Food and symptom diary template — free printable PDF

At least one to two weeks. A single day says little – patterns only show when meals and complaints repeat. If your symptoms vary a lot, four weeks are worth it.

Every meal and drink with the time, snacks included; every bowel movement with the time and its Bristol type; every symptom with the time and an intensity from 1 to 5; bedtime, wake time and a word on how rested you feel. The times matter most – they later show the distance between a meal and a complaint.

Write each meal down as you eat it, not from memory in the evening – the time is the first thing that gets lost. Note symptoms as they happen, with the time and intensity, mild ones too. Every bowel movement gets a time and a Bristol type: that is the column doctors read first. Complaints often trail the meal behind them by hours – without the time, that gap stays invisible.

Bring them to your doctor – a gastroenterologist or GP asks for exactly this when IBS or an intolerance is suspected. Or transfer the entries to the app: NutriSpy evaluates meals, bowel movements, symptoms and sleep and shows you what goes together in your days.

Yes. NutriSpy keeps exactly this diary – by voice, photo or barcode instead of a pen, with sleep and activity from Apple Health or Health Connect, and with nutrients that include FODMAPs and histamine. After five logged days it explains which habits and foods go with your worse days. With Premium you export everything as a PDF for your doctor.