I Took an At-Home Food Sensitivity Test to Help My Gut Issues. Here's How It Went

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A cruel irony to being a food and travel writer is that I often suffer from stomach problems. My IBS (previously a colitis diagnosis) can turn any grand tasting into a terror with cramping, bloating, and, well, I'll spare you the more graphic details.

Though I've never tested positive for major food allergies or intolerances including gluten (a common culprit) or dairy, I've always wondered if I had any sensitivities that I was unaware of, especially as someone who eats everything and anything at any given moment. 

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

"At-home lab testing for IgG (short for the responsive antibodies called immunoglobulin G) reactivity can be a great way for those with relatively mild, food-related symptoms to start their journey to feeling better," says Dr. Gabe Gaviola, MD, MPH, senior medical director at Everlywell.

"Traditional temporary elimination diets are highly restrictive and can provide massive disruptions to someone's normal dietary 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."

While there are mixed opinions on using IgG levels as a marker for food allergies, intolerances or sensitivities, curiosity got the best of me (as it usually does) and I decided to order the test and assume the role of guinea pig. 

Here's how it all went down. 

Note: As with any health condition, please always seek the guidance of a licensed medical professional for proper diagnoses. 

How the Food Sensitivity Test Works

"The Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test was developed using an immunoassay platform, which selects certain food isolates," explains Gaviola. "The test measures someone's IgG antibody response to these foods. IgG is an antibody that is 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 those foods are more likely to cause uncomfortable GI symptoms, including nausea, bloating, GI upset, and abdominal pain," he adds. 

While more evidence is needed on IgG to make sweeping generalizations about its relationship to food sensitivities, Everylwell believes that they can provide a base level understanding of why people's guts react the way that they do. This isn't meant to be a diagnosis, by any means, but rather something to consider as you identify potential gastrointestinal triggers. 

My Unique Stomach Issues

Aside from overly rich foods, wilted greens, and wine consumed in excess, there aren't many ingredients that bring on immediate bouts of indigestion. Most of my stomach issues, according to my gastroenterologist, are either hereditary (my grandmother has severe colitis) or anxiety-induced. 

That said, there are two fruits that often cause physical reactions while eating: apples and avocados. The former makes my lips tingle and swell up, which may be more of a pesticide on skin problem, and the latter makes me instantly nauseated when consumed as slices on sandwiches or chunks in a salad. Oddly enough, guacamole has zero effect on me. 

The Food Sensitivity Test Process

While nobody enjoys pricking their fingers to draw droplets of blood, the testing process could not have been more straightforward and simple. 

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

An abbreviated sequence of events:

1. Prep your space and warm your hands
2. Prick your ring finger with a lancet
3. Drip the blood into each of the collection card's circles
4. Allow the samples to dry before placing it into the biohazard bag and sending it to the laboratory

Results typically take about a week or two and can be accessed online (where you'll register your unique kit ID upon receiving it). 

Here's what the test results said

Luckily for me, nothing came back higher than mild reactivity. And out of the 98 foods tested, I only had elevated IgG levels for eight: black tea, chicken, chickpea, eggplant, garlic, grape leaf, pomegranate and sunflower seed. 

These results were equal parts surprising and hilarious -- surprising because I have never noticed a GI reaction to any of them and hilarious because I received these results while on vacation in, wait for it, Greece! Needless to say, I was eating a *lot* of literally every ingredient that may have been causing digestive distress. 

Oddly, there was no indication that the aforementioned apple or avocado would lead to any type of immune response. I can't assume that they don't negatively affect my body, but I would have guessed that they'd be at the top of the results document. 

What to do after results 

Aside from providing article resources and answers to nearly a dozen common questions, Everlywell suggests five next steps to continue your stomach health journey: 

1. Temporarily cut foods you're reactive to from your diet, usually for one month. (Keep a close eye on ingredient lists and watch for hidden sources during this time.)
2. Working 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 that food again for a 2-4 days while watching for symptoms. (Tip: Keep a food journal to make this easy.)
4. If you don't notice any symptoms, you're probably not sensitive to that food. (You can choose to go back to eating it as usual.)
5. If you do notice symptoms, try eliminating that food for a longer period of time (at least six months) before repeating steps two and three. (Depending on your symptoms at this point, you can either reintroduce the food to your diet in small amounts or repeat the elimination for another six-plus months.)

Remember, the Food Sensitivity Test does *not* test for food allergies and should not be used for this purpose. 

"The results from the Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test are not diagnostic and are only meant to help identify top foods for someone to prioritize in a temporary elimination diet," adds Gaviola.

Food sensitivity test accuracy 

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

"The tests measure totally different biomarkers and only a healthcare provider or allergy specialist is able to diagnose a food allergy, " he stresses. "Everlywell also recommends against any allergic reaction food trials that do not take place under the observation 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 advise speaking with a licensed healthcare provider. 

Final thoughts 

While I'm certainly not planning to eliminate chicken and hummus from my diet and don't have any evidence to support those foods being an issue for my stomach, the test did give me something to think about. In fact, I plan to use some upcoming travel downtime to eliminate these foods temporarily 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.