Chronic ailments can be a thorn in anyone’s side, but did you know that the foods you eat might actually be causing your symptoms? Food allergies and sensitivities can be quite tricky to identify, and this might be because you don’t feel an immediate reaction. The thing is, you may eat something you’re sensitive to and have a reaction up to three days after consuming it. Worse yet, these sensitivities can contribute to ongoing chronic inflammation that leads to a myriad of symptoms, such as headaches, sinus infections, fatigue, irritability, depressed mood, asthma, arthritis, eczema, and even obesity.
It’s no wonder that 75% of all healthcare costs in America are currently being spent on chronic disease. The sad truth is that we haven’t been looking for the root causes and ways to prevent or reverse illness. Instead, we’ve been focused on treating illness (typically with prescription drugs or surgery). It is estimated that 95% of people have food sensitivities, so identifying them can greatly improve your overall quality of life.
IgG Food Allergy Tests
Before we dive into the different types of food allergy tests and how they can help, let’s talk about immunoglobulins. Immunoglobulins are the microscopic antibody proteins in your immune system. When you ingest, inhale, or absorb something that is unhealthy for your body, your immunoglobulins react in an attempt to protect you. This results in inflammation somewhere in your body tissues. The primary immunoglobulin (Ig) in your blood is IgG (along with IgG subtypes), and food allergy blood tests can measure your IgG antibody response to various foods. This is often done using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) process.
Food allergy tests typically check for your reaction to common food categories such as milk, corn, wheat, and eggs. If you are found to have antibodies to certain food types, you can exclude these items from your diet and potentially watch your symptoms fade away over 4 to 6 weeks.
In-Depth Testing
More in-depth food allergy testing, such as Genova Diagnostics’ IgG4 antibodies food allergy test, checks for “delayed” food reactions known to worsen many health conditions. This specific test measures IgG4 antibodies against 30 common foods using just a drop of blood. Some of the foods this test covers include almond, beef, chicken, corn, crab, egg, garlic, lobster, milk, orange, peanut, rice, salmon, shrimp, soybean, strawberry, sunflower, tomato, tuna, turkey, and wheat, among others.
Extensive Testing
Another option for food allergy testing is Immunolabs’ BloodPrint, which is similar but even more extensive. Every food you eat has its own unique set of natural or man-made chemicals, and you will react differently to each one. Immunolabs claims that 95% of subjects tested show a positive reaction to one or more foods they consume on a regular basis. These foods can even be nutritious ones, such as corn, soy, chicken, or green pepper. It’s important to bear in mind that the foods you test positive for might very well be causing chronic low-grade health problems — and you might not even be aware of their role in causing your discomfort.
The Immunolabs BloodPrint test covers 88 different food allergens, including almonds, apples, avocados, bananas, barley, beans, beef, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cheese, cherries, chicken, cinnamon, cocoa, coconut, cod, corn, crab, eggs, ginger, grapes, green peppers, lamb, lemon, lentils, lettuce, limes, lobster, milk, nuts, oats, olives, oranges, oregano, papaya, peas, peaches, peanuts, pecans, peppers, pineapples, plums, pork, potatoes, pumpkin, quinoa, rice, rye, safflower, sage, sesame, soybeans, spinach, strawberries, sunflowers, tomatoes, tuna, turkey, walnuts, wheat, yams, zucchini, and various types of yeasts.
Something to Consider
It’s important to remember that even if your allergy test comes back negative, this doesn’t necessarily mean the foods tested aren’t involved in causing your chronic symptoms. Sometimes, more subtle reactions occur to foods that don’t cause your immune system to produce antibodies. Antibodies are generally produced only when the allergy is prominent. In these cases, it may still be worthwhile to try an elimination diet to identify these subtle food sensitivities.
Food allergy testing can be a game-changer for those suffering from chronic health issues. By identifying and eliminating these triggers from your diet, you can banish the symptoms that have been plaguing you and enjoy a significant improvement in your overall well-being. Talk to your trusted healthcare provider about the different testing options available and consider taking these essential steps on your journey towards healing and feeling great.
