Do you experience a sense of unease or discomfort? For months, I’d wake up bloated, drag myself through the afternoon with zero energy, and deal with skin breakouts that seemed to come out of nowhere. My GP ran the usual tests thyroid, iron levels, coeliac screening, the works but everything came back normal. “Maybe it’s stress,” she said with a sympathetic smile. “Try to get more sleep and reduce your workload.”
But I knew my body, and this wasn’t just stress. I was sleeping eight hours a night, exercising regularly, and eating what I thought was a healthy diet. Something else was going on, and I was determined to figure it out.
That’s when a friend mentioned food sensitivities. Not allergies; I’d never gone into anaphylactic shock or anything dramatic like that. These were the subtle types of reactions that gradually accumulate, causing you to feel unwell without any apparent reason. The problem? I had no idea where to start.
The Food Elimination Nightmare
I tried the typical elimination diet first. Cut out gluten for a month; nothing changed. Ditched dairy next-still felt awful. The problem with elimination diets? Reactions can take up to three days to show up. If you eat something on Monday and feel terrible on Thursday, how are you supposed to connect the dots? I was going in circles.
Discovering Food Sensitivity Tests
After venting to a friend over coffee, she told me about proper food sensitivity testing. I’d heard of allergy tests before, but these are specifically for IgG food sensitivities and the delayed reactions I was dealing with.
I started researching what are the best food sensitivity tests available in Australia, and there are actually quite a few options now. There are comprehensive pathology-based tests, some that can be performed at home with a finger prick, and others that need a doctor’s referral. The one that kept coming up in my research was ImuPro. They’ve been operating in Australia since 2005, which gave me confidence that it’s not just another wellness trend that’ll vanish in six months.
What Makes These Tests Different
These aren’t finger-prick tests you do at home. You go to a proper pathology clinic for a blood draw. With ImuPro, they send your sample to an ISO-certified lab in Germany, where they use the ELISA method, the gold standard for measuring IgG antibodies.
The Testing Process
I went with the ImuPro Basic 90 test, which covers 90 common foods. The process was straightforward: I ordered online, got a collection kit, and then booked an appointment at my local pathology centre. The blood draw took about five minutes, and results came in 15 days.
The Results Were Eye-Opening
The results were incredibly detailed-not just a list of “bad foods” but actual reaction levels. Turns out, I wasn’t reacting to gluten or dairy at all. What were my primary triggers? Egg whites, almonds, and green beans. Green beans! I’d been eating them almost daily, thinking I was being healthy.
Life After Testing
Eliminating these foods overnight wasn’t easy, but within two weeks, my energy levels improved significantly. The bloating reduced, and my skin cleared up for the first time in months. The best part? I had clarity. No more guessing games or unnecessarily cutting out entire food groups.
Is It Worth It?
I’m not saying that testing for food sensitivities is magic or that it works for everyone. But if you’ve been having symptoms that you can’t explain and aren’t getting anywhere, it’s worth considering. I paid $359, but compared to money wasted on random supplements and restrictive diets, it was economical.
Having tangible information about my body’s reactions was crucial. I wasn’t eliminating foods based on internet forums; I had laboratory results guiding my decisions.
If you’re in Australia and feeling as lost as I was, there are solid, scientifically backed testing options available. Just choose something evidence-based, not the latest wellness trend. Your body will thank you for it.
