Food sensitivities and intolerances have become a much bigger conversation in health and wellness.
More people are starting to wonder whether the foods they eat every day could be contributing to symptoms such as bloating, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, skin issues, mood changes, weight-loss resistance, or inflammation.
And because testing has become more accessible, many people are now ordering food sensitivity tests themselves, cutting out the foods that show up, and trying to figure it out from there.
But for most people, that creates more confusion.
Food sensitivity testing is still widely misunderstood. Some people dismiss it completely. Some people treat every result like a permanent diagnosis. And many people end up with a long list of foods to avoid but no clear understanding of what the test is actually showing them, why their bodies are reacting in the first place, or what they’re supposed to do next.
That’s the problem. Elimination diets are not forever food ban lists. They were never meant to make someone’s diet smaller and smaller until eating becomes stressful. They are meant to be used as a therapeutic tool: to reduce inflammation, calm the immune system, repair the gut, and eventually understand how and when foods can be reintroduced.
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Cheryl Burdette, a naturopathic doctor, co-founder of Precision Point Diagnostics, and medical director for KHS. We talk about the difference between food allergies and food sensitivities, and why a food sensitivity test is only useful if it helps change the plan.
We also get into the bigger issue with advanced testing in general. A lab result should not just give you a number, a list, or another thing to worry about. It should help you understand the process happening underneath the symptoms.
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
Elimination diets are not forever food ban lists
Many people take a food sensitivity test, remove the foods, and then get stuck there. How are you actually supposed to use these diets?
Food allergies and food sensitivities are not the same thing
An IgE allergy can be immediate and obvious, while an IgG sensitivity may show up hours or days later. How do we understand the difference without oversimplifying either one?
Leaky gut changes how the immune system sees food
When the gut lining becomes more permeable, food particles and bacterial toxins can cross into places they do not belong, triggering immune reactions. What do markers like zonulin, LPS, diamine oxidase, and food antibodies actually help us see?
Advanced testing should help you know what to do next
Testing itself isn’t the problem; testing without a plan is. How do we use labs to guide diet, gut repair, probiotics, immunoglobulins, antioxidant support, and prevention instead of just collecting more numbers?
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