By Shelby Newman
We’re all familiar with the food pyramid – grains on the bottom, sweets on top, and everything else in between. But did you know that not everyone is able to tolerate the standard diet plan you learned about in first grade? Everyone’s body responds differently to foods – while a hard-boiled egg might be the perfect protein-packed pre-workout snack for Sally, it might cause Cindy to feel sluggish, tired, or just downright bad. You’re body can have sensitivities to even the most healthy and natural food, like avocados or blueberries, which is why taking a food sensitivity test is the perfect solution for anyone looking to find out which foods are best for their body, and which ones should be avoided.
Before you grab a kit for yourself, understand that food sensitivities and food allergies are not the same, and neither are their tests. A food allergy is an often life threatening response from the immune system, and the tests for this must be conducted under the care of a trained medical professional. Food sensitivity, on the other hand, is less severe and is usually caused by the digestive system. Food sensitivities are known to cause unpleasant symptoms, ranging from moderate to almost undetectable in some people. Additionally, symptoms don’t typically show up immediately, making it difficult to identify the culprits on your own.
Fortunately, many health care providers and virtual mail kits offer services to test your body’s sensitivity to a wide array of food types to help
determine the best and worst foods for your personal diet. The most popular test comes in the form of a blood or finger prick test. The results are reported back to you in an easy to understand format, usually color coded, outlining the degree of sensitivity the patient has to each individual food or food type. Unfortunately, the growing concept of food sensitivity testing is still new, and there is uncertainty about the validity of the results. Don’t let this deter you from trying it for yourself, as much of this uncertainty stems from the tendency of food sensitivities to change overtime, making it difficult to pinpoint the cause of sensitivity when it can be grown out of. Many patients reported success after testing for a type of immunoglobulin G in the blood that most food sensitivity tests look for when diagnosing patients. Higher levels of immunoglobulin G are consistent with irregular immune system activity and hence, abnormal sensitivities to certain foods or food groups.
The results of a food sensitivity test can give you the power to control how your diet makes you feel, and change life for the better by revealing food sensitivities that you might have never realized you had. Whether you’re looking to solve the mystery of your daily digestive trouble, or you’re simply curious to learn more about bettering your body, food sensitivity testing is worth a try.
