Introduction

The Food Safe Allergy Test (Bloodspot IgG Antibody Assay) is a finger prick test that you can do yourself. It measures the total IgG antibodies that cause adverse food reactions or allergies to common food allergens (95 foods tested).

The information provided in this report enables the client to design an appropriate diet to exclude the reactive foods. With this test you can determine the primary cause of adverse food reactions. A food that causes an IgG response is referred to as delayed hypersensitivity, which may come and go in cycles, depending on whether the food is eaten or avoided.

Food IgG levels increase in response to the presence of the food antigens in the bloodstream, especially those foods eaten often such as corn, wheat, soy, and egg. IgG responses may cause delayed symptoms, such as joint or muscle pain, chronic headaches, fatigue, eczema, and psoriasis.

Since IgG reactions often occur hours or days after particular foods are consumed, correlating symptoms can be difficult. The reactions can be subtle or severe, and may lead to chronic (long-term) symptoms and chronic degenerative conditions.

When an IgG food is avoided it may take 3 to 9 months for the antibody level against that food to decrease significantly. However, for the antibody level to return to the previous level, the food may have to be eaten frequently for weeks to months. For that reason, these foods are often less problematic when reintroduced; when consumed infrequently in a rotation diet, they seldom have to be avoided for life.

Food Allergens Tested For In Your Food Safe Allergy Test

Results Interpretation

IgG antibody levels are measured in the laboratory using a procedure known as the semi-quantitative ELISA assay. Total IgG antibodies are ranked according to their concentrations in the blood and reported in two categories – safe and not safe.

Those foods that have low, or clinically insignificant, levels of IgG antibodies receive a ranking of “safe” on the FoodSafe Allergy Test. Any foods that are in the safe category are foods that you are not reactive to and you can continue to eat fully. Despite the safe ranking, foods that show no or low levels of IgG antibodies are foods that are still capable of causing food reactions.

Foods with medium concentrations of IgG antibodies receive a ranking of “moderate” under the “not safe” category. Foods with high concentrations of IgG antibodies are those foods to which you are highly reactive and listed under the “avoid” and “not safe” categories. Any food in the moderate or avoid categories should be completely eliminated from your diet for at least 4 weeks to reduce the production of IgG antibodies.

If your report shows many foods in the moderate or avoid category, you may have what is known as “leaky gut,” an intestinal permeability problem that allows food antigens to leak into the blood. These IgG antibodies may cause many symptoms, including allergies and other immune reactions.

If you have multiple food allergies, one of the best ways to help yourself is to rotate the foods you eat. A rotation diet is a system of controlling food allergy symptoms by eating biologically related foods on the same day then waiting at least four days before eating them again.

Treatment Options

There are a variety of treatment options available that you can discuss with your physician once you receive your food allergy test (IgG hidden food allergy) report. Some of the treatments for food allergies that your doctor may consider include:

• Food Allergy Desensitization
• Elimination Diets
• Rotation Diets – sample diet is included with your report
• Fixing Leaky Gut

Benefits

• Prevents and sometimes corrects digestive complaints.
• Provides a variety of healthy foods for diversity and balance of needed nutrients.
• Unmasks hidden food allergies.
• Allows the immune system to repair itself by minimizing adverse food reactions and preventing cumulative effects.

Elimination Guidelines

Moderate to severely allergic foods should be eliminated for a period of 4 weeks.

Once the 4-week elimination period has ended, each food should be introduced one at a time, waiting at least 3 days before introducing the next food.

Create a diet diary including the foods that you “challenge” and the reactions or symptoms that occur after eating the food.

If the challenged food does not trigger symptoms after 72 hours of eating, add the food on the list of foods to be eaten on the rotation diet. If symptoms do occur, eliminate the food and try to introduce it again in 4 weeks.

Foods that fall into the “moderate” reaction category may be eaten once every 4 days in the rotation diet.

Rotation Diet

Your Rotation Diet will be most effective in helping you to rebuild your immune system if you follow these healthful guidelines:

• Try to reduce the toxic chemicals you consume in your foods, since these cause more problems for sensitive individuals than the foods themselves.
• Use fewer packaged foods, with all their preservatives and additives, and use more fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains or beans.
• Purchase organically grown foods (food grown without the use of toxic pesticides and other chemicals) whenever available or financially feasible.  Wash non-organic fruits or vegetables in a solution of sodium bicarbonate or some nontoxic cleanser (like Basic H, Granny Green, or Grapefruit Seed Extract) to remove surface sprays and waxes.
• Eliminate white sugar and refined flour products and use more natural sweeteners (rice syrup, honey, molasses, fruit juices) and whole grains.
• Eliminate hydrogenated margarines and shortening and use cold-pressed oils or butter. Research has now linked margarine to an increase in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, despite its lack of cholesterol.
• Keep a natural balance in the diet as much as possible, with adequate fiber, complex carbohydrates, protein, and mineral-rich vegetables and fruits.
• Cook with stainless steel, glass or enameled ceramic cookware instead of aluminum, Teflon, or chemically treated cookware.  If possible, include some fresh raw or uncooked vegetables and fruits in the diet everyday for vitamins, enzymes and fiber.