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At-home allergy test to assess in four easy steps whether a particular food might be triggering intolerance or sensitivity issues. Not appropriate for severe situations that may trigger anaphylaxis.
Food sensitivities and allergies in children are clearly on the rise. Official estimates put the number at about 6% of children under the age of three. This sure seems low to me.
In my child’s preschool class, 10 of 12 children suffered from at least one food allergy!
When I went through elementary school in the 1970s, I barely remember one child with a food allergy of any kind.
Food Allergies, Intolerance, and Sensitivities
In years past, genetic predisposition was a clear and primary contributor to the development of allergies.
However, the modern-day tendency for children to eat just a few types of foods all the time like pizza, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, boxed cereal and peanut butter sandwiches is a big reason for the skyrocketing allergy trend.
Exclusive eating requires a constant demand for the same types of digestive enzymes over and over. This can eventually lead to digestive exhaustion, food addictions, and biochemical disruptions.
Poor diet in infancy and childhood which is devoid or low in animal fats such as egg yolks, cream, and butter is also a contributor to the development of allergies.
Arachidonic acid and beneficial cholesterol in these nourishing animal fats promote the development of an intestinal wall that is strong with much integrity.
The nutritionless, carb-heavy, rancid vegetable oil-laden processed foods most allergy-prone children subsist on can lead to weakness in the intestinal walls. Another name for this is leaky gut syndrome.
These microscopic perforations allow partially digested food particles to enter the bloodstream. At that point, the trigger is set for an unpredictable mix of auto-immune and behavioral disorders.
What to do if you suspect a food allergy in your child or yourself but you wish to avoid expensive testing?
Home Pulse Test
As it turns out, it is rather easy to test for a food allergy at home.
Note that this is not appropriate for any situation where anaphylaxis might occur.
The four simple steps include the following:
- Avoid the suspected food for at least 4 days.
- Eat a moderate amount of the suspected food on an empty stomach. Consume no other food within the previous 2 hours (drinking water is fine).
- Measure pulse rate (beats per minute) before and 5-10 minutes after eating the food in question.
- Calculate the difference in pulse rate. Did you find a significant rise of more than just a few beats per minute? If so, then an allergy or intolerance is likely even if you do not identify any other symptoms.
Besides an increased or racing pulse, food sensitivities and allergies can be identified via rashes, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, joint pain, and even hoarseness.
How to Heal
Once one or more food allergies are identified, a diet such as GAPS would need to be followed.
Over a period of time, usually 18 months to about 3 years, the gut wall will heal and seal. At that point, offending foods can be gradually reintroduced into the diet.
If the allergies are not severe, simply eating a varied and best traditional diet may be all that is necessary to put them in remission. This means no refined or stimulating foods.
“Refined” and “stimulating” foods would include anything made with white sugar, white flour, rancid vegetable oils like canola or soy, sodium, and caffeine.
In addition, a variety of traditionally fermented foods and beverages like home-brewed kombucha help tremendously with supplying friendly bacteria and food enzymes to keep the intestinal tract in optimal function.
These vital foods help maintain the integrity of the gut wall. This prevents compromise where undigested foods spill into the blood and trigger symptoms of sensitivity or intolerance.
Prevention is the Best Policy
Ultimately, it is best to never have to “undo” allergies if at all possible.
Eating a nourishing, traditional diet while pregnant and breastfeeding and ensuring that growing children receive regular and sufficient quantities of optimal growth encouraging foods.
These include cream, butter, ghee, egg yolks, fish eggs, grassfed and organ meats for development of a sturdy intestinal system.
This is the best insurance policy against ever needing any sort of special diet to combat allergy or other autoimmune issues.
Reference
Nourishing Traditions, About Food Allergies and Special Diets
Thank you for the article! I am wondering if I can somehow test allergies for an infant, who is 5 months and is exclusively breastfed. My family doctor refuses to refer us to the tests, which are otherwise very expensive. I’ve tried elimination diet myself for 2-3 weeks, excluding milk, eggs, nuts, soya. But it didn’t work.
I also tried to apply milk and eggs on baby’s skin – no redness, no reaction. But she has allergy symptoms.
I like what you said about dieting and how what you eat can affect your allergies and what enzymes you begin lacking. I’ve always had really bad seasonal allergies. It seems to not only be in the springtime but whenever the seasons change and at random moments it will be more intense than other times. It can be very frustrating to deal with, but I’ll have to see if I can rid myself of allergies by consuming other foods.
yeah, really. who’s gonna hang out at home with anaphylaxis? this is just common sense. I was thinking I could rub some avocado and soy on an arm and see what happens. I’m not able to pinpoint the culprits. I just know I get moody, tired, my colon hurts and I can’t seem to find my words. Autoimmune type of stuff. I think the elimination diet is the best idea….like you say, just eat that one food and see how you feel. my throat is tight with citrus, gluten is very painful for me. Not a fan of the doctor office so…..I’ll figure it out.
Thanks for the tip to measure pulse rates before and after a few minutes when eating. My kids have had some odd reactions with a few meals, and I’m wondering if they’ve got allergies. We’ll have to try out a few of these methods, and maybe even look at getting food allergy testing services.
Please do not follow this advice without first discussing with a doctor or doing some serious research to determine this is safe to do at home. If you or your child have an anaphylactic allergic reaction to eating a food, you can die if you don’t receive treatment immediately.
The article clearly states that this at home allergy test should only be used for nonsevere allergies!
I had no idea that a poor diet in infancy can cause a person to develop allergies. It is important to remember that taking the time to understand what your child needs and how you can provide the nutrition their bodies need can hep you avoid problems in the future. My brother was talking about how he needed to take his son to be tested for allergies, so I wanted to know what caused them and how to prevent them.
Is there a way to test an allergic reaction not orally?
You can rub some of the food on the skin and test for a rash. This is not as reliable unfortunately.
What if you have an allergic reaction? I don’t think that’s good vice to give people randomly try stuff they might be allergic to you
Not all allergies are life threatening. If you think the allergy might be, then don’t do the test. This is the same test that many holistic practitioners use in their office when you consult with them on food sensitivities and allergy issues.
I didn’t know that a good way to test if you are allergic to a certain food is to eat the suspected food on an empty stomach. I can see why this would help determine if you are allergic to that specific food because there wouldn’t be any other type of food that wouls interfere with the testing. I will try this with my son as he seems to be allergic to something he ate recently.
Another testing I guess is food elimination where you eliminate certain food that would likely cause allergies. Allergy Easy