Print one journal page for each day, and write one line for everything that happens: the time, the kind of entry, and what happened in your own words. Keep it for a week or two of your usual eating, then use the two-week try sheet to test one change at a time.
It's the paper version of a food diary for gut symptoms, so it works on the fridge, in a bag, or at an appointment, with nothing to install. Print the pages, or save them as a PDF.
One line per entry: the time, the kind, and what happened in your words. Kinds: meal · drink · symptom (strength 0–3) · bowel movement (Bristol type 1–7) · medicine · stress · sleep · note. For example: 12:30 pm · meal · ramen at my desk, ate fast.
Write it the same day. Skip calories.kasanelife.com/printables/food-and-symptom-journal
One change at a time. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine to test it. If a warning sign shows up during the try, stop and see a doctor.
A good fortnight is a strong clue. Repeating it is stronger.kasanelife.com/printables/two-week-try
What goes on each line
Clinicians ask for the same few things. NIDDK describes a diary of "the foods and drinks you consume and when your gas symptoms occur" (NIDDK), and the diary Monash University uses for its low-FODMAP program adds symptom type, severity, bowel habit, and stress (Monash). So each line has three parts:
- The time. Food intolerance symptoms usually come "a few hours after eating" (NHS), so the gap between a meal and a symptom matters.
- The kind. Meal, drink, symptom, bowel movement, medicine, stress, sleep, or a note. It makes the page easy to scan later.
- What happened, in your words. "Bloated, 2, undid my top button" says more than a tick box. The 0 to 3 strength scale is ours; it's enough to compare days.
For bowel movements, write the Bristol type. The UK's NICE guideline suggests the Bristol Stool Form Scale for describing stool form (NICE), and our food and symptom diary describes all seven types. Skip calories. You're looking for timing and patterns.
Then test one change
A diary is a record. The finding comes from testing one suspect against it. The British Dietetic Association says to "make one change at a time so that you can see what has helped" (BDA). The try sheet holds that: your question, how things are now, the one change, a look-back date, and a box for each day's check-in. Here's how to tell whether a change is working, and the full guide to keeping a food diary for IBS.
The page is laid out the way the Journal reads in Kasane, one line per entry. On paper or in the app, the habit is the same.
If you've had an eating disorder, or keeping a food diary makes you anxious or makes you eat less, stop and talk to your doctor first. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders runs a free helpline with therapists: call (866) 662-1235, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 7 pm Eastern (National Alliance for Eating Disorders).
When to see a doctor
See a doctor before relying on a diary if gut symptoms come with blood in your stool or black, tarry stools, weight loss you can't explain, or anemia (NIDDK), new symptoms later in life (ACG), or diarrhea that wakes you at night (BSG 2021). If a new symptom like these starts while you're tracking, see a doctor about it right away.
Call 911 for swelling of the lips, face, tongue, or throat, or trouble breathing after eating (MedlinePlus).