What is food sensitivity testing? Many are familiar with food allergies, and these usually come with lactose intolerance for those who do not tolerate dairy or Celiac disease for those with a severe reaction to gluten. Allergies typically have very noticeable symptoms that can sometimes be severe such as hives or swelling of the throat. Did you know that food allergies are just one end of the spectrum? A vastly larger percentage of the population are dealing with food sensitivities, and because these symptoms do not always manifest as typical gut signs (abdominal pain, gas, bloating, etc.) unfortunately many are missed.  

 Insidious food sensitivity reactions may look like brain fog, fatigue, mood issues, or muscle/joint aches and pains. If you have been working with your doctor to unearth the cause of these issues to no avail, it may be time to consider food sensitivity testing! Our food sensitivity tests offer a variety of food panels with the convenience of varying prices for different budgets. The most valuable aspect of the testing is that the most basic panel includes all the most common food sensitivity offenders- gluten, dairy, eggs, and soy.  

 There are common foods that individuals are sensitive to. These include gluten, dairy, eggs, and soy. A structured elimination diet where each of these foods is removed from the diet temporarily can help to illuminate if there is a potential sensitivity. However, elimination diets are tedious for many patients. Food sensitivity testing is a fast and efficient route for seeing the entire catalogue of what you are sensitive to.  

 There is a secondary class of foods patients tend to be sensitive to, and although they are less common than the big four offenders described above, they are common. These foods include shellfish, nuts, and nightshade family vegetables (tomato, eggplant). Attempting to do an elimination diet to include these becomes extremely time-consuming and tedious as more foods are added to the list to eliminate.  

 How does our specialty lab test work? The kit uses a dried blood spot sample that can be collected right here at your appointment by our naturopath physician. The prick is done on the finger and isn’t significantly uncomfortable. Once the results arrive, you have a full report of what foods to avoid without the guessing games of elimination diets!