Food Sensitivity Testing: What’s the Culprit in Your Diet?

From dairy or gluten to citrus and caffeine, food sensitivity testing can reveal which unusual triggers are responsible for your unexplained digestive issues.

Unlike food allergies, which sparks an immediate, obvious reaction from your immune system, food intolerances and sensitivities cause a delayed, low-grade immune response. Symptoms of sensitivities might take hours or even days to appear, and unlike allergies, can cause symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), mood swings, fatigue, and acne. 

Food sensitivity symptoms alone make it difficult to pinpoint your exact food intolerances — especially since your sensitivity side effects may be highly non-specific and appear long after you’ve ingested the food. Not to mention, suggested elimination diets and food journals to identify food intolerances can be gruelling to follow and oftentimes inconclusive in their findings. 

The most decisive way to understand your individual intolerances is by going through food sensitivity testing in Calgary through blood private lab testing, available at Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine.

What is Food Sensitivity Testing?

A food intolerance or sensitivity is a delayed, low-grade immune response to something you’ve eaten. A reaction is prompted when the food travels from your mouth down to your stomach, then into your digestive tract. Once the food reaches your tract, your body is either unable to break it down properly or triggers a type of sensitivity response which is driven by the mucosal immune system in the gut, like bloating or gas. 

When your digestive system views a type of food or food protein, like gluten, as a threat, we refer to that substance as an allergen. If an allergen enters your digestive tract, your body produces unique proteins called antibodies to protect itself. These antibodies, known as Immunoglobulin G (IgG), are specific to the type of food you are sensitive to. They accumulate in your tissue and contribute to low-grade inflammation which can lead to several health conditions.

Food sensitivity testing in Calgary analyzes the levels of IgG antibodies circulating in your bloodstream to determine which food(s) sparked the response. A small amount of your blood is drawn and sent to a laboratory, where any IgG antibodies present are identified. Food sensitivity testing is safe for all ages and the most effective method of uncovering the food culprits in your diet, especially when there is more than one trigger.

Why Should You Test for Food Sensitivities?

It can be extremely difficult to pinpoint what part of your diet is causing discomfort, especially since food sensitivity reactions are often delayed by a few hours or even a few days. Seemingly unrelated symptoms like brain fog, mood swings, headache, and fatigue, can complicate diagnosis even further. Unfortunately, the longer you wait without understanding what foods are causing your discomfort, the longer inflammation gathers in your tissues.

It is crucial you receive a food sensitivity test in Calgary if you’re experiencing one or more of the following:

✓ Chronic digestive stress

✓ Routine issues using the bathroom 

✓ Stomach pains and cramping 

✓ Problems with weight loss or weight gain

✓ Chronic inflammation or swelling

✓ Unexplained skin conditions, like acne or eczema

✓ Cognitive issues, such as brain fog or fatigue

Are Your Symptoms Indicative of a Food Intolerance?

While the majority of food intolerance symptoms are digestive-related, the inflammatory response caused by sensitivities can also create several unrelated symptoms. It’s key you monitor not just stomach pains, but cognitive and skin issues as well as headaches.

Common symptoms of food intolerance include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Cramping
• Heartburn
• Constipation
• Gas and bloating
• Swelling and inflammation 
• Migraines or headaches
• Joint pain
• Crohn’s Disease
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Skin conditions such as acne or eczema

Food Sensitivity Testing in Calgary at Neurvana: No Allergen Left Behind

At Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine, our naturopathic doctors test for sensitivities through specific antibody responses to proteins or peptides in foods. We monitor Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody responses that cause systemic low-grade inflammatory reactions. This differs from allergy testing, which utilizes immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactions that trigger the release of chemicals like histamine to conduct an allergic response. 

However, unlike other clinics, Neurvana also tests for complement responses to food proteins and peptides, as well as indirect food sensitivities. A complement response occurs when your immune system has an inflammatory response instead of producing antibodies. The resulting inflammation yields the same chronic symptoms as an antibody response, but hides from antibody testing. 

Indirect food sensitivities are caused by certain microbes in your gut. Microbes are microscopic organisms, like bacteria, that live in your digestive tract. They help break down your food and control how your immune system responds to infection. An indirect food sensitivity occurs when the food you eat reacts with microbes in your gut to cause a non-specific immune response. Much like complement responses, indirect sensitivities can be difficult to track using antibody testing alone.

Our staff believes that it’s paramount to include both complement and indirect testing when testing food sensitivities, for a complete look at all allergens affecting your body. We only utilize the most trusted names in laboratory testing to analyze food sensitivities:

• Cyrex Laboratories — Array 3X (gluten-only), Array 10 (180 foods), Array 10-90 (90 foods) and Array 10-90X (90 foods including raw and cooked) 
• Doctor’s Data — Celiac and gluten sensitivity
• KMBO Diagnostics — FIT (132 foods and additives) and FIT 22 (22 of the most common food sensitivities)

Can Food Sensitivity Testing Reveal the Cause of Your Discomfort?

Our food sensitivity testing in Calgary is essential for those suffering from unexplained digestive issues. While your digestive tract suffers through bloating, embarrassing bathroom breaks and other stress, inflammation steadily gathers in your tissue and starts to impact other areas of your body. Food sensitivities and intolerances can create a domino effect in your body that causes significant chronic symptoms. As opposed to wasting time tracking each food you put into your body, allow the naturopaths at Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine to pinpoint your exact food intolerances.

Frequently Asked Questions