Food, Mood & Symptom Journal
If you are experiencing GI symptoms, one of the best things you can do is keep track of the type of symptoms you are experiencing for approximately two weeks, including:
- Type of Symptoms– the type of symptoms you are experiencing (i.e. Frequent or infrequent stools and consistency, bloating, gas, abdominal pain, flatulence, etc.)
- Symptom Strength– how strong the symptoms are on a scale from 1-5, and whether or not the symptoms are better or worse at different times of the day
- Length of Time– How long the symptoms last during this flare-up compared to an average flare-up or the longest amount of time symptoms have occurred for
- Patterns– Note how often symptoms are occurring, and whether or not they are associated with eating, certain times of the day, stress, lack of sleep, menstruation, hydration, or medications
- Manageability– Highlight times when symptoms were so bad that you were unable to complete your daily activities or responsibilities (i.e. work, school, family-life).
This will give you a baseline before any changes have been made to your diet or you have experimented with any other holistic strategies. There are many ways to document a food, mood, and symptom journal, so try not to get too bogged down by all of the options.
How do I choose which method is right for me?
Take into consideration how you like to “work.” Are you a pen and paper kind of gal? If so, you might thrive using a good old fashioned blank lined notebook, a bullet journal, or a printed digital template. If you have one hand glued to your smartphone at all times, it might be best for you to use a note on your phone with prompts and reminder alarms for nudging you to put in the information after meals and/or at the end of the day. There are also a couple of apps that I recommend that were built just for this: Cara Care and Monash FODMAP. These apps make entering your symptoms, food intake and other internal and external factors a breeze, and also suggest symptom triggers and patterns for you!
Do I have to log EVERYTHING?
The more information you log, the better you will be able to see patterns in your symptoms. But, I get it. You don’t want to spend so much time documenting that you aren’t able to live your life. I’ll break down some beginner, intermediate, and advanced logging, and you can experiment with which method best fits you and your lifestyle.
Beginner Symptom Journaling
For beginners, I suggest writing down the date, time, and what you ate or drank. This includes approximate measurements and descriptions of all foods, drinks, and condiments you have consumed that day. Also include the time of symptom onset, what they are and the intensity of symptoms on a scale from 1 to 5, as well as the time symptoms stopped. You may also want to include a notes section with details describing your bowel movements or other very obvious stressors occurring that day, but these are optional.
Intermediate Symptom Journaling
An intermediate food, mood, and symptom journal would detail foods and beverages consumed and at what time, the order you ate the foods in, and your eating environment. Sometimes the exact same foods eaten in the very same order can have a much greater symptom response when eaten in a stressful or rushed setting versus a calm and mindful eating environment. Keep track of symptoms as well as their severity on a scale from 1 to 5, as above. Also include your bowel movements, and descriptors, including: urgency or lack-of urgency, consistency, whether or not you felt fully evacuated, etc. Jot down any noteworthy stressors, including:
- Environmental (i.e. work, home, commute)
- Events (i.e. public speaking, looming deadline, holiday stress)
- People/Situational (i.e. your boss provides criticism, disagreement with a friend or partner, social anxiety)
Advanced Symptom Journaling
Advanced journaling includes all of the above plus a few extras. Because IBS is a holistic functional GI disorder, symptoms can be triggered by internal and external factors. It is important to take a whole-body approach when trying to decode symptoms. Some additional information you may want to include in your food, mood, and symptom journal, are:
- Hydration- how much water you are drinking per day
- Mood- describe your mood using words, colours, or emojis
- Medications/Supplements- track any prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, supplements, or traditional medicines used during this time
- Menstruation- keep track of period symptoms or where you are in your cycle
- Skin- describe your skin and any details you feel are important
- Physical Activity- document any movement or physical activity, as well as they intensity and duration
- Sleep- pay attention to how many hours of sleep you are getting per night, and provide any details you can remember like a good or bad dream, trouble falling asleep, waking up during the night, or tossing and turning
- Energy- report your energy levels for the day
- Pain- any other body aches or pain, including headaches
This is an exercise for you to get to know your body more intimately as a starting point before implementing any symptom-reducing strategies. No matter which method you choose, or how much detail you go into, this information will be valuable to you and your healthcare team. Finding the patterns unique to you and your body is the first step to relieving symptoms and going from barely surviving to thriving and symptom-free.
- When It’s NOT Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Non-FODMAP Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Triggers
- Mindful Eating for Managing IBS
- 6 Ways to Beat an Irritable Bowel Syndrome Flare-Up
- Food, Mood & Symptom Journal
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