Food Allergy Testing vs Sensitivity Testing: What Parents Must Know

Trying to figure out whether your child's symptoms are a true food allergy or just a sensitivity can be really, really tough. Online search results are all over the place, at-home test kits claim to be super accurate - but they're often not, and lots of families end up getting rid of foods that were never a risk in the first place.

When your kid has symptoms after eating - whether it's hives, a tummy ache, or becoming really grumpy - it's natural to want some answers pronto. But the only way to get a reliable and safe diagnosis is through proper, evidence-based allergy testing done by a specialist.

At Empower Allergy Treatment, we help families every week who are getting bogged down by food reactions, symptoms and all the misinformation out there.

Our approach is rooted in science and paediatrics - we make sure your child gets the right diagnosis and a treatment plan that's tailored to them, not a set of rules about which foods to avoid. This guide breaks down the difference between allergies and sensitivities, explains the testing options that actually work, and helps you figure out whether your child really needs some real allergy care.

What Is a True Food Allergy?

A true food allergy is when your child's immune system starts to think a harmless food is a threat. This reaction is typically triggered by an overreaction by the immune system to something harmless. The symptoms show up within minutes to a couple of hours of eating the food and can sometimes be very severe.

Common symptoms of a true food allergy include:

• Hives or swelling
• Trouble breathing or a cough
• Vomiting or a really bad stomach ache
• Wheezing or a tight throat
• Anaphylaxis (a life threatening reaction)

These symptoms aren't related to digestion - they're caused by the immune system - so they need proper testing and expert medical guidance. The most common foods that cause allergies in kids are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. Knowing which foods cause an overreaction in your child is key to keeping them safe and avoiding unnecessary diet restrictions.

What Is a Food Sensitivity or Intolerance?

A food sensitivity isn't an immune system reaction and so it's not anaphylaxis risk. It usually develops slowly, is related to digestion and doesn't involve IgE antibodies. Lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivity, some enzyme deficiencies, FODMAP reactions, caffeine sensitivity and histamine intolerance are all examples of food sensitivities.

Symptoms are usually pretty miserable and can include:\

• Bloating
• Gas
• A sore tummy
• Nausea
• Diarrhoea or constipation
• Headaches
• Feeling tired all the time

These symptoms can be a real drag but they're not as serious as a true allergy. Importantly, you can't diagnose sensitivities through allergy tests because they don't involve IgE antibodies. This is where lots of parents get misled by online tests that claim to "detect intolerances" but really just measure markers that have no value in diagnosing anything.

Why Parents Get It Wrong

Parents often get mixed up between allergies and sensitivities because the symptoms can be similar. Your kid might say they get a stomach ache after eating dairy, and that could be lactose intolerance or a milk allergy. Reactions can show up hours later, making it hard to figure out the cause.

The internet only adds to the confusion: there are all sorts of at-home kits, IgG tests that claim to detect intolerances, elimination diets and symptom checkers that are all completely unhelpful.

Without proper testing, families often end up removing safe foods that do no harm, which can actually be bad for their child's nutrition. Getting a proper diagnosis cuts through all the confusion and makes sure your child only avoids foods that really need avoiding.

Tests That Actually Work for Food Allergies

There are four super effective testing methods used to diagnose true food allergies, and each one does a different job in figuring out what's going on and how to manage it.

Skin Prick Testing

This is the fastest and most widely used method - it introduces tiny amounts of an allergen into the top layer of the skin to see if your child has an IgE-mediated reaction.

Serum IgE Blood Testing

Also known as Blood Testing, this measures specific IgE antibodies in your child's blood to figure out if they're sensitised and to help decide how likely they are to react to something.

Component-Resolved Diagnostics

This is an advanced blood test that identifies which specific proteins in a food your child reacts to - it helps work out how bad the reaction is and if there's a risk of cross-reactivity.

Oral Food Challenge

This is actually the most accurate diagnostic method out there - your child eats measured doses of a suspected allergen under medical supervision to confirm or rule out a true allergy.

Empower Allergy Treatment uses all these validated tools to make sure families get results they can trust - not guesses or generalisations.

What Food Sensitivity Tests Claim to Do (But Don't Actually Diagnose)

Many parents get swayed into ordering online food sensitivity tests because they're everywhere and super easy to buy. However IgG food panels, hair sample tests, kinesiology tests, muscle testing, and at-home "intolerance kits" just aren't based on solid evidence, and none of the major allergy organizations worldwide recommend them.

These kinds of tests often produce false positives, because they just measure how often your kid eats a particular food - so they end up telling parents that their child is "sensitive" to foods they just happen to eat all the time.

This can lead families to eliminate dozens of foods from their diet, which is just a recipe for more stress and a lack of variety in what they eat. These tests aren't even good for figuring out how likely someone is to have a severe allergic reaction, can't measure IgE levels, and can't do a reliable job of diagnosing any medical condition.

Are At-Home Food Tests Any Good?

Truth is, no. At-home tests can't figure out how someone's immune system is responding, spot IgE reactions, predict just how bad a reaction will be, or tell you which foods might cause similar reactions. They can't even replace a proper medical history or a doctor's evaluation.

The biggest problem with these kits is that they can give people false confidence or make them worried for no reason at all. Parents might end up reintroducing things that could have serious consequences, or, on the other hand, they might get rid of foods that are actually nutritious.

Only a trained pediatric allergy specialist can decide whether a child's symptoms are due to an allergy, sensitivity, or something else entirely.

When Your Child Needs Some Real Allergy Testing

If your kid is experiencing any of these symptoms, then you should consider getting some allergy testing done:

• they break out in hives or get puffy after eating
• they get sick over and over after eating the same food
• their eczema gets worse after meals
• they have a bad reaction to foods like nuts, dairy, eggs, or peanuts
• they have breathing problems after eating
• they get anxious or just refuses to eat because of the symptoms
• they get symptoms from the same food over and over

The earlier you get tested, the better - because these symptoms are likely to get worse the more often they have an exposure. Empower Allergy Treatment uses a comprehensive medical history, in-clinic testing, and safety protocols that are designed around kids to evaluate your child.

Food Allergy Testing Timeline: What To Expect

The testing process for your kid will typically include:

• Initial consultation: A specialist takes a closer look at their symptoms, patterns and medical history
• Skin testing: This is fast, safe and can be interpreted in minutes
• Blood testing: This is ordered if you need a bit more information or if skin testing isn't a good idea
• Lung Function Testing: This is used to see if they have asthma, breathing problems or other airborne allergies
• Follow-up: A full rundown on what the results mean and what treatment options are available
• Oral Food Challenge: This is recommended when the results aren't clear-cut, sensitivity seems low or there's a chance they've outgrown the allergy

At Empower, we make sure the testing process is as painless as possible for your child.

The Role of Elimination Diets (and When They're Helpful)

Elimination diets can help diagnose gastrointestinal sensitivities or intolerances but you need a doc's guidance before starting one. Removing too many foods from your diet can lead to nutritional gaps or create unnecessary fear around eating.

With medical supervision:

• only foods that really need to be eliminated get cut out
• symptoms get tracked properly
• the reintroduction phases can happen safely
• you're not mistaking allergies for sensitivities

For true food allergies, elimination diets are a temporary management step and should only be used until the full picture gets confirmed through proper testing.

How Empower Allergy Treatment Creates a Personalised Allergy Care Plan

What sets us apart is our science-driven, kid-focused philosophy. Under the About Us section of our clinic info, you'll see that our team is all about accuracy, safety and long-term education.

After testing, our care plan might include:

• complete Avoidance Planning for the foods that actually cause an allergy
• emergency treatment plans
• guidance on reintroducing foods safely
• eligibility evaluation for Oral Immunotherapy
• alternative options like Sublingual Immunotherapy
• support with biologic medications like Xolair (omalizumab) when it's the right choice
• monitoring progress with follow-up visits and Lung Function Testing

We also have a range of Services and Programs designed specifically for kids with food allergies, sensitivities, eczema, asthma or complex reaction patterns.

Long-Term Management: Sensitivities vs Allergies

Long-term care will depend on the diagnosis:

• if it's a true food allergy, you'll need to keep avoiding the food, have emergency plans in place, get regular re-evaluations and consider desensitization treatments like OIT or SLIT.
• if it's a sensitivity, you'll manage it with adjusted diets, digestive support and sometimes GI-focused evaluation

Because allergies can change over time, it's a good idea to get re-tested to stay up to date on new treatment options and changing risk levels.

Conclusion

Getting accurate food allergy testing is one of the most important things you can do to keep your child safe and healthy. Knowing the difference between allergies and sensitivities will save you from having to restrict your child's diet unnecessarily, experiencing anxiety or getting confused.

We use evidence-based testing to give families real answers.Got clarity on your child's symptoms on the brain? want to take a closer look? then take a gander at our Services and Programs, read a bit more about who we are About Us, or book that evaluation with us ASAP.