Food Sensitivities: What They Really Mean and How to Identify Them
Let’s be honest — we’ve all eaten something and thought, “That didn’t settle well.” Whether it’s bloating, fatigue, or brain fog, food sensitivities are becoming a hot topic for good reason.
But here’s the truth: food sensitivities don’t just appear out of nowhere. They’re a symptom of deeper imbalances happening inside the body — often related to the gut, immune system, or a sluggish metabolism.
Why Do Food Sensitivities Happen?
1. A Compromised Intestinal Barrier
Your gut lining should act like a security gate — allowing in nutrients and beneficial bacteria while keeping out toxins, large food particles, and harmful microbes.
When this barrier becomes compromised (often referred to as “leaky gut”), undigested food particles can escape into the bloodstream. The immune system recognizes them as foreign invaders, triggering inflammation. Over time, your body begins to overreact to those foods — leading to ongoing sensitivities and symptoms.
2. An Overstimulated Immune System
Chronic stress puts the immune system on constant high alert. The longer your body stays in this stressed, inflamed state, the more hypersensitive your immune system becomes. Eventually, it may start reacting to even harmless foods, creating a cycle of inflammation and fatigue.
3. Improper Food Breakdown
Sometimes sensitivities develop because your body isn’t breaking foods down properly.
This can happen with:
Lactose intolerance
Histamine intolerance, when inflammation and toxic load reduce your body’s DAO enzyme (needed to break down histamine)
When digestion is sluggish or enzyme production is low, undigested food can contribute to inflammation and discomfort.
4. Elevated Cortisol & Hormonal Imbalances
Chronic stress raises cortisol levels — which in turn:
Weakens the gut barrier
Slows digestion
Promotes gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in good and bad bacteria)
Hormonal imbalances can also disrupt immune function, making food sensitivities more likely and more intense.
What Happens If You Ignore Food Sensitivities?
If you continue eating foods that your body reacts to, inflammation and gut damage can worsen over time. This can lead to a cascade of issues such as:
Damage to intestinal microvilli (reducing nutrient absorption)
Impaired breakdown of sugars, carbs, proteins, and fats
Liver congestion and slowed detox pathways
A weakened immune system and low secretory IgA (your gut’s first line of defense)
An ever-growing list of food sensitivities
Left unaddressed, this cycle of inflammation and poor digestion can leave you feeling constantly unwell, even when your diet looks “clean.”
What Can Food Sensitivity Testing Tell Us?
That depends on the type of test you choose.
IgG Food Sensitivity Tests
These tests measure IgG antibodies produced in response to specific foods. In theory, higher IgG levels suggest a delayed immune reaction — but there are two major limitations:
IgG can also indicate tolerance. Your body naturally produces antibodies for foods you eat frequently, not just ones you react to.
Elimination before testing skews results. If you haven’t eaten a food recently, antibodies may be too low to detect, even if you’re sensitive to it.
Because of this, IgG results can be misleading and don’t always align with symptoms.
Mediator Release Test (MRT): A More Functional Approach
In my practice, I use the Mediator Release Test (MRT) — a functional test that looks at your immune system’s actual inflammatory response, not antibodies.
Here’s how it works:
Your blood is exposed to 170 different foods and chemicals.
When your white blood cells react to a food they see as a threat, they release inflammatory mediators (like histamine and cytokines).
This release changes the volume of your blood sample, which is measured by the MRT.
The greater the change, the stronger your body’s inflammatory response.
One of the best things about MRT testing is that it can detect reactions whether or not you’ve recently eaten the food— providing a much more accurate picture of your immune activity.
So… Is Food Sensitivity Testing Worth It?
Absolutely.
Food sensitivities create a toxic load on the body that keeps you inflamed and unwell. Simply removing the foods isn’t always enough — true healing requires addressing why the sensitivities developed in the first place. That often includes:
Healing gut permeability
Reducing inflammation
Balancing stress hormones
Supporting detox pathways
Once the gut begins to heal, many sensitivities can fade over time.
The goal isn’t to eliminate foods forever — it’s to uncover what’s currently burdening your body so you can heal, reintroduce, and thrive.
Uncovering your unique food sensitivities may just be the next best step in your healing journey.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re struggling with ongoing bloating, fatigue, or inflammation that hasn’t improved through diet alone, it may be time to dig deeper.
I use MRT food sensitivity testing along with personalized nutrition and lifestyle protocols to help you identify your unique triggers, calm inflammation, and restore balance from the inside out.