FOOD AND SYMPTOM DIARY
An IBS food diary for meals and symptoms
Log a meal when you eat, then add symptoms as they happen. Bloat Gone keeps your entries in date order so you can review them later or bring a record to an appointment.
What to record
Note when you ate, what was in the meal and roughly how much. When symptoms occur, add their time and intensity. A note can capture things the food name misses, such as a different recipe, a larger portion or a change in your routine.
Bloat Gone lets you add several foods and portions to one meal. For symptoms, you can record bloating, abdominal pain, gas, severity, Bristol stool type and free-text notes. The dated history puts meals and symptoms on the same timeline. The food guide is a separate lookup for the app’s serving estimates; its ratings cannot predict how you will feel.
Using the diary day to day
- Record meals when you can. Add the foods and portions you know. For a mixed or restaurant meal, note any ingredients you are unsure about.
- Add symptoms at the time. Record the type, severity and time. Add stool form or a note if either helps explain the day.
- Look across several days. Compare repeated exposures, including days when you ate the food and felt well. One uncomfortable day can have several explanations.
- Export the dates you need. You can include selected meals, symptoms and notes in a PDF or XLSX report for a care appointment.
If logging becomes stressful, use fewer fields and ask your clinician or dietitian which details would help them.
Take your record to an appointment
On the report screen, choose a date range and whether to include meals, symptoms and notes. Bloat Gone exports a PDF report and an XLSX workbook, so you can share the entries you want to discuss.
The report contains what you logged. Missing meals, uncertain ingredients and factors outside your diet can affect an apparent pattern. The record can support a conversation; it cannot prove that a food caused symptoms or provide a diagnosis.
If you notice a recurring pattern
Ask whether symptoms recur after the same ingredient, portion or meal combination. The food trigger guide shows how to compare entries without assuming a cause. The stacking guide explains why the whole meal may matter during a low FODMAP diet.
Discuss changes to an IBS diet with a qualified clinician or dietitian. NIDDK’s IBS diet guidance explains why advice may differ between people.
IN THE APP
Keep your food and symptom diary on your phone
Log meals and symptoms as they happen. You can return to the dated entries or export a report for an appointment.
