your skin to take a blood sample, it’s painless and fast. It will then monitor your sugar levels for two weeks to get an understanding of how your body handles carbs.

Now is the more gross part, they will need a stool sample to find out what kinds of bugs (bacteria) lurk in your fecal matter. They use shotgun metagenomics and can therefore identify the bacteria that is essential, from the destructive.

Once they have received these samples, you wait 6 weeks to get your personal report, a bit like going back to school, however, instead of grades, this is for your health.

This report card will detail how your body responds to different food types and give you information on your microbial health.

This will also disclose any dietary sensitivity levels as well as scoring for meals for the muffins. You can also compare your stats with those of others on their database, and you can see just how different everyone is.

Aside from all the fun, you will also get an important personalized insight for your microbiome health score.

What this means is, you will get a view of your gut bacteria, and a recommended list of foods that will help to increase your metabolism, and a list of foods to steer clear of to prevent harmful microorganisms.

Sounds a bit intense, right? Well, don’t worry, you will get a personal coach who will talk you through these results.

Once you have your results, you will also get a 4 weeks plan that will help you improve your health. It is a bit similar to Weight Watchers in that way.

In their app, the foods you will get will help you to increase your Zoe microbiome score. You will also be able to see how each thing you eat affects your blood sugar and fat levels!

The Testing Kit

Zoe spoils you for choice between their two testing kit options. You can either get the premium plan, or the plus program.

Both of these offer; a gut microbiome test, blood sugar and fat tests with the muffins included, the Zoe app with a microbiome score included and a personal 4-week program.

The premium plan offers 8 hours of coaching on top, which will provide you with direct support and help you to reach your goals.

Sadly, as it currently stands, this brand is only available including the contiguous USA, except for New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. But they do have a waiting list for those who really want to sign up, so all is not lost.

How Much Is It?

Since Zoe offers two different plans, there are two different price options available. If you go for the premium version, you will pay more but get more. If you are on a budget, then you will pay much less, but will miss out on the coach.

The Zoe Premium option will cost $149 per month for 6 months, equaling a total of $894.

The Zoe Plus option will cost you $59 per month for 6 months, which will equal $354 in total.

You can also settle your bill as a one-off payment, taking the hit in one go, however note that both of these programs are not FSA eligible, but they are looking to work on this in the future.

What Other Customers Are Saying About Zoe?

Putting all the technical talk away, we know you want to know what customers think about Zoe. What do people who have bought from Zoe think of their service? From what we can understand, this wellness service seems to be worth the cash.

They also want you to know that people are benefiting, and so they have a separate category on their site just for people to share their success stories!

Here are some of the interesting factors we have found.

57% of participants report an increase in the levels of energy they have.
88% of participants didn’t experience any insatiable hunger 12 weeks after following the Zoe app.
Some others have also reported a very significant reduction in weight.

Euro NCAP also gave Zoe a full five-star rating too, an

Let’s take a look at a few of these success stories, shall we?

Wayne said: “Because the ZOE plan is so personalized, I have really been able to feel the impact it’s had on me. I’ve lost weight, but even more important to me, I’m healthier and feel a whole lot better!”

Fernando on Trustpilot says: “This is exactly what everyone should do. Following general guidelines might lead you to a somewhat healthy life, but you are shooting in the dark because you don’t know how your own unique body responds to certain foods. With this, you get a perfectly clear view of what works and doesn’t work for your body and you can make your decisions from there. 100% recommended to anyone invested in their health.”

Journalists have even been trying out the service to see how it works, and they all seem to be happy with the results too.

The biggest complaints seem to be to do with the wait times for their results, some people finding the wait times long. Others have also found the report to be a bit confusing in terms of what is the right thing to eat.

One Trustpilot reviewer said: “I’ve been waiting 3 months for results that were supposed to take 4-6 weeks. Only response from ‘customer service’ is it will be ready in 2 weeks. They’ve been saying that for 6 weeks.”

Is It Really All That Worth It?

If you are in a bit of a dietary slump, then we would recommend giving Zoe a try. When we try to eat healthy and do what’s best for ourselves, half the time we are really just crossing our fingers and hoping what we do works.

However, this doesn’t always work, sometimes we just need to understand our bodies a bit better, and that is what Zoe offers.

When it comes to understanding how our bodies work with different foods, it is like a blind spot, we can’t see what goes on within us, and our organs do not talk to us directly, so… how can we know?

Unless you are an expert on health and know exactly what your body needs, there is no way of knowing how your body will react until it has entered your body and either helped or wrought chaos.

Zoe gives you a microscopic look into your microbial health, and helps to paint a personalized and finite picture about what you should be eating to the best benefit you.

It might seem like an unnecessary cost right now, but members do seem to have a better chance at enhancing their wellbeing, increasing their energy, and have a higher probability of shedding those extra pounds.

Realistically, something so personalized and direct is simply miles ahead of generic nutritional advice and pricey dieting programs that are not tailored to you.

When you choose their premium plan, if you are frustrated with your complex relationship with dieting and planning your meals, the experts and your advisor can really help you.

Not to mention how great it is that you engage in this entire progress by eating muffins… What better way is there to start a diet!

They also have plenty of other services as well, which you can find on their website in relation to health and wellbeing, such as a Covid symptom tracker that they started up in the UK.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that we know most of what there is to know about the Zoe test, we are sure you will have many more questions.

To help you further with your decision on whether you want to use Zoe, we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about Zoe.

What Is The Shipping Policy For Zoe?

There does not seem to be any information regarding their shipping policy available. If you have any burning questions, we would recommend contacting their customer service team directly from their website.

Does Zoe Have A Returns’ Policy?

All of the at-home testing kits with Zoe are considered to be a final sale. This simply means that they do not offer refunds.

However, if you receive a sampling kit which is defective, they urge you to reach out to their customer service team so that you can effectively arrange a solution to the problem.

Can I Cancel My Subscription To Zoe?

As far as we can understand, you cannot cancel your subscription to Zoe, unless your order has not been fully processed yet.

They say that preparation will typically take 24-48 hours after you have completed your order. If you have signed up for a research study, however, you are free to leave whenever you wish.

Is My Data Secure With Zoe?

Zoe takes data security very seriously, as well as your privacy policy. Rest assured that your information will be stored securely. You can view the full Zoe privacy policy on their website.

Do I Need To Have A Smartphone To Access Zoe?

For those who do not own a smartphone but want to invest in Zoe, you may need to purchase a smartphone first, as the Zoe test and insights app are only available on iOS devices such as iPhones or iPads with an iOS version 12 or later.

They are still working to make these available for Android devices currently.

Can I Use Zoe If I Have A Medical Condition?

Zoe does not diagnose, prevent, or treat any diseases, even if they are metabolic or inflammatory.

If you have any conditions, you should speak to your physician before you join Zoe. They will, however, factor some conditions into their advice, including medications for diabetes and heart disease.

Sadly, if you have a gut disease such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or celiac disease then you are not eligible.

How Do I Contact Zoe?

If you wish to contact Zoe, you can do so through email, filling out their message form online, or go directly to their website.

Our Zoe Test Review