Food sensitivities can drive a wide range of symptoms—from bloating and fatigue to skin issues, joint pain, headaches, and immune dysfunction. Unlike food allergies, which cause immediate reactions, food sensitivities often trigger delayed inflammation hours or even days after eating certain foods.
Food Sensitivity Testing at InfusaLounge Integrative & Functional Medicine helps uncover hidden immune responses that may be contributing to chronic symptoms, allowing us to build a personalized plan that calms inflammation and supports long-term wellness.
Who Food Sensitivity Testing Is For
This testing may be helpful if you experience:
- Bloating or digestive discomfort
- Fatigue or low energy after meals
- Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- Skin issues (eczema, acne, rashes, hives)
- Migraines or headaches
- Joint pain or stiffness
- Weight resistance
- Mood changes or irritability
- Autoimmune flares
- Chronic inflammation
- Gas, reflux, or irregular bowel movements
- Sinus congestion or post-nasal drip
If symptoms seem inconsistent, unpredictable, or connected to eating, food sensitivity testing may reveal why.
What This Test Evaluates
IgG & IgA Food Reactions
Identifying Delayed Immune Responses to Foods
These markers help detect:
- Foods your immune system is overreacting to
- Delayed-onset reactions (hours to days after eating)
- Foods contributing to inflammation or digestive issues
- Patterns related to leaky gut or immune dysregulation
This is different from allergy testing, which only identifies immediate IgE reactions.
Immune Reactivity Patterns
How Your Immune System Responds to Food-Related Triggers
Depending on the test type, we may evaluate:
- Elevated immune activation markers
- Inflammatory responses to specific foods
- Mucosal immune markers
- Patterns connected to gut permeability (leaky gut)
- Cross-reactive foods (foods that mimic other triggers)
This helps reveal whether your immune system is overreactive or inflamed.
Food Sensitivity Categories
Comprehensive Panels Tailored to Your Needs
Testing may include:
- Dairy sensitivities (casein, whey, lactose)
- Gluten and wheat reactivity
- Grains and carbohydrates
- Nuts and seeds
- Fruits and vegetables
- Eggs
- Legumes and beans
- Seafood and shellfish
- Spices and herbs
- Additives, preservatives, and food colorings
This provides a clear, detailed map of what is triggering your symptoms.
Why Food Sensitivities Occur
Food sensitivities can develop due to:
- Gut inflammation and mucosal damage
- Microbiome imbalance (dysbiosis)
- Intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
- Chronic stress and HPA-axis dysfunction
- Gut infections or overgrowths
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Environmental toxin exposure
- Immune dysregulation or autoimmune patterns
Testing helps reveal the underlying biological patterns connected to these reactions.
Why Standard Allergy Testing Isn't Enough
Food sensitivities:
- Don't show up on IgE allergy tests
- Are not immediate reactions—symptoms may appear hours or days later
- Cause delayed, chronic symptoms rather than acute reactions
- Often appear in complex patterns involving multiple foods
- Can mimic other health issues and go undiagnosed for years
The right testing gives a clearer picture of how food influences your health.
How Results Guide Your Care
Your test results help create a personalized plan that may include:
- Guided elimination and reintroduction strategies
- Gut-healing protocols
- Microbiome balancing
- Stress and adrenal support
- Anti-inflammatory nutrition guidance
- Supplementation for immune regulation
- Long-term food plan that supports healing and tolerance
- Integration with GI-MAP or other diagnostic findings
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a food allergy and a food sensitivity?
Food allergies involve IgE antibodies and cause immediate, often severe reactions (hives, swelling, anaphylaxis) within minutes of eating. Food sensitivities involve IgG or IgA antibodies and cause delayed reactions (hours to days later) with symptoms like bloating, fatigue, headaches, joint pain, or skin issues. Standard allergy tests only detect IgE reactions, which is why sensitivities often go undiagnosed.
Can food sensitivities cause symptoms outside of digestion?
Yes. Food sensitivities can trigger systemic inflammation that manifests as brain fog, fatigue, joint pain, skin problems, headaches, mood changes, and even autoimmune flares. Because symptoms are delayed and widespread, many people never connect their symptoms to specific foods without testing.
Will I have to avoid trigger foods forever?
How is food sensitivity testing performed?
Food sensitivity testing typically requires a blood draw that measures IgG and/or IgA antibody levels against a panel of common foods. Results are usually available within 2-3 weeks and show which foods are triggering immune responses, rated by severity. We review your results and create a personalized plan based on your specific reactions.
Should I combine food sensitivity testing with GI-MAP testing?
Often, yes. Food sensitivities frequently develop because of gut dysfunction—infections, dysbiosis, inflammation, or leaky gut. GI-MAP testing reveals these underlying causes, while food sensitivity testing identifies specific trigger foods. Together, they provide a complete picture that allows us to address both the triggers and the root cause of your reactions.
Is Food Sensitivity Testing Right for You?
If your symptoms fluctuate or seem connected to eating—but you’re not sure how—this testing can provide clarity and help you feel better consistently.