Guide

A food and symptom diary for IBS and food intolerances

Bloating, cramps, reflux, a gut that is too fast or too slow – and the meal behind it is often hours back. A food diary makes that gap visible. Here is what belongs in it, what NutriSpy makes of it, and what to bring to your doctor.

Why a diary helps with IBS

Complaints trail their trigger. Lunch shows up in the evening, dinner the next morning – memory alone rarely finds the connection. A food and symptom diary puts meals and complaints side by side with their times, so the gap between them becomes visible.

It is also the first thing a gastroenterologist or GP asks for when IBS or an intolerance is suspected: what did you eat and when, what was the stool like, when did the symptoms come, how strong were they. Two weeks of that on paper make for a different conversation.

Prefer to start on paper? Here is the template as a printable PDF – the same columns the app keeps.

What you log

Meals – in one sentence

"Baguette with herring and a banana" is enough. By voice, photo, barcode or text; NutriSpy breaks it into ingredients and nutrients – calories, macros, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and the values that matter for IBS: all five FODMAP groups and histamine.

Stool on the Bristol scale and Rome IV

Consistency on the Bristol stool scale, plus the sensations from the Rome IV criteria: urgency, straining, cramping, burning, incomplete evacuation. The same language your doctor uses – logged in seconds.

Symptoms with a time

Bloating, stomach ache, heartburn, nausea, fatigue, headache, skin reactions – named as a symptom, with a timestamp. The time is what later shows the distance to the meal.

Sleep and movement, automatically

Sleep and workouts come in from Apple Health or Health Connect without typing. Both belong in the picture: a gut also reacts to short nights and sitting days, not only to food.

What NutriSpy makes of it

"Why do you feel this way?" After five logged days, NutriSpy explains your symptoms from your own data: which habits and foods go with your better and worse days – more fat in the evening, a short night, fewer steps, a food that keeps appearing before bad days.

"Why is your stool like this?" After ten days with bowel-movement entries, NutriSpy explains your stool pattern from nutrition and activity – fibre, water, movement, and the FODMAP and histamine values of your meals.

Honest about strength. Every pattern comes with a read on how well it holds up. What only hints at itself in your data is named as something to watch – not as a cause. A hunch stays a hunch.

No diagnosis. NutriSpy never names a condition and never suggests a medication. It shows what goes together in your days. What that means is for you and your doctor.

For your doctor's visit

Pick a date range and the categories – meals, bowel movements, symptoms, sleep – and export your diary as PDF or CSV. The PDF is the document you put on the desk in the consultation; the CSV is for anyone who wants to run their own numbers.

Two weeks with times, Bristol types and symptom intensities is more than most patients bring – and often the difference between "let's keep an eye on it" and a concrete next step.

Frequently asked questions

Does a food diary replace a diagnosis?

No. A diary shows what goes together in your own data – it does not diagnose. NutriSpy never names a condition. IBS, intolerances and other causes are for your doctor to work out; the diary is the basis for that conversation.

Do I have to log everything every day?

No. Missing days are treated as missing, not guessed. The explanation of your symptoms appears after five logged days, the explanation of your stool pattern after ten – and both sharpen with every further day.

Does it work without a wearable?

Yes. Meals, bowel movements and symptoms are yours to log – by voice, photo, barcode or text. Sleep and activity can come in from Apple Health or Health Connect, or in one spoken sentence.

Are FODMAPs and histamine included?

Yes. Every meal's nutrients include all five FODMAP groups – fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides, lactose, excess fructose and polyols – and histamine, and they feed into the explanations. NutriSpy is not a Monash-style elimination program.

What does NutriSpy cost?

You start with a free trial; after that, AI-assisted logging runs on a subscription. Current prices are shown in the app.

Start your diary today

One sentence per meal, seconds per bowel movement – and the first connections from week one. For iOS and Android.

More about NutriSpy: Home · Printable template

NutriSpy is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace medical advice. For health concerns, consult qualified healthcare professionals.