The Gold Standard for Identifying Food Allergies
Written by 
Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on
December 21, 2022
Reduce inflammation, identify food triggers, and improve your digestive and non-digestion symptoms with an elimination diet
It can be challenging to navigate food intolerances, allergies, or sensitivities. But the process can be made easier by skipping the food allergy test kits and following an elimination diet. An elimination diet allows you to know if a food is truly harmful or if it can be reintroduced later when inflammation has calmed down. Listen in to learn how temporarily removing the most common inflammatory foods from your diet can help you identify food triggers and know what you can safely eat.
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Distinguishing the Differences Between Food Allergies, Sensitivities, and Intolerances
- A food allergy is a sudden, and sometimes life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to specific foods.
- Food sensitivities are an immune reaction. However, symptoms may be delayed.
- Food intolerances means your body doesn’t have the ability to break down parts of the food.
- Examples of a food intolerance:
- Lactose intolerance
- FODMAP intolerance
- Histamine intolerance
- Sulfur intolerance
- Examples of a food intolerance:
Food Allergy Symptoms
- Hives
- Itchy eyes, nose, throat, or ears
- Swollen tongue, difficulty breathing, or death (in severe cases)
Food Sensitivity Symptoms
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Fatigue
- Joint or muscle pain
- Brain fog
- Headaches
Food Intolerance Symptoms
- Gas
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Rashes
- Headaches
- Joint pain
- Brain fog
Types of Food Allergy Test Kits
- IgG food sensitivity tests: These tests usually use a blood sample to check for IgG antibodies to broad panels of common food allergens.
- Mediator release tests: These tests expose a blood sample to allergens and check for a non-specific cellular immune response in the blood sample.
- Hair analysis tests: These tests use a hair sample and a “bio-resonance” machine to evaluate food sensitivities.
- Stool tests: At-home stool tests include markers for food reactivity to gluten, dairy, or other foods.
- Skin prick tests: These tests entail being pricked with small needles that have allergens on them, such as pollen, shellfish, or pet dander. If your skin has a reaction, you are considered allergic to that item.
The Best Way To Test Food Allergies? An Elimination Diet
- Elimination diet defined: An elimination diet removes the most common inflammatory foods that frequently cause food symptoms.
- Elimination diet benefits:
- It can quickly calm down inflammation.
- It can help you identify food triggers.
- It can improve digestive and non-digestive symptoms.
How To Do An Elimination Diet
- Elimination diets are not intended for long-term use. Follow these three phases over a course of 3-4 weeks.
- First phase: Elimination
- Remove foods that commonly contribute to food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances. The most frequent culprits are gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, sugar, and processed foods.
- Second phase: Reintroduction
- Begin this phase after you reach a plateau of symptom improvement.
- Reintroduce foods you removed to test for reactions.
- If you react, continue to keep that food out of your diet, even after the elimination diet ends.
- If you don’t react, safely add that food back into your diet.
- Third phase: Maintenance
- Continue to avoid the foods that cause symptoms and continue eating foods that don’t.
- First phase: Elimination
What Kind Of Elimination Diet Will Work Best For You?
- Digestive symptoms: low FODMAP diet
- Extra weight, diabetes, or cardiovascular concerns: the Paleo diet
- Autoimmune diagnosis: Autoimmune Paleo diet
- Allergies, hives, itching, watery eyes, or runny nose: Low histamine diet
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