Labs and testing · Hopkins, Minnesota
Food Sensitivity Testing: Find Your Triggers, Keep Your Plate Full
You've cut out gluten, then dairy, then eggs, and you still can't tell which foods are the problem. Your list of safe foods keeps shrinking. At Panka, food sensitivity testing is a starting point, not a verdict. We use it to find likely triggers, then guide a structured reintroduction so you can eat as widely as your body allows.
A food sensitivity test points to likely triggers for slow, delayed symptoms like bloating, headaches, or skin flares. Treat it as a shortlist, not a final answer. At Panka Natural Health, we follow testing with a structured food reintroduction. That step shows which foods truly bother you. Food sensitivity is not the same as food allergy, intolerance, or celiac disease. Each needs a different next step.
How we approach food sensitivity testing at Panka
In a first visit that runs two full hours for adults (shorter, and extendable, for children), Dr. Haley or Dr. Jacob maps what you eat, when symptoms show up, and what you've already removed. We review the labs and records you already have. If your history points toward celiac disease or a true food allergy, we sort that out first. When food sensitivity testing makes sense, we choose it for you rather than running the same panel on everyone. We read your results through a functional lens, next to your symptoms and food log. Then we build the plan: a defined break from the most likely foods, then a structured reintroduction, one food at a time. You'll see the same two doctors at every visit, and messaging through the Charm portal is included, with no membership. The goal is the widest diet you tolerate well.
Food allergy vs. food sensitivity, intolerance, and celiac
Hives within minutes of eating shrimp and bloating the morning after pizza are different problems. A food allergy is an immune reaction that usually starts within minutes to two hours: hives, swelling, vomiting, wheezing. Rarely, it causes anaphylaxis, a life-threatening emergency. A food intolerance is not an immune reaction. Lactose intolerance is the classic example: gas, bloating, and diarrhea after dairy. Celiac disease is a long-term immune disorder in which eating gluten damages the small intestine. Food sensitivity is the everyday term for slower reactions that aren't classic allergy and are hard to tie to one meal. Some delayed reactions are still food allergy, especially in infants, so your history comes first.
Test for celiac before you remove gluten
If gluten might be part of your story, get tested for celiac disease before you cut it out. Blood tests look for the immune response gluten sets off, and a biopsy looks for the damage it causes. Going gluten-free first can change those results. That matters, because celiac disease is managed with a strict gluten-free diet for life. We can order celiac and gluten sensitivity testing or review results you already have. If you've already stopped gluten, tell us. We'll coordinate with your primary care clinician or a gastroenterologist when a biopsy or other testing is needed.
How a food sensitivity test and reintroduction work together
Think of a food sensitivity test as a shortlist. The reintroduction is where you get your answer. After a defined break, you bring the shortlisted foods back one at a time, with time in between, and track how you feel. A food that comes back without trouble goes back on the menu. A food that brings symptoms back stays out for now, and we revisit it later. One firm rule: a food that has ever caused a fast allergic reaction, or repeated vomiting when it was eaten again after a break, is never part of a home reintroduction. That second pattern can signal FPIES, a delayed food allergy seen mostly in infants. Both belong with an allergist.
Keep the diet wide enough to nourish you, especially for kids
Cutting foods is easy. Replacing what they provided takes planning. Removing dairy can lower calcium and vitamin D intake, and removing several foods at once can leave gaps in protein, iodine, and overall calories. For children the stakes are higher because they're still growing. Guidelines recommend nutrition counseling and growth checks for children who avoid foods because of an allergy, and we bring the same care to any child whose diet has narrowed. Dr. Haley sees children from infancy through age 21 and builds plans that work for family meals and school lunches. Sustainable beats perfect.
This visit may fit if…
You've removed foods and still can't tell which ones matter.
Bloating, headaches, or skin flares seem tied to food, but not to one meal.
Your list of safe foods keeps shrinking and you want it to grow.
Your child has digestive or skin symptoms and you want a plan that protects their nutrition.
See someone else first if…
Trouble breathing, throat or tongue swelling, faintness, or widespread hives after eating: call 911.
An infant or child with repeated vomiting or signs of dehydration after a food: seek urgent care.
Any food that has caused a fast allergic reaction, or repeated vomiting when eaten again: see an allergist before changing your diet.
Unintended weight loss, blood in your stool, trouble swallowing, ongoing vomiting, severe belly pain, fever, night-time diarrhea, a child falling off their growth curve, or fear of eating that keeps narrowing your diet: see your primary care clinician or pediatrician promptly.
Bring a clearer picture to your visit
A simple food-and-symptom log from the past week or two.
A list of foods you've already removed, when, and whether anything changed.
Past allergy, celiac, or food sensitivity results, recent labs, and a list of everything you take.
Common questions
Is a food sensitivity test the same as a food allergy test?
No. Allergy testing looks at the immune response behind fast, potentially dangerous reactions. Food sensitivity testing helps us narrow down the foods behind slower symptoms. We offer both, and your history decides which fits. If a food has ever caused an immediate reaction, start with an allergist.
Will I have to avoid these foods forever?
Usually not. Foods you handle well during reintroduction come back right away. Foods that still cause symptoms stay out for a while, and we revisit them over time.
Is food sensitivity testing covered by insurance?
We don't bill insurance, for visits or for testing. We're direct-pay and out-of-network with all insurers, and we provide a superbill for possible out-of-network reimbursement. We accept HSA and FSA. Your other providers may be able to order some tests through insurance, or you can pay cash for testing through us. Medicare and Medicaid don't reimburse naturopathic services in Minnesota. Current visit fees are on the scheduling page, and you'll know what a test costs before we order it.
Can I do this by telehealth?
Yes, if you're in Minnesota or Wisconsin at the time of your visit. History review, results, and reintroduction coaching all work well by video. We'll explain how sample collection works for your test.
Real doctors. Real time with you.
Panka Natural Health is a family-owned clinic in downtown Hopkins, led by Drs. Haley and Jacob Panka since 2018. You see the same doctor at every visit.
Your first visit
1. Book a visit or a free 10-minute intro call. The intro call is a short conversation about fit, not a medical visit.
2. Time for your whole story. Adult first visits run two full hours; children's visits are shorter. Bring prior labs and the bottles or photos of what you take.
3. A written plan. What to try, what to test if anything, and when to reassess. We coordinate with your other clinicians.
4. Support between visits. Secure messaging with your doctor is included, with no membership.
Direct-pay practice: out-of-network with all insurers, superbills for possible reimbursement, HSA and FSA accepted. Medicare and Medicaid do not reimburse naturopathic services in Minnesota. Current fees are on our scheduling page. Telehealth for patients located in Minnesota or Wisconsin at the time of the visit (virtual only in Wisconsin). Ample parking in front of and behind the building; the entrance is up four steps with handrails; the office is not wheelchair accessible, and virtual visits are an alternative.
Dr. Haley Panka, ND: Women's health and hormones, pediatrics, holistic diabetes care, and supportive care for breast cancer patients and survivors.
Dr. Jacob Panka, ND, MS: Brain and neuroendocrine health, cardiovascular and metabolic health, gut–brain physiology, and men's health.
Sources and further reading
General education, not a diagnosis. We work alongside your primary care clinician and specialists, not instead of them. Care and testing depend on your history and clinical needs.
Your questions are a good place to start.
Book a visit, or begin with a free 10-minute call to see whether we're the right fit.