With so many potential toxins in our food, how are we supposed to know if what we are eating is safe for us? It’s a major problem, especially for people who suffer from food allergies. However, a revolutionary new piece of tech might solve this troublesome dilemma.

Isabell Hoffman’s daughter had to take weeks off school when the family moved into Europe. She had been experiencing hives, low blood pressure, tremors and light sensitivity – and nobody knew why.

That was until a doctor diagnosed Hoffmann’s daughter with mold toxicity. The mold in question was Aspergillus Penicillium, which causes severe allergic reactions and sensitivity to gluten, dioxins and other allergens. “We went back home and tested the house and learned we had high doses of Aspergillus and Penicillium mold in the bedroom,” said Hoffman.

That’s when I thought, ‘Oh my God, how many people go through life suffering so much? And almost giving up — with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia — and resigning themselves to what they have, without a hope to be better?’

She then decided to use her entrepreneurial know-how to produce a gadget that “should be able to point at food and tell what food it is — if it has gluten, if it has dioxins — or point at the wall to see if the wall has mold and, if so, what kind. Point at the air we breathe and see if it has pollution, and so on.”

And you know what, she actually did it.

TellSpec is a spectrometer that can reveal the ingredients of whatever you point it at, and then relay this information to an accompanying smartphone app.

It’s useful for anyone with allergies, but can also help dieters. Set yourself a daily calorie limit, scan each meal before you eat it, and TellSpec will inform you when you’ve had enough.

Brought to you by Butler’s Pizza

[Source : Mashable]