At-home food sensitivity tests are more popular than ever, and for good reason!
Many people struggle with symptoms that could be related to food sensitivities. Symptoms range from gastrointestinal distress to brain fog, low energy, skin issues, mood swings, and the list of possibilities is nearly endless.
Food is powerful and identifying trigger foods and sensitivities can bring a lot of relief to those who are suffering.
But in order to truly reap the benefits, it’s important to work closely with a qualified provider for several reasons.
The results of food sensitivity tests can leave many patients feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Picture this: you take the test, your results show numerous sensitivities, and you’re now left with a long list of foods that you apparently need to completely avoid until the end of time… right?
Wrong.
Identifying food sensitivities is the first step, but healing food sensitivities can be a complete game-changer when it comes to health.
While your results may indicate that your body would benefit from avoiding certain foods, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re expected to adhere to this new, strict diet forever. In fact, avoiding your trigger foods indefinitely can sometimes do more harm than good. The reintroduction period after avoiding your trigger foods is a step in your healing journey that is too often missed, but it’s a step that our providers here at AIM prioritize. Here’s why:
Our goal is to help you build trust within your body.
- Getting caught up on a long list of restrictions does little to help you identify your true trigger foods and symptoms… (read that again). Your body responds differently to different foods, and reintroducing foods is often where the real testing begins. We want to get to know your body’s unique responses and needs because this is the only way we’re going to be able to tailor a nutrition and treatment plan to fit YOU. We want you to better understand your body as a result of food sensitivity testing; we don’t want you blindly following a long list of food restrictions without listening to your body.
Having a mindset of restriction can create anxiety and food fears.
- Anxiety and fear around foods is incredibly common and if not done correctly, the dietary restrictions recommended as a result of food sensitivity testing can often add fuel to the fire. Health and healing are holistic, meaning that it requires a body, mind, and spirit approach. No matter how closely you follow a specific “diet,” or how “healthy” you eat, if you’re unhappy, stressed out, frustrated, anxious, or fearful around food, how healthy is that really? Our providers treat patients holistically, and this means prioritizing your mental and emotional wellbeing when making recommendations.
Our gut microbiome thrives from variety.
- Eating just a short list of foods for too long isn’t great for your gut. A healthy microbiome is a diverse microbiome: some species of gut bacteria prefer certain foods over others, so it’s important that we eat a wide variety of foods in order to foster a diverse environment within our gut. For example, if you only ate blueberries all day, every day, your gut would be full of blueberry-loving bacteria…but our health requires more! The variety in bacteria helps the gut function optimally, and we know that the gut is directly connected to so many other bodily functions. How we feel overall often starts in the gut.
There are supplements that can aide in healing your gut.
- Sometimes eliminating certain foods isn’t enough to heal your gut. This is where working with a qualified provider can be so beneficial! It’s important that you take high-quality supplements that are targeted towards helping you heal your gut and achieve optimal health. Our team of medical doctors and registered dietitians can suggest the right supplements to get your health back on track.
If you have questions about the different types of food sensitivity testing that we offer, or to schedule an appointment, give our office a call at 513-791-5521. We’d love to hear from you!
