My Food Sensitivity Report (BLOOD TESTS PART 2) | 63 of 90

Hey guys!

I’m excited to go over another blood test today! Today we will be looking at my food sensitivity. Lots to discuss before we look at the results.

Now, I am totally aware that a food sensitivity test is NOT a food allergy test nor is it a food intolerance test. So…what’s the diff?

Food allergy: You have a food allergy when your immune system reacts to the food which is detected as a harmful substance. Your immune system will make antibodies to fight it off. This could look like skin rashes and breathing problems. A blood test will measure for a protein called immunoglobulin E or IgE.

Food intolerance: You have a food intolerance when you have trouble digesting certain foods. You usually have an intolerance because you lack an enzyme to digest the food. You can still eat the food in small amounts, but if you have too much, your body will react.

Food sensitivity: There is no standard medical definition for this. Sometimes it is used to describe an umbrella of the above two words.

The food sensitivity test that I took measured my IgG and IgA levels. Here is what that means, according to WebMD:

Immunoglobulin A: IgA antibodies are found in the mucous membranes of the lungs, sinuses, stomach, and intestines. They’re also in fluids these membranes produce, like saliva and tears, as well as in the blood.

Immunoglobulin G: IgG is the most common type of antibody in your blood and other body fluids. These antibodies protect you against infection by “remembering” which germs you’ve been exposed to before.

Something important to note is that since my tests look for IgG and IgA antibodies (and not IgE), my results will not indicate allergies. Past or frequent exposure to a food may also cause IgG levels to be higher – not just the fact that I am sensitive to the food. I confirmed this with the incredible Dr. Cicerone of Spark Health, who I had the honor of meeting at Gabby Bernstein‘s book launch party last night. She said that some of my numbers may seem high because I eat too much of it, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad for me. It just means I need to have more variety in my diet in order to not overdo any one food.

So, with that in mind, let’s have an open minded look at these numbers. I will not take them as fact, but kind of as a loose guide should I choose to change my diet to best suit my needs. I’m going to pair this report with notes that I’ve taken in regards to my reactions after eating certain foods. Let’s see if they match up or make no sense at all!

FOOD SENSITIVITY TEST:

Things they say I should avoid:

  • Dairy
  • Ginger

Things they say I should eat in moderation:

  • Dairy
  • Oysters
  • Bananas
  • Pineapples
  • Kidney Beans
  • Chicken
  • Pecan
  • Garlic
  • Lima Beans

Now, let’s dive deeper to see how they got to these conclusions.

MEAT

The nurse practitioner at Next | Health said that any food I score a 10 or above in, I should try to eliminate. I am cautious with this advice because I know that IgG tests are not 100% straightforward. Dr. Cicerone said that IgG is a “memory” antibody, so anything that I’ve had a lot of in the past 6-9 months could also show up here. So my task now is to decipher which ones foods that I am eating too much of, and which foods are the ones that I should actually avoid.

Chicken – Honestly, I have never had a reaction to chicken. BUT! I do eat it A LOT. It is my main meat, so that is why my IgG levels are above a 10 here. I will try to reduce my chicken intake and replace this protein with more eggs and fish. I don’t typically eat pork, lamb, or beef.

SEAFISH

Codfish – Interesting that cod is up here. I’ve never had a reaction to cod, but at the same time, I don’t think I’ve eaten cod recently. I don’t know why I scored a 10 here.

Oyster – I scored a 12 here which is also interesting. I’ve never had a reaction to oyster, raw or cooked. I don’t eat it a lot anyway, so I think I am ok here.

DAIRY

Overall, I am lactose intolerant, as I already know. So, I will avoid dairy as much as I can and eat some lovely vegan cheese when presented with the choice! I love Daiya vegan cheese anyway – it is so good!

GRAINS

It doesn’t say that I am sensitive to any grains, gluten containing or gluten free. HOWEVER, I know that when I eat grains, I bloat almost immediately. So I have been avoiding them. I haven’t eaten any of the above (except maybe the corn from Chipotle) in the last 6-9 months, so that could be why my IgG levels are low here. Dr. Cicerone also said that the reason I bloat could also be because there could be a certain bacteria in the grain that is affecting my gut. That will be something else I can check for in the future.

TREE NUTS

Almond – Interesting that I scored a 10 in almond. However, I think that is because I cooked with almond flour and ate a lot of Thai chili almonds within the past several months.

Pecan – I don’t even like pecans and I don’t eat them. However, when I have had them, I’ve had no reactions.

Everything looks good here.

Garlic – I’ve never had a reaction to garlic and I do sauteé with it when I make cauli rice!

Lima bean – Don’t really eat these.

Ginger – So weird that this scored a 29! My only bad reaction to ginger is that I HATE how it tastes. I don’t eat very much of it anyway.

Banana – I’ve never had a bad reaction to a banana.

Pineapple – My throat and tongue get itchy after eating a few chunks of pineapple.

Nothing interesting to note here.

CONCLUSION:

Going into this test, this is what I knew:

  • Grains bloat me
  • Milk makes me break out and it hurts my stomach
  • Excess sugar makes me break out

Coming out of this test, my lactose intolerance was confirmed (but I already knew that) and I found that I’m not really too sensitive to anything. I don’t count the weird chicken and ginger call outs because I’ve never noticed any bad reactions from consuming them.

So, is this test worth it?

No.

It did not teach me anything new. I think it’s better for you to try an elimination diet like Whole30 to really understand what’s going on. That’s how I found out milk was giving me acne.

When I had originally asked Next | Health about my hesitations about being measured for IgG and IgA (instead of IgE) they assured me it was accurate and to move forward with the test. Then when I got my 2 hour sit down with the nurse practitioner, he told me to avoid all those things I listed above. I don’t think this is very responsible, as people could end up eliminating things that are totally fine and healthy for them. These numbers don’t tell the whole story, as Dr. Cicerone pointed out, but no one at Next | Health had explained it to me in that way.

Obviously, I should have done more research before paying for this test…but when you’re talking to a health professional and they’re telling you it’s fine, it’s really hard to fight back against that – especially when you’re a patient, not a person who’s a trained medical professional!

Oh well! At least I spent the money so you don’t have to! As a reminder, it was $1600 for 4 tests and we still have 2 more to go through.

Yesterday’s Recap:

Yesterday was a special day! Sir George made 2 new friends!

That is Princess Chiyo the Pomeranian and The Fat Fluffy Bunny!

The mommies all went to a heels dance class together while the babies played! Meet Brittany and Michaela who you might end up seeing in a future project…just sayin! No more hints for you!!!

Then after heels, I got to meet the incredible Gabby Bernstein at her private book launch party at Gracias Madre (one of my fave vegan spots) in West Hollywood.

Guys, I’m so proud to tell you that Gabby has been doing Blogilates videos for years now. I’m literally dying cuz that’s so cool!!! She’s such a force in the life coaching, self love, manifestation, and spirituality space and you should def check her out and grab her latest book Super Attractor.

Now, for my Fit Journal entry.

LUNCH:

34% carbs, 35% fat, 31% protein

427 calories

Mahi mahi with chanterelle mushrooms over cauli rice. Sriracha overload. The best.

SNACKS:

57% carbs, 38% fat, 5% protein

391 calories

Post lunch kombucha.

Umm. OMG. These toasted coconut chips are too addictive. Found this at Costco. Guys, be careful – you can eat them forever. THEY ARE THAT GOOD!!!!

Gotta have my pumpkin pie hummus. YASSSS.

DINNER:

43% carbs, 42% fat, 14% protein

857 calories

This was our dinner menu. Gracias Madre is a vegan restaurant with literally one of the best ambiences ever. I love this place.

I started off with some bell peppers and guac.

Then I had some corn and cauliflower with vegan cheese on top.

Some arugula salad. Not exactly sure what was in this but it was good and the arugula did not taste as bitter as usual to me!

A vegan crab cake. Yum.

Potato taco. I just had the inside which had fried onions, potatoes, and cole slaw.


When I got home, I was still hungry so I made a cauliflower flatbread with an egg on top!

Yesterday I came in at 1,676 calories 194g carbs (44%), 76g fat (39%), and 72g protein (17%). Def did not hit my protein requirement, but also, I had a vegan dinner. So, whatcha gonna do!!??

 

28 thoughts on “My Food Sensitivity Report (BLOOD TESTS PART 2) | 63 of 90”

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  1. Saraahx says:

    I liked knowing more things with IgG, IgA and food sensitivities, intolerances etc. Too bad you had to pay for that one test. An elimination diet is great – your find a lot of things out about yourself!!! George’s new friends are cuties just like him and the dinner looks delish!!!

  2. Tabea says:

    Hey Cassey,

    pineapples especially fresh ones have a certain enzyme called protease that “dissolves” proteins. Technically, when we eat pineapples that enzyme is dissolving our tissues (obv not enough to really cause damage), which is why we feel sore in the mouth area, HOWEVER of course your reaction could also be a real food sensibility.

    Much love, keep going. It’s so crazy how over two third of the challenge are over.

  3. Candace says:

    Definitely important to rotate foods. Eating certain foods too often can cause a development of sensitivity/intolerance. Some of the numbers may come down with a break from some foods and you could reintroduce later with no issues. So crazy your results speak to a lot of things i learned after reading and following The Metabolism Plan. Great info Cassey and you’re killing this 90 days

  4. Julia says:

    Hey Cassey! Happy to see you taking great care of yourself as much as you can, being curious about what your body has to say, and caring less about what other people think of you.

    Do you know where I might be able to do such a test — bearing in mind that I live in Singapore, not the US?

    Thanks! 💖

  5. Brenda says:

    Please take time off to be with your family and relax. Spend time with your husband. High amounts of stress are not good. Blessings

  6. Sofia says:

    Hi Cassey! I recently found out that I’m lactose intolerant as well, or at least genetically predisposed. After cutting dairy products with lactose I am so much less bloated and just feel a lot better! Anyways, I saw you wrote that you would cut cheese, but actually a lot of cheese types are naturally lactose free! 🙂 If you google it you’ll see which ones are okay to eat.
    It’s exciting to follow your journey and for for you to learn more about your body!

  7. Julia says:

    I’m glad you’re putting so much care into yourself, it’s nice that you’re getting blood tests to get the numbers! I’m sorry the doc wasn’t super helpful though. I’ve been transforming my health as well since reading The Plant Paradox by Dr. Gundry. Thank goodness he wrote that book because I’ve been feeling a world better since eliminating certain foods!!

  8. Stefanie says:

    I honestly will say I hate the last comment of “def did not hit my protein requirement but that’s because I had a vegan dinner”. First off, all protein is derived from plants. I’m not sure if you know that, but by you making that comment to such a large following you’re reinforcing the FALSE idea that protein comes from meat. Please remember what you say has such weight to it since you have such a large following. I’m not here to troll or he mean, but remind you that spreading false info about veganism is not good for the animals, the earth, or for your health. Meat and dairy are completely unnecessary to our diets and the only reason we have been taught that protein comes from meat and calcium comes from dairy is due to the marketing of these very profitable industries.

    1. Tiffany says:

      Not really sure if you knew this but proteins are made of amino acids, which naturally occur in meat and plants.

      Factoid #2: vitamin B12 only occurs in animal products. Vegans can only get enough if they take supplements.

      Source: I’m a board certified MD. In the US.

    2. Mara says:

      Boohoo cry me a river Stefanie, this is nitpicky and unnecessary.

    3. Heather says:

      Thank you for saying this!!!! It irked me too. That and “I was still hungry when I got home, so I ate…” eat more dinner, Cassey! A vegan diet is WONDERFUL, and, given all your complaints about bloating and digestion, the perfect “diet” for you. For the love of god, please do actual research before spreading false information.

      1. Z says:

        Me too! She keeps saying she’s still hungry when she gets home. Well duh, she eats like 1300 calories on some days and 1500 on others. That’s the calorie requirement for a 4 year old!

    4. Susanne says:

      While I fully share and applaud your concern (fellow vegan here) you could have phrased it in a more friendly way… Cassey is doing such a good job at trying to please harsh criticism like yours isn’t going to make her job any easier…

    5. Mary says:

      “All protein is derived from plants” is false news.
      Take meat for example: Meat typically refers to muscle tissue. In mammals approx. 20% of muscle tissue is made up of the proteins actin and myosin which gives it it’s structure.
      Therefore, plants are the not the source of all proteins.
      https://www.britannica.com/science/protein/The-muscle-proteins

      I’m not saying that you can’t have a meat and dairy free diet if you choose to, but do not spread factually incorrect claims. Yes, many people may not fully realise that you can obtain adequate amounts of protein and calcium from plant based sources. However that does not negate the fact that you can obtain both from non-plant based products as well.

  9. Sweetiepie says:

    I loved the Whole 30 diet. It helped me find out many different things, that I would not of guessed otherwise. Differently recommend. My stomach seemed like it was always feeling ishy. I was having a lot of bloat and found out it was apples. It didn’t matter if it was juice or raw or cooked. Before I was having severe knee and foot pain, it just kept getting worse. I found out it was high frutose corn syrup. I can have a little like maybe two sodas a week but anymore than that and everything starts aching. It was like my whole body reset and things I was avoiding, I can now have. 30 days seems like a long time but it is will worth it if your body is rebelling against you.

  10. Have you read all of super attractor yet ?! I’m in the middle of chapter 4! I love it.

    Also thank you for sharing your results! Can’t wait for the other two…

  11. Tara says:

    Was waiting to read the offended vegan comments after your last two sentences lol

    1. Anina says:

      I’m sad to see you disregard them as “offended vegan comments”. Mine at least was only made to be sure nothing gets misrepresented & to point out the detrimental health effects animal protein can have. But of course do your own research!

  12. A says:

    It would be great to hear if you are working with a Registered Dietitian or any other evidence- based health professional. Taking advice from friends who claim to be “experts” or wasting money on blood tests may not be the best way to get information about your health

  13. Natacha says:

    For some people, even though you dont think you get a reaction. a simple immune response is enough. Both me and my mom did a similar test and eliminating food has changed our health. For the most part what I had to eliminate were things, like you, that I never had any physical noticeable reactions. But with my immune disorders, since I’ve eliminated my top reactions, I’ve stayed antibiotic free for over a year. which is a big difference compare to my 15+ urgent care visits a year. My moms eczema has been 100% under control when she eliminated hers. Even tho you may not think you get a reaction, internally you may be. Your body may be producing an immune response which weaken it for when it really needs to work. Just a thought, everyone is different. 🙂

  14. Lucy says:

    Thank you for being so honest and transparent about the results you got. You’re giving a great example by also looking at your history with the foods they told you to avoid. So many people take tests like these (or even the ones where you send off a hair sample), and cut out all the ‘positive’ and ‘moderate’ foods even though they’ve had no problems with those foods before. It’s crazy! It’s also so irresponsible that the health centre you went to is selling this as an 100% accurate test and giving false information to patients! How are they getting away with it?!

    On an unrelated note, George’s new friends are the cutest!! I’m such a sucker for a bunny!

  15. Katharina says:

    I also did a food sensitivity test after suffering from really bad food reactions for over a year. One day I didn’t react to a certain food, three weeks after I did. I was really lost and it made me avoid going out with friends or even leaving the house for grocery shopping. I was so afraid to have a reaction.
    So I decided to take this test, although it is pretty expensive, you’re right on that. It turned out I had several food sensitivities. The health professional I went to told me – depending on how severe a certain food sensitivity is – I should avoid these foods from only 3 months up to a year.
    So I did that (I even got a book full of recipes I could still eat which helped a lot). Today I can eat pretty much everything again. Just trying to minimalize grains and milk products, as I just feel better then. But you’re right: everyone should inform themselves if they really need to take a test like that. And a great health professional helps a lot. For me it was the right thing to do.

  16. Anina says:

    Maybe I misunderstood your last sentences, but just so that we’re – and potential other readers – are clear on this: I am vegan and I hit 100-120 g of protein EVERY DAY. It is completely possible to eat a high protein vegan diet (there are legumes, tofu/tempeh, seitan, nuts and and and to choose from). In addition, there is no evidence for any connection between plant protein and detrimental health effects while there is for animal protein; honestly I think that’s something you could look into, Cassey, as you’re trying to up your protein intake and from what I’m seeing, you’re trying to get it almost exclusively from animal protein… (This is not meant as a lecture, but it’s your – and your readers – health we’re talking about.)

    1. inus95 says:

      I don’t think she meant to say that you can’t eat high protein diet as vegan. She just said that although she did not reach her goal of eating enough protein for the day, at least she reached a positive goal of eating all vegan diet for the day 🙂

    2. Liz says:

      I had this exact reaction too, Anna! Thank you!

    3. Diana says:

      As a fellow vegan, I get what you’re saying about being able to get enough protein on a vegan diet. I believe it is possible. But if you look at what she ate for dinner on this day you will see it was seriously lacking in protein. Just looking at the pictures and reading the descriptions I wasn’t the least bit surprised that she was still hungry afterwards. There are definitely better vegan options out there to get your protein but her dinner in particular did not hit the mark.

      1. Anina says:

        Inus95, Diana: I totally agree with both of you 🙏. I just wanted to point it out as it is one of the most common misconceptions.

    4. Susan says:

      She did have dinner out though and I generally find that unless they advertise their meals to be high protein, restaurants don’t tend to worry about that sort of thing. Obviously it would be much easier to hit protein requirements if you were cooking at home. Looking back at Cassey’s previous content I’m sure she is fully aware that there are awesome plant based sources of protein 🙂