Feeling crappy after you’ve eaten something lately? Experience break-outs after eating out at your favorite restaurant? Perhaps something just isn’t sitting well in your belly? Well then, consider the possibility that you may just have a food sensitivity.
You’re probably thinking “…So you’re saying I’m allergic to something?”
Well, no, not exactly!
Food sensitivities and food allergies are two very different things. When you experience a food sensitivity or an intolerance, your body may react in an unpleasant, but non life threatening, way.
Common Symptoms:
Consider this list of potential symptoms caused by food sensitivity:
- Gas, stomach pains, and major bloating
- Constipation or diarrhea, or worse
constipation AND diarrhea - Heart burn
- Depression, mood swings, nail biting anxiety
- Getting glazed over look after you eat
- Hyperactivity and ADHD
- Acne, flaky dry skin
- Pain in your joints and limbs
- Infections that won’t seem to go away
- Sinusitis AKA mind blowing sinus pain and blockage
Top Food Sensitivity Foods:
As well, consider the top allergenic foods present in our society today:
- Peanut
- Tree nuts
- Milk
- Egg
- Wheat
- Soy
- Fish
- Shellfish
Determining Your Food Sensitivity
So you’ve realized that you can identify with a few of the above symptoms, and there seems to be a link to your diet. What now? You can always begin with a process of elimination (“The Elimination Diet”), more on this later. Or perhaps you just save time (and your sanity) and opt for an IgG test.
What the heck does IgG mean?
The easiest and most concise method to determine your potential food sensitivity is using a quick IgG (aka: Immunoglobulin G) blood test. IgG is an antibody that is present in your body when you have a reaction to a food sensitivity.
On the flip side when your body comes in contact with a food that you have a true allergy to, an IgE antibody is released. An IgE (aka: Immunoglobulin E) reaction is much more serious than the symptoms listed above. An example of this would be going into anaphylactic shock after consuming peanuts.
Although the true allergy (IgE) elicits a more intense immediate response, a food sensitivity (IgG) should not be taken lightly, as it will still raises health havoc in your body. IgG antibodies tend to hang around for a few days after your body comes in contact with an allergen. This explains why you may not begin to feel crummy after eating gluten until a few days later (also known as a delayed reaction).
The IgG Test
Using a small pinprick, a few droplets of blood are collected and then sent to a lab. At the lab, the blood is tested for the presence of IgG antibodies to specific foods. IgG tests usually cover 120 – 220 commonly eaten foods and can even include an extra list of spices and herbs. Click here to find out more about the IgG testing service I offer today!
My IgG Test
I like to be my own personal guinea pig and test everything I practice and preach. Once certified to administer and interpret these tests, I decided it would be prudent to test myself first. In 10 days, my test results came back from the lab and would change the course of my eating habits for good. All my scores were quite low, until it came to one of my favourite breakfast foods – EGGS!
Here’s a snapshot of my results.
Eggs have become one of the top food allergens plaguing North America today. Unfortunately, I had to cut them out of my diet, but to be honest, I haven’t felt better since. My skin got much clearer and my energy levels improved dramatically. This test gave me deeper understanding of my body, and how best to feed it for optimal health.
If you don’t want to make the investment in an IgG test, the “Elimination Diet” is always an option.
What is “The Elimination Diet”?
The Elimination Diet is a holistic, natural, free way to test for a food sensitivity. However, it does take a lot of patience and will power to get through. This diet not only requires that you cut out common culprits all at once, but then slowly reintroduce them back into your diet. One by one each food is added back, to determine which is responsible for your symptoms.
How To Elimination Diet
- The elimination diet process begins with adopting six weeks of a hypoallergenic, anti-inflammatory diet. Eliminating: eggs, dairy/milk, wheat/gluten, corn, and soy is mandatory here.
- After six grueling weeks, you start reintroducing each item back into your diet one at a time. This is important! Jumping back in to eating everything again will defeat the purpose of this exercise.
- As you add back in the restricted items one at a time, pay attention to any symptoms you might experience. I recommend keeping a journal. Give yourself about a week with each food. This provides the body ample time to adjust. Keep adding things in until you determine the culprit and then cut it out of your diet for good!
Example: Perhaps you experience stomach cramps and a sudden urge to visit the bathroom after drinking milk? Then you may have a sensitivity to dairy. Sorry, if the cheese makes you go, then the cheese has to go!
There are some drawbacks to this method though. While it can help you determine a food sensitivity, it may not reveal multiple sensitivities right away. This may take many more rounds of practicing the Elimination Diet.
My Verdict
While the DIY Elimination Diet can be a great way to self-diagnosis your potential food sensitivity, it takes much more time, energy and effort to get through. IgG food sensitivity testing is more clear and direct about potential food sensitivities. The test also covers a diverse range of potential food sensitivities, with the benefit of getting your results much faster.
Aside from my own experience, as a practitioner, I have had great success using IgG testing to uncover my clients food sensitivities. I send all my tests to a certified lab in Alberta and results are provided back to my clients in less than two weeks.
If you feel that a food sensitivity may be the root cause of your health issue let’s get you tested. Please don’t hesitate to contact me to schedule your IgG test today.
Do you have an interesting food sensitivity or reaction, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
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I’m Elle! A Toronto-based Holistic Nutritionist. I’m a multi-passionate woman, but nutrition and understanding how the body works is really my passion. Through my own personal journey, I have trained my body to heal itself using strategic, natural tools and techniques. Now I’m ready to help others!
As a new Mom, I understand that wellbeing is a journey. I hope my expertise will inspire other parents to choose nutrient-rich foods and the right products to create a happy, healthy and sustainable home. Click Here to Continue Reading
