“How could what I’m eating have anything to do with…low mood, headaches, sinus congestion, achy joints, bloating, anxiety, sleeplessness?” is often the question patients ask.

The answer is that intestinal permeability (known as Leaky Gut) leads to delayed food sensitivities, which are immune responses to foods that increase inflammation not just in the digestion, but anywhere and everywhere in the body. Learn more about Leaky Gut here.

It is easy to tell when a food – ice cream let’s say – leads to digestive symptoms, like bloating and gas, within an hour or two of eating it.

Or when a peanut causes anaphylactic shock and a trip to the emergency room.

But with delayed reactions to foods, it is very hard to tell which foods caused what.

That is because the reactions can be delayed from days to weeks after eating the food and the symptoms occur throughout the body, not just in the digestive tract.

The food reactions begin to look like our normal way of feeling…or we start to think of it as part of aging.

I say, “you deserve to feel good everyday!”

So it’s well worth it to track down those delayed reactions to foods and to choose to eat different foods in order to feel your best.

Are you wondering how you can start crossing off the symptoms on your list?

Fatigue, low mood, bloating, weight gain, joint pain, frequent infections, decreased focus, and more.

Step 1: Get an IgG and IgA food sensitivity panel done. Or maybe it’s time for a recheck if you’ve been avoiding your reactive foods for a while.

There are many ways to check for food reactions now. Some cost over $1,000; and some check general immune responses to food. I find, after almost fifteen years in practice, that the most cost-effective and specific way to figure out which foods to cut is with an IgG and IgA food panel.

While IgE antibodies are produced immediately after exposure to a food allergen, IgA antibodies are produced hours to days after exposure, and IgG antibodies are produced for weeks after exposure.  This makes it near impossible to figure out which foods are triggering IgA and/or IgG without a blood test

Our bodies make antibodies in response to “foreign invaders” such as viruses, bacteria… and food when it sneaks past the intestinal lining.

And just like with an infection, IgA and IgG antibodies lead to inflammation that can spread throughout the body to where you are susceptible. For one person that might be the sinuses, for another it might be the nervous system (depression, anxiety), bladder, or joints.

You can do an IgA and IgG panel with a finger poke and a few drops of blood sent to a lab that specializes in identifying these antibodies to 96 foods. Order an IgA and/or IgG panel by clicking here.  The lab I recommend lines up your blood with both cooked and raw foods to identify the specific antibodies.

An IgA and IgG panel is not usually ordered by medical doctors or allergists, who are focused on IgE reactions.  Standard labs can run a basic IgG panel on 10-15 foods, but I find that is nowhere near enough information for most patients.  Read more about the difference between food allergies and intolerances here.

At this time, insurance is not yet covering to cost of IgA and IgG panels.  And yet, I have found that IgA and IgG panels have resolved health issues for thousands of patients over the years, as well as for me.  Read about my story with food reactions here.

Step 2: Eliminate the foods that have the highest IgG and IgA reactions.

If you need help figuring out what to eat, I’m here to help you. I designed the Stress Remedy Program as a way to help guide you to a new way of eating. Find out more by clicking here.

The Stress Remedy Program can also be helpful for those of you who’ve already been avoiding reactive foods, but maybe get a little off track during the holidays, or need to freshen up.

So if you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired…

• and especially if you’ve already tried eliminating lactose (which is a sugar in dairy)…
• and you’ve already checked for IgE reactions (immediate response) to food with your allergist…
• and even if you’ve tested negative for Celiac disease…

Then finding out your IgG and IgA reactions to food will give you the information you need for choosing foods that don’t trigger a whole body inflammatory response…and that allow your body to heal.

The IgG and IgA panel has made a difference in the lives of my patients…

“My five-year-old daughter has been avoiding gluten, dairy and eggs since receiving her results two weeks ago…and her stomach issues have improved 50% or more. She has not complained of stomach pains and diarrhea episodes have decreased.”

“So far I’m staying away from eggs, bananas, gluten and sugar…and I’m feeling great! The reflux has gone away, I lost 15 pounds and my anxiety has decreased tremendously.”

“I feel better than I have in thirty years! Since changing my diet a month ago…I’m more successful at work and instead of worrying about what my family would do without me, I’m enjoying every minute with my wife and son.”

So if you are wondering how to take your health to the next level, or how to break the vicious cycle of feeling terrible…I encourage you to consider whether you are ready to find out which foods are making you sick.

While the IgG and IgA panel is NOT considered diagnostic, and is not covered by insurance…over the past 13 years helping people feel better, including myself…I’ve found it to be a key factor in turning un-wellness into wellness.

Feel good because you are eating what feels good to your body!

P.S. For daily tips and articles to support your health connect with me on Facebook by clicking here.