Food reactions are very common. Almost everyone has a food item that causes them some discomfort or reaction. It could be bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, or changes in bowel movement.
The food just doesn’t sit right.
Understandably, this can be very frustrating and sometimes embarrassing. So when you hear of a food sensitivity test that promises to solve the problem instantly, you go for it. You do the test and the results are fuzzy and confusing. It turns out that some of the foods you’re sensitive to are not even in your diet, or worse, almost everything you eat is apparently bad for you.
And even then, the solution is temporary and your food sensitivities come back full swing after a short while. They have not addressed the root cause of the problem.
That’s not helpful at all. You’re left with no idea what you should actually be eating.
THE PROBLEM WITH FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTS
If you’re trying to identify your food reactions, food sensitivity tests are a waste of your money and time. Here is why:
1. Food sensitivity tests are looking at a moving target
Food sensitivity tests look for the presence of certain antibodies which are part of your immune system. But your immune system keeps changing depending on your environment. Your immunity changes with the weather, your stress levels, or even the food that you eat. So your immune system is never stable and the tests are therefore looking at a moving target.
Instead of looking at your immune response, which could be very misleading and inaccurate, the more important variables are foods you are not digesting properly. The undigested foods will ultimately inflame your gut and make you sensitize to different foods. We will get to that later.
2. Food sensitivity test results are confusing and too restrictive
The results of food sensitivity tests are very ambiguous and confusing. Sometimes you will get results with a long list of obscure foods that you probably don’t eat regularly. Then you’re left with your head spinning. And what about the struggle of trying to remember all your food sensitivities in your head when you go out for a meal or visit a friend?
Your diet then becomes more and more restrictive. You might end up testing positive for healthy food that is perfectly good for you. At the end of the day, many of the results in a food sensitivity panel are false positives. It’s not the root cause of the problem; it’s coming up because your immune system is sensitive. It’s ultimately not the source of the issue.
3. Food sensitivity tests don’t identify the root cause of the problem
Once you receive the results of the tests, you might have to spend months eliminating foods and slowly reintroducing them trying to figure out exactly what’s causing your reaction. However, there are so many additives now in the food industry that it would be impossible to figure out with certainty what exactly you may be reacting to.
Food sensitivity tests also don’t consider food combinations which can have a huge effect on your digestive system. When you are eliminating foods and reintroducing them, you’re never going to account for all the food additives and all the potential food combinations that might be the root cause of your issues.
HOW TO ADDRESS PROBLEMATIC FOOD
If you want to identify problem foods, there are steps that you can take to solve the issue. Here are solutions that I would advise you to try:
1. Eliminate all processed food out of your life
The first thing that you should do is to stop eating processed foods and start eating natural whole foods. If you eliminate all processed food out of your life, you’re taking out all the hidden additives and many combinations that could be causing you problems. So cut away the processed foods and start eating healthy whole foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, good meat and fish, good yogurt, butter, and eggs. This way, you’re already halfway towards a healthy gut.
2. Do a food intolerance evaluation
Food intolerances are different from food sensitivities. While food sensitivity tests focus on your immune system function and antibodies in your bloodstream, a food intolerance evaluation looks at enzyme deficiencies you are born with that prevent the proper digestion of certain food groups and food combinations. A food intolerance evaluation addresses food groups, additives, and combinations.
If you are unable to digest certain food groups and food combinations, they’re going into your gut undigested inflaming your gut wall. Remember, 80% of your immune system is lining your gut wall, protecting your body from the outside world. This inflammation of your gut and immune system ultimately causes food sensitivities down the line. Food intolerances are the root cause of sensitivity to other foods.
Food intolerances look at genetic enzyme deficiencies. The results are definitive so they won’t keep changing on you. If you find out what your food intolerances are, you save so much time and money and you definitively figure out what the problem is.
