As a clinical nutritionist who has worked with clients of all different ages, conditions, and needs, I know how powerful understanding your lab results and blood work can be for creating a personalized health plan.. Lab tests can provide valuable information as to dietary and supplementation choices that would be beneficial for you, uniquely.
But how do you put lab results to use if you don’t know how to read them?
Most of my clients find that reading labs feels overwhelming. The numbers, abbreviations, and reference ranges may seem like a foreign language, leaving them unsure about what to do next. But understanding your blood work is one of the most empowering steps you can take toward optimal health.
In this guide, I’ll break down the most common lab markers, explain what they reveal about your body, and show you how to create a customizable plan based on your results, so you can take control of your health with confidence.
What You’ll Learn in This Lab Results Guide:
- Why Lab Results Matter
- Common Lab Categories & What They Reveal
- How to Read Your Lab Results Like a Pro
- Creating a Customizable Plan Based on Your Results
- When & Why to Retest
Why Understanding Your Lab Results Matters
Lab results aren’t just numbers; they’re windows into your body’s unique needs and how it’s functioning under the surface. While standard labs often focus on whether you fall within a general “normal” range, functional health labs go a step further. They are designed to detect subtle imbalances and patterns that might not yet show up as symptoms but can significantly impact energy, mood, metabolism, and overall wellness.
With functional labs, you can gain insight into key areas such as nutrient status, hormone balance, metabolic function, inflammation, and gut health. This information allows you to proactively address areas that need support, rather than waiting for symptoms to appear.
By learning to interpret your results, you can make informed, data-driven decisions about your diet, exercise, sleep, and supplementation. This empowers you to create a health plan that is truly tailored to your physiology, giving you clarity, confidence, and a roadmap to optimize your well-being over time.
Function Health is my go-to spot for lab testing. They offer a wide range of tests along with personalized tools and guidance. They make it easy to know exactly where you stand and the next steps to take after assessing results.
5 Common Lab Categories & What They Reveal
Function Health labs give a deeper look into the body, helping you understand how different systems are functioning and how to take targeted action.
Here’s a breakdown of the most common lab categories and what you can learn from them:
1. Complete Blood Count (CBC):
A CBC measures red and white blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit.
- What it reveals: Variations can indicate anemia, infection, or immune system challenges.
- Why it matters: Tracking CBC markers over time shows how your body is responding to lifestyle changes, recovery, or supplementation.
- Function Health tip: Use trends, not single values, to adjust nutrition or recovery strategies, like iron-rich foods or stress reduction techniques, before deficiencies impact daily energy.
2. Metabolic & Lipid Panels:
These panels include glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides.
What it reveals: Shows how your body manages energy, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular function.
Why it matters: Understanding your trends allows you to fine-tune diet and exercise to stabilize blood sugar, support heart health, and prevent long-term metabolic issues.
Function Health tip: Look beyond a single “normal” reading. Functional ranges can help identify early imbalances and guide personalized meal planning or supplement support.
3. Hormone Panels:
Hormone testing often includes sex hormones, thyroid hormones, and cortisol.
- What it reveals: Imbalances can affect mood, energy, metabolism, sleep, and reproductive health.
- Why it matters: Interpreting your hormones in context: age, menstrual cycle, stress levels, helps pinpoint what adjustments will truly support your health.
- Function Health tip: Functional ranges can reveal subtle dysregulation that standard labs may miss, allowing targeted interventions like nutrient support, stress management, or lifestyle tweaks.
4. Nutrient & Vitamin Panels:
These tests cover key nutrients like Vitamin D, B12, magnesium, and iron.
- What it reveals: Deficiencies or excesses can impact energy, cognitive function, and overall wellness.
Why it matters: Understanding nutrient status allows you to prioritize foods, supplements, and habits that directly support your physiology. -
Function Health tip: Function Health provides insights into how your nutrient levels interact with metabolic and hormonal markers, helping you create a truly personalized plan.
5. Inflammation & Immune Markers:
Markers like CRP, ESR, and ferritin show inflammation levels.
- What it reveals: Chronic inflammation can influence energy, recovery, and long-term health outcomes.
- Why it matters: Identifying low-level inflammation early helps you address it through diet, movement, sleep, and stress management before it becomes a bigger concern.
- Function Health tip: Functional labs highlight subtle trends over time, giving you the opportunity to make precise adjustments, like anti-inflammatory foods or targeted supplements, tailored to your body’s needs.
Lab testing takes the guesswork out of your health journey choices. By understanding your results, tracking trends over time, and using functional lab insights like those from Function Health, you can make informed decisions about diet, exercise, supplementation, and lifestyle habits.
From there, you can create a truly comprehensive, tailored, and targeted plan that’s personalized to your body and your goals.
How to Read Your Lab Results Like a Pro
When you’re looking at lab results, it’s tempting to fixate on individual numbers, especially the ones highlighted in red. But functional lab testing isn’t about chasing “perfect” labs. It’s about understanding patterns and what your body is communicating over time.
Here’s how to approach your labs with clarity, confidence, and a trained eye.
- Start with the Reference Range: Every lab includes a reference range that defines what’s considered “normal” for that specific test and lab. Note that functional lab tests often use different reference ranges than conventional lab tests. This is because we’re shooting for optimal health.
- Flag What’s Out of Range, Calmly: If a result is marked high or low, note it for further evaluation, but resist jumping to conclusions. One out-of-range value does not equal a diagnosis or a problem that needs fixing immediately. It’s simply a data point. An invitation to ask better questions and consider how that data point might relate to others.
- Always Interpret Results in Context: Labs never exist in a vacuum. Age, sex, menstrual status, pregnancy, postpartum, stress levels, sleep, training load, medications, supplements, and even the timing of the blood draw all influence results. What may be appropriate for one person or one life stage may be completely different for another.
- Look for Trends, Not Snapshots: A single lab test is just that: a snapshot in time. True insight comes from observing trends across multiple tests and over a period of time. Is a value slowly creeping up? Consistently trending low? Improving with targeted support? Patterns over time tell the real story of how your body is adapting, improving, or struggling.
- The Big Picture Matters Most: Functional lab interpretation is about synthesis, not fear. Numbers gain meaning only when they’re viewed together, over time, and in the context of how you actually feel. One “abnormal” result doesn’t define your health. But patterns can guide powerful, personalized change.
Read your labs like a professional: curious, grounded, and focused on the whole picture. Not just single numbers.
How to Build a Personalized Health Plan from Your Lab Results
The key is personalization. Use your results to create a plan that works for your unique physiology and lifestyle. Once you understand your lab results, the next step is building a plan tailored to your body. Here’s how to translate data into action:
- Nutrition: Adjust your diet to address deficiencies or imbalances. Prioritize meals that combine protein, healthy fats, fiber, and nutrient-dense greens to support energy, metabolic health, and recovery.
- Exercise: Your labs can guide the type and intensity of physical activity. For example, metabolic markers may suggest whether your body responds better to strength training, cardio, or a mix.
- Stress and Sleep: Lab results can reflect the impact of chronic stress or poor sleep on hormone levels and inflammation. Focus on routines, mindfulness, and restorative practices to support balance.
- Targeted Supplementation: Certain nutrients like vitamin D, magnesium, or omega-3s can be added strategically based on what your labs reveal. Functional labs like those from Function Health make it easier to identify precise gaps and monitor effectiveness over time.
- Personalization is key: Every body is unique. Your plan should evolve with you as you retest, adjust, and refine strategies that actually work.
By combining these steps, you’re no longer guessing, you’re taking control with a plan grounded in real data.
Tools to Support Your Personalized Plan:
Once you’ve reviewed your labs, outlined your goals, and created a plan, having the right tools makes staying consistent so much easier.
These Be Well by Kelly resources are designed to support blood sugar balance, steady energy, and long-term habit change. No overwhelm. Never anything complicated. Just simple, sustainable practices that are easy to implement and incredibly impactful.
- Fab Four Smoothie + Be Well Protein Powders: The Fab Four Smoothie is one of the simplest ways to support hormone health, metabolism, and cravings by stabilizing blood sugar. Pairing the formula (protein, fat, fiber, greens) with Be Well Protein Powders gives you a clean, easy, effortless option that keeps you full and energized for hours. Perfect for busy mornings or as a post-workout recovery tool.
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Fab Four Essentials: These Essentials are foundational supplements that complement what your labs reveal. Be Well Magnesium is for sleep and stress support. Essential Amino Acids and Creatine help fill nutritional gaps and support metabolic, cognitive, and hormonal health. Be Well supplements are intentionally simple so you can build a plan without the overwhelm.
- For my supplement list, check out my Supplement Guide.
- Fab Four Guides: If you’re ready to turn insight into action, the Fab Four Guides walk you through step-by-step routines for meals, snacks, travel, and everyday wellness. They help translate your lab data into practical habits like what to eat, how to structure your day, and how to stay consistent with ease. These are basically a compilation of all the lessons I teach my clients!
Together, these Be Well tools give you structure, clarity, and sustainable daily support as you implement your personalized plan.
Tracking Progress and When to Retest
Tracking your labs isn’t a one-and-done situation. It’s an ongoing conversation with your body. Comparing functional lab results alongside lifestyle changes helps identify what works and where adjustments are needed for your personalized health plan.
Here’s how to make the most of it:
- Use a tracking system you’ll actually stick to. This could be a spreadsheet, a notes app, a wellness journal, or a platform like Function Health that stores and trends your results automatically. No effort needed.
- Record reference ranges and dates. Knowing what’s considered optimal and when the test was taken helps you understand shifts and progress.
- Focus on trends, not isolated numbers. One out-of-range marker isn’t always a red flag, but consistent upward or downward movement is worth noting.
- Track lifestyle changes alongside lab shifts. Pair your results with notes on sleep, workouts, stress, supplements, illness, and diet. This is how you identify what’s actually working.
- Retest intentionally. For most people, retesting every 6-12 months is ideal, but certain markers (like thyroid, iron, or Vitamin D) may need shorter intervals depending on symptoms or your practitioner’s guidance.
- Pay attention to how you feel. Your energy, mood, digestion, and recovery are just as important as the numbers. Labs should validate and inform your lived experience. Not override your intuition.
Working With a Practitioner
While you can learn a ton on your own, partnering with a knowledgeable practitioner can accelerate your progress. A functional medicine doctor, nutritionist, or health coach can help you:
- Connect lab patterns to symptoms
- Identify deeper root causes
- Prioritize what to address first
- Build a strategy that works with your lifestyle
Bringing your labs, especially when they’re organized and tracked, leads to more productive appointments and clearer action steps. I’ve personally found that my Function Health labs have been incredibly enriching to my in-person appointments with my health care practitioner.
The Bottom Line on Understanding Your Lab Results
Interpreting your lab results and tracking patterns over time empowers you to create a personalized health plan grounded in data, supporting energy, cognitive function, and overall wellness. By interpreting your numbers, monitoring trends, and building a plan tailored to your unique physiology, you take the guesswork out of wellness and step into true, data-driven self-care.
If you’re ready to turn your lab results into a real, actionable plan, Function Health is the easiest place to start. Join for $365/year (only $1 a day!) and get access to comprehensive testing and clear explanations delivered directly to your dashboard.
Visit functionhealth.com and use code BEWELL25 for $25 toward your membership.
