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top 5 food intolerance tests

Have you been experiencing digestive issues, skin issues, or headaches lately?  If you are having these symptoms everyday, especially after you eat, then you might be experiencing symptoms caused by a food intolerance.  Food intolerances root from the body’s digestive system. When the body cannot tolerate certain food items, irritation in the digestive tract occurs because the foods cannot be broken down to complete digestion. This can then manifest into a large variety of symptoms. 

The "Gold Standard" of addressing these symptoms is the elimination diet.  The elimination diet is where you do not eat the foods you suspect that you are having issues with and then see how you feel.  You can then start introducing the food items back into your diet and see how your body reacts.  To do this on your own can be very time consuming to try to figure out what food items and ingredients might be causing you the issues.  

Food “sensitivity” tests are becoming very popular these days.  You can do these tests from the comfort of your own home.  No doctor visits and expensive co-payments!  These tests will provide you with a guideline or report of all the items that they tested against, and what you are reacting to.  However, not all tests are alike.

Some of these tests on the market use blood, hair, or saliva. While the term allergy, sensitivity, and intolerance are used interchangeably most of the time, what they are testing for are not alike at all.   

Let's take a look at some of the more important things you should know before you buy:

What are the first things you should look for when choosing a testing kit?

1) What exactly are they testing for?

There are four types of hypersensitivities that can be tested for:

Type I: is categorized as an allergy. This refers to an IgE reaction. An allergy is an immediate reaction that occurs when the body is triggered by an innocuous foreign substance. (this reaction can be the most severe but it only affects about 2% of the population). This involves the immune system.

Type II: is categorized as a cytotoxic reaction, or antibody dependent reaction. It refers to an IgM or in some cases, IgG. In this instance, an antibody binds to an antigen on the target cell which is actually a host cell that is perceived as foreign. This also involves the immune system.

Type III: is an immune complex and categorized as an IgG reaction. The antibody binds to an antigen forming a circulating immune complex. This also involves the immune system.

Type IV: is categorized as an intolerance, which is an antibody independent, cell mediated hypersensitivity. It does not involve antibodies, but instead involves T-cells attracting and activating macrophages and will cause an inflammatory response. There is a delayed reaction. This does not involve the immune system. This is what the majority of people suffer from.

2) How many items are they testing for?

The more the merrier! While a lot of items listed can be overwhelming, it is much easier to do an elimination plan properly when you know all the items you can be reacting to!

3) What collection method are they using?

The most common methods are hair, saliva, or blood.

4) How long will it take to get the testing results?

The average time will vary, but the typical response time is within a week.

5) How much does it cost?

The price will vary depending on how many items they test for and the method that they use. The average price range is between $80-$300.

 

Let's take a look at our favorite picks:

5Strands Adult/Child Standard Package

top 5 food sensitivity tests intolerance

https://www.5strands.com/products/standard-package

1) What they test for: Type IV - True intolerances

2) Items tested: 444 total items - 3 functional holistic health assessment tests-
1) Food Intolerance (236 items) 2) Environmental Intolerance (125 items) 3) Nutrition Test (83 items)

3) Sample Collection method: Hair

4) Results: 7-10 days, upon receiving the sample

5) Price: $144.00

The 5Strands Standard Package is a simple at home collection kit that requires only 10-15 strands of hair. Using Nasa-based science, they specialize in bioresonance technology to determine which of the 444 items tested resonate as an intolerance or an imbalance.

The Food Intolerance assessment will compare your body’s electrical resonance to several food items within the categories of protein, grain, fruit, dairy, fat, seafood, spices, sweeteners, and beverages. For many people, some of these specific items can contribute to sensitivities or reactions in the gut and brain.

With the same technology, the Nutrition Imbalance assessments can indicate which vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, and neurotransmitters are out of balance. These nutrition imbalances generally occur when your body has the inability to absorb certain nutrients.

The Environment Intolerance assessment is the final assessment that compares your body’s resonance to common environmental items, including pollen, plants and grasses, animal dander, natural and synthetic fabrics, and cleaning solutions.

 

5Strands Adult/Child Food Intolerance Test

top 5 food sensitivity tests intolerance

https://www.5strands.com/products/food-intolerance-test

1) What they test for: Type IV - True intolerances

2) Items tested: 640 total items

3) Sample Collection method: Hair

4) Results: 7-10 days, upon receiving the sample

5) Price: $88.00 

The 5Strands Food Intolerance Test is a simple at home collection kit that requires only 10-15 strands of hair. Using Nasa-based science, they specialize in bioresonance technology to determine which of the 640 items tested resonate as an intolerance.

The 5Strands FOOD INTOLERANCE TEST offers intolerance testing to 640+ proteins, grains, fruits, vegetables, seafood, gluten, additives, preservatives, sweeteners, beverages, dairy, fats, etc. Your results will create a recommended elimination guideline. With this at home collection kit, learning about how your body is responding to your current dietary decisions has never been so easy. Their holistic approach using energy based technology allows you to get to the ROOT CAUSE of discomforts. Create a lifestyle and dietary change. No more prescriptions or painful bloodwork.

 

Cerascreen Extensive Food Sensitivity + Allergy Test

top 5 food sensitivity tests intolerance

https://www.cerascreen.com/products/extensive-food-sensitivity-test

1) What they test for: Type I & Type III IgE and IgG4 (immune responses)

2) Items tested: 252 total items - IgG4 (208) IgE (44)

3) Sample Collection method: Blood

4) Results: It does not give a specific time frame. It indicates “a few business days” after the sample is received.

5) Price: $289.00

For the Extensive Food Intolerance + Allergy test, you use the lancets provided to collect a small blood sample from your fingertip. Only a few drops of blood are necessary.

You collect the sample on a dried blood spot card and send it in the included mailing envelope free of charge to a CLIA-certified partner lab, which will measure the amount of specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies in your blood. After your sample has been analyzed, you will receive a results report in your user account on their website or in the my cerascreen® app.

Using a sample collection and send-in kit for at-home use, take a small blood sample to find out if you react with antibodies to the foods that cause the majority of allergies and sensitivities.The cerascreen® Food Intolerances and Allergies Test detects the concentration of specific IgE antibodies to 44 different foods and the concentration of specific IgG4 antibodies to 208 different foods. The test, therefore, covers the foods that are responsible for the majority of food allergies.

 

Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test

top 5 food sensitivity tests intolerance

 https://www.everlywell.com/products/food-sensitivity/

1) What they test for: Type III or IgG (immune responses)

2) Items tested: 96

3) Sample Collection method: Finger Prick- Blood

4) Results: 5 to 7 business days of the lab processing your sample

5) Price: $159.00

This at-home test measures your body’s immune response to 96 foods to help guide you on what types of food may be the best to choose for an elimination diet. Each food will be rated on a Class scale of 0-3: Class 0 (normal reactivity) to Class 3 (high reactivity). A higher IgG reactivity level can mean that there’s a possibility that food can be giving you symptoms – making that food an ideal candidate to include in your list to initially remove in a temporary elimination diet and add-back challenge.

 

5Strands Adult/Child Deluxe Package

top 5 food sensitivity tests intolerance

https://www.5strands.com/products/deluxe-package

1) What they test for: Type IV - True intolerances

2) Items tested: 985 total items - The 5Strands Deluxe Package Includes 4 Functional Health Assessments that help you take the first steps on your wellness journey: (1) Food Intolerance (640 items tested) (2) Environment Intolerance (190 items tested) (3) Nutrition Imbalance (83 items tested) (4) Metal & Mineral Imbalance (60 Items tested)

3) Sample Collection method: Hair

4) Results: 7-10 days

5) Price: $192.00

The Food Intolerance assessment will compare your body’s electrical resonance to several food items within the categories of protein, grain, fruit, dairy, fat, seafood, spices, sweeteners, additives, and beverages. For many people, some of these specific items can contribute to sensitivities or reactions in the gut and brain.

With the same technology, both the Nutrition Imbalance and Metals & Minerals Imbalance assessments can indicate which vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, and neurotransmitters are out of balance. These imbalances generally occur when your body experiences an over-exposure of, or has the inability to absorb certain nutrients.

The Environment Intolerance assessment is the final assessment that compares your body’s resonance to common environmental items, including pollen, plants and grasses, animal dander, natural and synthetic fabrics, and cleaning solutions.

How Accurate Are Food Sensitivity Tests?


When it comes to immune based sensitivities, there are many accredited labs that offer food sensitivity testing via a blood, hair, or saliva sample, with accuracy ratings of 95% or more.

A strict elimination diet is truly the only way to test for food intolerances with complete accuracy. While an elimination diet is considered the “Gold Standard,” it is extremely challenging for an individual to be disciplined in their food intake and control every aspect of their food sourcing. The amount of time required to conduct such a regimented diet can be very lengthy and costly, especially if the individual has no guidelines on how to determine potentially offending items. Using a 5Strands Affordable Testing kit, it removes the guesswork and makes an elimination diet easier by providing the exact list of items that should take priority in an elimination diet.

The accuracy of the results is directly related to the amount of interaction and diligence that is given implementing the results. Case studies have shown that when a customer adheres to the guideline the way it was intended, they have seen 100% accuracy and the symptoms disappeared when the symptoms arose due to a food intolerance.

In Summary:

If you have no idea what foods or environmental items might be triggering your symptoms, pick a test that aligns with your needs. The test you choose should encompass a wide variety of items tested at a cost that you are able to afford.


1 comment

  • Sam   |  

    Great info

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