I recently shared on Instagram that I gifted RJ an at home food allergy test for his birthday. The perks of adulthood, am I right? Don’t worry, he got fun gifts too! And we should be on our way to St. Thomas for a 30th Birthday Baby Moon, if COVID-19 wasn’t happening. Anyway! You guys were SO interested in our experience, results, etc. I asked RJ and he was ok with me sharing.
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Why we did a food sensitivity test.
So you’re probably wondering what made us decide on an At Home Food Allergy Test. For years, RJ has struggled with digestive issues. He’s not on his deathbed, but he doesn’t feel his best either. I’ve been pestering him to go see a doctor or try an elimination diet for a few years now and honestly it just always fell to the back burner. In addition to his digestive issues, he’s always really tired. He does work really hard, usually leaving our house around 6/6:30 am most days to return around 5/6 pm each night, usually outdoors – so we always assumed that was why he was so tired. So, was he deathly ill? No. But did he feel his best? Also, no. He has actually been feeling sicker lately, even though we’ve been pretty much eating at home for three months. We decided it was time to figure out what was going on.
With the way things have been this year, we didn’t want to risk going to the doctor. I kept seeing ads for this allergy test and decided to look into it. For about $130, we could take a food sensitvity test from our own home and see the results. Even if they weren’t as comprehensive as visiting an allergist, I felt like it was a good start! I ordered the kit and waited for it to arrive.
How did it work?
So as I mentioned above, we purchased the EverlyWell Food Sensitvity Test. It’s an at home blood test that measures your sensitivities to 96 common food allergies. The kit arrived very quickly in the mail, and I’m proud to say only sat on our counter for a couple days before we actually did it!
The instructions were super clear and everything was provided in the kit. Prick your finger, smudge your blood on the provided card, seal and place back in your mailbox to return to the lab. It truly took all of ten minutes and a trip to the mailbox! I was shocked how quickly we recieved RJ’s results as well. About 4 days later, we got an email telling us everything we wanted to know.
I have to note I pulled this from the website: This test measures your immune system’s IgG reactivity to foods, which can help guide a temporary elimination diet. This test does not test for food allergies. Food allergies are mediated by a different antibody called IgE. Since we couldn’t go the doctors, this test gave us a great idea of what to start eliminating for RJ. If he continues to have issues after doing an elimination diet, we will then see a specialist. But for only $100ish we were really happy with this as a starting point.
What were the results?
We weren’t really prepared for the results we got and I honestly felt bad calling RJ to tell him. We both knew he was allergic to nuts already and I had a hunch he had some issues with gluten but the full results were shocking!
The test breaks your results down based on reaction- Normal, Mild, Moderate and High. Rj had a:
- High reaction to Eggs.
- Moderate to Bran, Rye, Wheat, Cashew, Cow’s Milk, Gluten, Lamb, Winter Squash and Yogurt.
- Mild Reaction to (to name a few most popular ones) Almond, Barley, Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Mozzarella, Mustard, Oats, Peanuts, Soy, and Tuna.
It also gives you a level of reaction for each item. For example, the high range is from 116+ and eggs scored 130. Moderate is from 58-115 and Wheat fell at 113. Mild is from 17-57 and chicken scored 24. This gives you an idea of how your body reacts to it.
So what now?
Luckily (well for us, not my poor mom), my mom suffers from an extensive list of food allergies. She’s been working with an allergist for a couple years to determine her diet and I was able to get a lot of advice from her on our next steps. She and the EverlyWell website both recommend using an elimination diet as your next step. For 30 days, you avoid any foods that you have reactions to (mild, moderate or high). After the 30 days, you can test the mild reactions one at a time to see how they affect you and if you can reincorporate them into your diet. Unfortunately, it looks like the moderate and high foods are just no longer going to work without consequences.
There are a few things that are a little confusing for us, and we will either try elimination or seek out a specialist, but things like milk. RJ had a mild reaction to milk, yet he had a normal reaction to cheddar cheese? We aren’t entirely sure how this is possible. My guess is he can have milk processed in things but not on its own? We will find out! Another thing we are unsure about is eggs – clearly scrambled eggs is off the menu but how about baked into a cake? My mom’s allergist actually says the egg protien changes when it’s baked, and she can eat them. RJ decided to not have any eggs for the time being and then we will test it out after 30 days.
For $100, we are thrilled to have answers and a plan. It’s only been one day, but RJ is already noticing some digestive relief. It’s not going to be an easy change but I think as he starts to feel better, it will definitely be worth it.
If you want to take the test for yourself, use this link for 15% off. This isn’t sponsored, I actually bought a test for myself as well! I just wanted to share the experience here instead of individually in DMs. If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll answer them!
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