It’s 2019. Surely by now you have heard about food sensitivity testing!
What you may not have yet heard is how vitally important they are. We can exercise, eat what we think is healthy for our bodies and drink plenty of water, but unless we are sure that even vegetables aren’t harming us, we may be taking one step forward and two steps back! Take it from me, it can be so discouraging to do what SHOULD work but still continue to feel drained, bloated and defeated. I mean, carrots should be good for you…right? For me, it’s a different story.
Let me digress…
What is a food sensitivity?
Food sensitivities are our bodies reaction to the levels of IgG antibodies in foods. In other words, each food item has a certain protein structure and our bodies have a defense system to the protein structures that it doesn’t like. A food sensitivity reaction may present itself up to 48 hours after contact or consumption. That serves as one reason many people aren’t familiar or don’t realize that they have a sensitivity to something. We normally consume a lot of food in a 48 hour window, (I know I do!) which makes it hard to tell what gives us discomfort and what doesn’t.
If you have food sensitivities and you ignore them, they can cause a serious condition that is known as “leaky gut”. Leaky gut is what happens when foods that are reacting to you negatively cause you high levels of inflammation and cause foods to not break down properly. When that happens, your food doesn’t get digested properly and start to break down the walls of your intestines, causing food particles to poison your blood stream. Once the food particles escape your intestines, your immune system creates antibodies to fight the protein. This reaction is what is measured to determine the sensitivity.
MANY symptoms can come from a food sensitivity reaction, they include but certainly aren’t limited to:
- Acne
- Brain Fog
- Eczema
- Abdominal Pain
- Bloating
- Dry Itchy Skin
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Joint Pain
- Acid Reflux
- Heartburn
- Gas
- IBS
- Migraines
- Depression/Anxiety
- Irritability/Mood Swings
- Runny Nose
- Excess Mucus/Ear Wax
- Pale Dull Complexion
- Dark Circles/Bags Under Eyes
What is the difference between a food allergy and a food sensitivity?
Unlike some food allergies, food sensitivities are not life threatening. That doesn’t mean that they can’t certainly cause a stink in our daily lives (pun intended). Unfortunately, food sensitivities are becoming more and more common. Another common difference between an allergy and a sensitivity is a food allergy reaction normally shows itself shortly after consumption or contact with the food, whereas a food sensitivity reaction may come up to 48 hours after contact or consumption.
The 8 most common food sensitivies:
- Dairy
- Gluten
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Shellfish
- Corn
- Soy
- Beef, Pork & Lamb
Why should I get tested? Can’t I just do an elimination diet?
The answer is you CAN, but remember when I said that it could take up to 48 hours to get any symptoms and every food has a reaction to us? That means when you log what you eat, you have to be mindful of everything that you eat and the more you eat in a day, the less likely you will be able to determine what particular food caused your symptoms. A successful elimination diet also includes a strict limit on foods for up to 6 weeks and THEN slowly introducing foods back into your meals.
I had started my health journey by using the elimination diet. It helped me to lose some extra pounds and feel better in many ways. As recommended, I began reintroducing foods slowly and figured out my sensitivity to gluten, dairy and soy but that process took so long I just added the rest of the foods to my diet at once and moved on.
It was after that when I was introduced to food sensitivity testing. When I got tested for foods sensitivities, I was shocked by some of the foods that were tested that I was sensitive to!
What does a positive test result to having food sensitivities mean?
Once you receive your results, you will know your reactivity to 96 different foods. THEN, you can use your own form of the elimination diet to not only know, but feel how each food reacts to you.
If you test high to foods that you eat more often, the chances are it is a true sensitivity and there isn’t necessarily a reason to try reintroducing it. If it is something you only eat occasionally, there is a chance of reversal in the effects of its sensitivity.
Wow! How do I get tested?
- Use my link to get your kit and receive 20% off https://refer.everlywell.com/s/Katelyn23
- Your kit will be mailed directly to your door
- Use the barcode included to register your kit online
- Complete a simple finger prick collection and use included prepaid shipping to send back
- A board certified physician will review your results
- You will receive your results securely in days
- Be happy! Now you can take control of your health!