Considering a food sensitivity test? Here are a few important things you should know before deciding whether to test and obtaining the full benefit of testing.

Leaky Gut is the Main Cause of Food Sensitivities

Intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, is the main cause of the development of food sensitivities.  Impaired digestive function and acid reflux allows undigested food to enter the digestive tract creating an environment for intestinal permeability. This undigested food can then pass through the wall of the small intestine. Outside of the intestines, the body’s immune system perceives this food as a foreign substance and starts to make antibodies against it stimulating an immune response. Once the immune response is active, each time you eat the food, inflammation will occur in the gut and can lead to an imbalance in the microbiome.

By optimizing digestion the food sensitivities may resolve.  Typically a patient will be better able to determine which foods are causing reactions when the digestive system is functioning better. It is very hard to determine what foods may be setting you off when the stomach is upset all the time.  However, the upside to testing food sensitivities is by removing them can alleviate symptoms and lower inflammation as we work on the leaky gut. These responses can be delayed up to 48-72 hours after ingesting the food, making it hard to identify the culprit.

You may decide to do a functional stool test first or in conjunction with a food sensitivity test. My favorite is the Gut Zoomer as this comprehensive digestive health stool test assesses bacteria, yeast, viruses, and parasites as well as relevant digestive and inflammatory markers. And includes hundreds of species of microbes in the gut microbiome. Additionally, If IgA is elevated on a functional stool test, then it indicates the probability of food sensitivities.

Both the Gut Zoomer and Food Sensitivity panel can be ordered from our online lab portal or by contacting us.  Another favorite is the Wheat Zoomer which assesses sensitivity to wheat, autoimmune disease, and intestinal permeability as well as checks for lipopolysaccharide (LPS).  (LPS is an endotoxin that can cause disruption of hormones and has been implicated in endometriosis.) If you suspect you have wheat sensitivity, intestinal permeability, autoimmune disorders, hormonal imbalances or chronic inflammation, you may benefit from this panel.

Both IgA and IgG Antibodies are Important

Food intolerances or sensitivities are an immune response to either immunoglobulin G (IgG) or immunoglobulin A (IgA). Most tests only provide IgG antibodies, but the IgA antibodies indicate possible mucosal damage from food as our IgA antibodies provide protection from mucosal damage. Since IgA is our first line of defense, it could indicate a newer sensitivity whereas IgG could indicate it has been going on for awhile. It is beneficial to have both IgA and IgG antibodies as only testing IgG it may miss some newer sensitivities.

Different from a food sensitivity, a food allergy would be an immune response to immunoglobulin E (IgE) and is typically an immediate response. It is important to also rule these out if you are having an immediate response to a food.

Ensure Raw Organic Antigen Testing at Protein Level

Ensure the lab test is using the raw organic antigen at the protein level for the foods. If it is not it may affect the variability of the test. This is more expensive for labs to utilize for their proteins, but it is important to find out ahead of time.

After Food Sensitivity Testing

Here are a few options for you to consider once you’ve tested:

Avoid foods

For 6 weeks, strictly avoid foods that you test positive to sensitivities.  Then, slowly add them back in 1 at a time waiting 4 days between adding another avoidance food while keeping a journal of symptoms. The food must be strictly avoided for the 6 weeks to help lower the immune response, and this takes discipline to accomplish.

Rotation diets

In general, we should be eating a rotated diet- meaning not eating the same foods day after day. This helps prevent food sensitivities as well as provides well rounded nutrition for the body. I very rarely recommend a rotation diet for food sensitivities unless someone has significant low level sensitivities. Mainly as this is hard to do and does not fix the issue. However, it can help lower inflammation.

NAET® (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique)

NAET is a gentle, non-invasive allergy treatment that uses a combination of Eastern acupressure techniques that can help alleviate sensitivities and allergies. When the body comes into contact with an allergen, the nervous system is the first to be triggered. The nervous system then triggers an immune response. NAET removes the nervous system response to an allergen and therefore lowers histamines and the immune system response. For food sensitivity treatments, the food just needs to be avoided for 25 hours after treatment and it is cleared.

If you would like to order food sensitivity testing or a stool test visit our online lab ordering portal or contact us for guidance to the find the root cause of your issues. Our favorite lab test bundle: Gut Zoomer + Wheat Zoomer + Food Sensitivities (96 foods) for $750 (the bundle saves $450 versus ordering them individually.)  Click here to order the bundle.