Food Sensitivity Testing
Which Zoomer is right for you?
The Vibrant Food Zoomers provide the most in depth and accurate look at true food sensitivities—because they are tests that examine immune responses to peptides within these antigenic foods, compared to all other food sensitivity tests which measure antibodies to whole proteins, which are rarely actually what our immune systems are exposed to in real life during digestion.
General reasons for running a food Zoomer bundle can include:
You have an autoimmune disease.
You are especially sensitive (chemically sensitive, for example), manifesting in rashes, temperature dysregulation, coughing, running nose, watering eyes, excess sneezing after eating certain foods.
You’ve been unable to heal an issue despite multiple efforts—i.e. unable to lose weight despite great efforts, still have heartburn even with dietary avoidance, etc. You have altered bowel function (symptoms of IBS, SIBO, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, excess gas/pain).
You have neurological or mood (example: anxiety) symptoms, even without any digestive/gastrointestinal symptoms.
What foods do you regularly eat?
What common food antigens and allergens are you eating regularly? Consider what you eat daily, weekly, and monthly to determine which foods are most relevant to test for.
What are your symptoms?
Determine which Zoomers you should test based off your symptoms.
Gastrointestinal
Wheat, dairy, lectin, corn, soy, and seafood.
Neurological/Cognitive
Wheat, dairy, lectin, soy, corn, and peanut.
Skin
Wheat, dairy, lectin, corn, and soy.
Joint Pain/Connective Tissue Disorders
Wheat, dairy, lectin, corn, and soy.
Respiratory
Corn, soy, peanut, seafood, and nut.
Autoimmune
Wheat, dairy, lectin, corn, and egg.
Wheat Zoomer
The Wheat Zoomer is a foundational test and should be included in each Food Zoomer bundle.
The Wheat Zoomer goes far beyond just wheat and gluten sensitivity. It currently provides the most in depth panel for assessment of intestinal permeability (leaky gut) available, and can differentiate between permeability/leaky gut that is likely caused by gluten and permeability that is more likely to be caused by bacterial overgrowth.
1 in 7 individuals in the United States has a wheat-related disorder. Interestingly, many people who have a gluten or wheat sensitivity DON’T experience digestive problems. We have found wheat and gluten to be a “dealbreaker” in clinical practice—if people are still consuming gluten, or experiencing cross-contamination—they may be unable to fully heal from chronic conditions and symptoms.
There is no other test like the Wheat Zoomer on the market. It aids in the specific recognition of antibodies to wheat peptides—including gluten and non-gluten components, along with antibodies that indicate the presence of intestinal permeability/leaky gut. It is also a highly sensitive peptide-based array designed to detect autoimmune reactions to gluten.
This unique technology results in enhanced sensitivity and specificity compared to other platforms. The Wheat Zoomer has been validated at 99% specificity and sensitivity.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Wheat Zoomer:
Digestive discomfort/IBS
Low vitamin D levels
Difficulty concentrating or “brain fog”
Low energy levels/fatigue
Intestinal permeability (“leaky gut syndrome”)
Skin inflammation (eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis)
Chronic headaches or migraines
Weight gain/weight loss
Joint pain or numbness in the legs, arms, or fingers
The Wheat Zoomer can detect:
Intestinal permeability (“leaky gut syndrome”)
Celiac disease
Wheat allergy
Wheat germ agglutinin-related vitamin D deficiencies
Gluten ataxia and other neurological symptoms
Gluten’s role in dermatitis/eczema (skin-related disorders)
Gluten sensitivity
Wheat sensitivity
Do I still need this test if I’m already eating a gluten-free diet?
Vibrant Wellness and The Funk’tional Nutritionist do NOT recommend a “gluten challenge” to anyone who is already aware they have adverse symptoms driven by gluten. However, with any antibody testing, if the antigen (in this case gluten or other peptides in wheat) has been removed for a significant amount of time (variable amongst individuals), the body will no longer mount an IgA/IgG antibody response and will render an antibody test as a “false negative.” Such is the case with our Wheat Zoomer test.
However, the Wheat Zoomer looks at more than gluten and wheat antigens. If you are still experiencing symptoms, it would be helpful to look at the intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”) panel from the Wheat Zoomer.
On top of that, running a Wheat Zoomer can demonstrate a person’s true compliance in following a gluten or wheat free diet. AND indicate any cross contamination. It is extremely difficult to eliminate gluten 100%, and often people can obtaining gluten from a hidden source without knowing about it. This exposure will produce an antibody response, which will be picked up by the Wheat Zoomer.
Research suggests that a single exposure from gluten can elevate antibodies anywhere from 2-6 months. Therefore, while the Wheat Zoomer does hold a little more clinical utility and direction if a person is actively consuming gluten, there is still useful insight in an already gluten-free person.
Order Your Food Sensitivity Test
Beyond the Gluten:
Determining which Food Zoomers you need
Corn Zoomer
Corn is a grain that is heavily used in gluten-free foods and, therefore, patients following a gluten-free diet that do not experience symptom improvement after fully eliminating gluten may benefit from testing to determine if they also have an underlying corn sensitivity.
Not only is corn widely prevalent in foods, but its various forms and derivatives are present in beverages, vaccines, medicines, supplements, and household items such as shampoo and body powder.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Corn Zoomer:
Bronchitis and asthma symptoms
Rashes (eczema)
Arthritis
Gas
Bloating
Fever
Fatigue
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Known intestinal permeability
Nausea and vomiting
Skin itchiness and redness
Joint pain
Muscle stiffness and swelling
Excessive sweating
Weakness
Lectin Zoomer
Lectins are a large class of sugar-binding proteins that can be found in all forms of life. In plants, lectins are part of the natural defense against microorganisms, pests, and insects. Although lectin has been considered a low-level toxin, many members of the lectin protein family can agglutinate (clump together) and become problematic for human health.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Lectin Zoomer:
Autoimmunity
Intestinal permeability (“leaky gut syndrome”) (bloating, gas, and abdominal cramps)
Rheumatoid arthritis (painful and swollen joints)
Allergies (watery eyes, sniffling, sinus congestion, throat tightness, and itchy skin, mouth or tongue)
Fatigue and tiredness
Mental health problems (e.g., depression)
Skin rashes (redness and itchiness)
Hormonal fluctuations
Nausea
Frequent use of antibiotics
Following vegan/vegetarian diet
Allergies
Family history of autoimmune disorders, especially rheumatoid arthritis
Dairy Zoomer
A comprehensive peptide-level test to detect with the highest sensitivity and specificity whether an individual is sensitive to any of the multiple peptides found in cow’s milk.
The Dairy Zoomer will also help you to determine if cow’s milk dairy may be at the root of an individual’s symptoms or medical conditions, and guide nutritional interventions based on specific lab results.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Dairy Zoomer:
Abdominal pain during or after meals
Diarrhea
Bloating
Colic (in infants)
Vomiting
Eczema or other rashes
Mucous-filled cough
Runny nose
Eye irritation
Recurring ear infections
Other food sensitivities and allergies
Atopic dermatitis
Family history of dairy allergy
Advanced age
Mammalian Milk Zoomer
Designed to identify reactivity to non-cow milk dairy products from other mammals at the peptide level, eliminating concerns about cross-reactivity of similar foods. Specific milks measured: goat milk, sheep milk, camel milk, donkey milk.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Mammalian Milk Zoomer:
History of other food allergies
Atopic dermatitis
Family history of milk allergies
Advanced age
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Gas
Bloating
Colic
Persistent abdominal rumbling or gurgling
Vomiting
Eczema
Rashes
Cough
Runny nose
Eye irritation
Ear infections
Soy Zoomer
Soy is considered a highly antigenic food and is one of the 8 major allergens found in Western food processing. Because soy is so ubiquitous in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industry in the United States, sensitivity to soy can often be difficult to detect through simple elimination diets alone. Testing for antibodies to peptides in soy is the only way to definitively assess a patient for soy sensitivity.
Soy is also a common cause of asthma-like symptoms in some sensitive individuals, and the Soy Zoomer can identify if those individuals may see symptom relief on a soy-free diet.
Due to the highly genetically modified nature of soy in the United States, differentiating between sensitivity to GM or non-GM soy may aid in individualizing nutrition elimination and liberalization of diet in affected individuals.
Because soy sensitive individuals may have concomitant sensitivity to peanuts or tree nuts, consider running the Peanut Zoomer panel and the Nut Zoomer panel for comprehensive testing.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Soy Zoomer:
Atopic dermatitis
Eczema
Diarrhea
Excessive gas or bloating
Asthma-like symptoms
Wheezing
Difficulty breathing
Runny nose or watery eyes
Peanut Zoomer
Unlike peanut allergy (which produces IgE antibodies), an individual produces IgG and IgA antibodies against peanut antigens in peanut sensitivity. Peanut sensitivity symptoms, like all other food sensitivity symptoms, are often delayed (takes hours to days), hence diagnosis of the exact sensitivity is nearly impossible and often misdiagnosed.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Peanut Zoomer:
Headache—especially migraine
Nausea
Asthma
Fatigue and tiredness
Hyperactivity
Stomach pain and abdominal cramps
Skin rashes (redness and itchiness)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Age
Other sensitivities and allergies
Family history of sensitivities and allergies
Eczema
Egg Zoomer
Symptoms of egg sensitivity can often mimic or overlap with symptoms of other conditions, or other food sensitivities. Distinguishing between egg sensitivity and other conditions or food sensitivities can, therefore, be difficult without very specific peptide-level testing.
If you have the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Egg Zoomer:
Excessive gas
Bloating
Stomach pain and cramps
Vomiting
Breathing difficulty
Headaches
Skin reactions
Eczema
Joint pain
Heartburn
Joint pain
Irritability
Nervousness
Nausea
Endometriosis
Gluten Free Grains Zoomer
If you’re on a gluten-free diet and still experiencing the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Gluten Free Grains Zoomer:
Gas
Bloating
Fever
Fatigue
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Rashes (eczema)
Nausea and vomiting
Skin itchiness and redness
Bronchitis and asthma symptoms
Joint pain
Muscle stiffness and swelling
Sweating and feeling weak
Nut Zoomer
Tree Nuts are considered a highly antigenic food and are one of the 8 major allergens.
If you’re on a gluten-free diet and still experiencing the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Nut Zoomer:
Abdominal pain and cramps
Bloating
Migraines
Headaches
Cough
Diarrhea
Nasal congestion or a runny nose
Nausea
Irritable bowel
Hives
Seafood Zoomer
Seafood is among the eight most allergenic foods in the United States.
If you’re on a gluten-free diet and still experiencing the following symptoms, you may be a good candidate for the Seafood Zoomer:
Nausea
Stomach pain
Gas, cramps, or bloating
Vomiting
Heartburn
Diarrhea
Headaches
Irritability or nervousness
Asthma
Stuffy or runny nose
Sneezing
Hives
Skin rash