I did a food sensitivity test at home to help with my gut issues. Here’s how it went

A cruel irony of writing about food and travel is that it often bothers me stomach problems. My IBS (formerly a colitis diagnosis) can turn any big tasting into a terror with cramps, bloating, and, well, I’ll spare you the more graphic details.

Although I have never tested positive for any serious food allergies or intolerances, including gluten (a common culprit) or dairyI’ve always wondered if I had sensitivities that I wasn’t aware of, especially as someone who eats anything and everything at any time.

Enter Always good: The $199 at-home food sensitivity kit measures your body’s immune response to 96 common foods.

“Home lab tests for IgG reactivity (short for the responsive antibodies called immunoglobulin G) can be a great way for people with relatively mild, food-related symptoms to start their journey to feeling better,” says Dr. Gabe Gaviola, MD, MPH, senior medical director at Always good.

“Traditional temporary elimination diets are highly restrictive and can cause massive disruptions to a person’s normal nutritional routine. By identifying the most likely candidates for problem foods, the Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test helps take the guesswork and dietary disruption out of a traditional elimination diet.”

Although opinions are divided on the use of IgG levels as a marker for food allergies, intolerances or sensitivities, my curiosity got the better of me (as usual) and I decided to order the test and take on the role of guinea pig.

Here’s how it all went down.

Note: As with any health condition, you should always seek the help of a licensed medical professional for proper diagnosis.

How the food sensitivity test works

“The Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test was developed using an immunoassay platform, which selects certain food isolates,” Gaviola explains. “The test measures a person’s IgG antibody response to these foods. IgG is an antibody separate from conditions such as food intolerances or food allergies.”

“Research suggests that for some individuals, higher IgG immune responses to specific foods may mean that those foods are likely to cause uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, bloating, gastrointestinal upset and abdominal pain,” he adds.

Although more evidence is needed about IgG to make sweeping generalizations about its relationship to food sensitivities, Everylwell believes they can provide a basic understanding of why people’s guts react the way they do. This is in no way intended as a diagnosis, but rather something to consider when identifying possible gastrointestinal triggers.

My unique stomach problems

Apart from overly rich foods, wilted vegetables and wine if consumed in excess, there are not many ingredients that cause immediate attacks of indigestion. According to my gastroenterologist, most of my stomach problems are hereditary (my grandmother has severe colitis) or are caused by anxiety.

That said, there are two fruits that often cause physical reactions when eaten: apples and avocados. The former makes my lips tingle and swell, which can be more of a pesticide for the skin, and the latter makes me instantly nauseous when consumed as slices on sandwiches or as chunks in a salad. Strangely enough, guacamole has no effect on me whatsoever.

The food sensitivity testing process

While no one likes to prick their fingers to collect drops of blood, the testing process couldn’t have been easier or simpler.

Each kit comes with instructions and the instruments needed to perform the test. This includes a collection card, alcohol preparation, lancets, biohazard bag, gauze, bandage, return envelope and a return label.

An abbreviated series of events:

1. Prepare your space and warm your hands
2. Prick your ring finger with a lancet
3. Drop the blood into each of the circles on the collection card
4. Allow the samples to dry before placing them in the biohazard bag and sending them to the laboratory

Results usually take about a week or two and can be accessed online (where you register your unique kit ID as soon as you receive it).

Here’s what the test results said

Luckily for me, nothing rose above mild reactivity. And of the 98 foods tested, I only had elevated IgG levels in eight: black tea, chicken, chickpeas, eggplant, garlic, grape leaves, pomegranate and sunflower seeds.

These results were both surprising and hilarious – surprising because I’ve never noticed a GI reaction to any of these results and hilarious because I received these results while on vacation in, wait for it, Greece! Needless to say, I ate *a lot* of literally every ingredient that was potentially causing digestive issues.

Strangely enough, there was no evidence that the aforementioned apple or avocado would lead to any kind of immune response. I can’t assume they don’t have a negative impact on my body, but I would have guessed they would be at the top of the results document.

What to do after the results

In addition to providing article resources and answers to nearly a dozen frequently asked questions, Everlywell suggests five next steps to continue your stomach health journey:

1. Cut foods you are reactive to from your diet temporarily, usually for a month. (Keep a close eye on ingredient lists and look for hidden sources during this time.)
2. By working with one food at a time, you reintroduce the food for one day. (This step is the whole point of the elimination diet. Don’t skip it!)
3. Stop eating those foods for 2-4 days while you watch for symptoms. (Tip: Keep a food diary to make this easy.)
4. If you don’t notice any symptoms, you probably aren’t sensitive to that food. (You can choose to eat it again as usual.)
5. If you notice symptoms, try eliminating those foods for an extended period of time (at least six months) before repeating steps two and three. (Depending on your symptoms at this point, you can reintroduce the food into your diet in small amounts or repeat the elimination for another six months.)

Please note that the food sensitivity test *does not* test for food allergies and should not be used for this purpose.

“The results of the Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test are not diagnostic and are only intended to help identify the best foods for a person to prioritize on a temporary elimination diet,” Gaviola adds.

Accuracy of the food sensitivity test

As research shows contradictoryGaviola is the first to remind customers that, again, any type of food allergy can only be diagnosed by a doctor.

“The tests measure completely different biomarkers and only a healthcare provider or allergy specialist can diagnose a food allergy,” he points out. “Everlywell also discourages food trials involving allergic reactions that are not under the supervision and direction of an allergy specialist.”

Additionally, while testing companies like Everlywell operate in accordance with clinical guidelines and CLIA-certified laboratories, they are the first to recommend speaking with a licensed healthcare provider.

Final thoughts

While I certainly don’t plan on eliminating chicken and hummus from my diet and don’t have any evidence that these foods are a problem for my stomach, the test did give me something to think about. In fact, I plan to use some upcoming travel breaks to temporarily eliminate these foods and see if they make a difference. It can’t hurt, right? And at the very least, it certainly won’t hurt as much as a debilitating stomach cramp.