Food Sensitivity Toolkit

The following are suggestions for wellness and not a substitute for a medical consultation with your healthcare provider. The results of your Food Sensitivity Test do not provide a diagnosis, and are intended to be used in conjunction with a temporary elimination diet and add-back challenge. Recommended for adults (18+). Our testing cannot be conducted on minors. Not suited for those with a history of disordered eating. Food allergies are not the same as food sensitivities.We do not endorse or encourage reintroducing foods that cause severe allergic reactions.

Whether you've already taken the Food Sensitivity Test or could be interested in learning your IgG reactivity to everyday foods—we want to ensure you’re equipped with the right tools to take action. This toolkit will provide you with guidance on how to start a temporary elimination diet, a substitution guide, and curated links to our most frequently asked questions and viewed articles.

Let’s get started.

Before you take the test

If you’re thinking about taking the Food Sensitivity Test, there are few things you should know.

First things first, this is not a product that is intended to help with weight loss or treat any chronic illnesses. The test is for people who believe they may be experiencing symptoms related to food, like headaches, migraines, and GI-related issues. Your results will serve as a list of suspects to guide a temporary elimination diet and add-back challenge. By temporarily eliminating a food, then reintroducing it and monitoring symptoms, you may be able to identify if a food is connected to an unwanted symptom you are experiencing. Think of your food sensitivity results as an investigative tool.

The next thing you should know is that there’s a big difference between a food sensitivity, a food allergy, lactose intolerance, and Celiac disease.

We break it down below.

Sensitivity vs. Allergy vs. Lactose intolerance vs. Celiac disease

Confused about food allergies, sensitivities, and lactose intolerance? You’re probably not alone. It can be difficult to understand the key differences among these conditions, but they are far from one in the same.

Below is a chart intended to help highlight the key differences between these conditions, which may help you understand why your Food Sensitivity Test results would not be expected to identify or rule out conditions such as Celiac disease or lactose intolerance.

This test does not test for food allergies, Celiac disease, or lactose intolerance.

Want to dig deeper into the differences between these groups? We’ve provided some resources for you to explore below:

• Why test IgG for food sensitivity?
• ACAAI - Food Allergies
• American Gastroenterological Association - Lactose intolerance
• American College of Gastroenterology - Celiac disease

After you take the test

You’ve received your results! That’s great news. Now you can take action with your results with a temporary elimination diet.

Temporary Elimination Diet A temporary elimination diet goes hand-in-hand with our Food Sensitivity Test. Why? Because it can be difficult to pinpoint whether some foods in your diet could be contributing to symptoms you may be experiencing. Remember, a temporary elimination diet can be an effective resource to identify potentially problematic foods.

We break down how to complete a temporary elimination diet for you here. This will be a helpful resource to have bookmarked when you read about our substitution guide below.

Substitution guide Whenever you take a certain food out of your diet, it’s important you replace it with a nutritionally similar food or a food fitting within the same macronutrient category. This is an important part of ensuring nutritional balance is maintained while conducting a temporary elimination diet. If you’re unable to think of substitutions, then that may be a sign that you may not be eating a balanced diet to provide you with the energy and nutrients needed.

Disclaimer: This is for example purposes, and not to be interpreted as individualized dietary advice. We encourage you to work with your healthcare provider, and/or a registered dietitian or nutrition professional for individualized dietary guidance. If you have a severe response to a food, or a previous diagnosis requiring avoidance of certain foods, please continue to follow the advice of your healthcare provider.

Looking to learn more? We’ve provided some resources for you to explore below:

• How to Keep a Food Journal to Discover Food Sensitivities
• Simple food swaps for the holidays or any time of the year
• General meal planning tips during COVID-19

We understand that symptoms from a possible food sensitivity can be uncomfortable and frustrating, so we hope this toolkit serves you on your health and wellness journey. If you’re looking for more information regarding this test, we invite you to join one of our food sensitivity webinars. And of course, we encourage you to share your results with your healthcare provider.

Sources:

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2. Fritscher-Ravens A, Pflaum T, Mösinger M, et al. Many Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome Have Atypical Food Allergies Not Associated With Immunoglobulin E. Gastroenterology. 2019;157(1):109-118.

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