Keeping a Food Diary Can Help Uncover Food Sensitivities

Keeping a food diary serves as a helpful tool for figuring out if you’re sensitive to any specific foods, food groups, or additives. A food diary can be used to determine what foods cause undesirable digestive symptoms, such as those associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or to determine whether specific foods are causing symptoms in other parts of your body.

Partnering with a digestive specialist is the best way to get to the bottom of your symptoms. Premier Gastroenterology specialist Dr. Rodwan Hiba often suggests that his patients keep a food journal to help pinpoint problematic foods. 

True food allergies are less common than food sensitivities, and there is growing understanding of the role that food sensitivities or intolerances play in aggravating long-term digestive problems and other health issues. 

Keeping a food diary enables you to hone in on the foods that might be problematic for you and alerts you to other aspects of your life or environment that might be causing your undesirable symptoms. Keeping a food journal can also help you make sure that you are not unnecessarily restricting particular foods.

What is a food diary?

A food diary serves as a daily food and beverage record. The objective is to use this information to understand how the food you eat affects you.

Keeping a food journal can also help Dr. Hiba determine what changes you might need to make to reduce digestive problems.

Keep track as you go

There's a good chance you'll forget a few things here and there if you wait until the end of the day to record your meals and beverages.

Additionally, estimating portion sizes after you've consumed food can be much more difficult.

The best way to make sure your food diary is as accurate as possible is to update it frequently throughout the day.

Try getting a journal that you can carry with you, so you can write down meals and snacks on the go. If you can't carry your food diary with you, make some notes after each meal on paper or in your smartphone and add them to your log later that day.

Be as detailed as possible

Even though a quick snack or bite might not seem significant, it's important to record it in your food journal.

This is crucial if you want to identify any food sensitivities or food intolerances in your diet, as even small amounts of some foods may have an impact on your symptoms.

Similar to this, eating snacks throughout the day can quickly add up in terms of calories, carbs, and sugar. If you're trying to lose weight or keep track of your macronutrient intake, this is something you should think about.

Be as specific as you can

It's best to record as many specifics as you can about your intake when keeping track of it.

This requires you to be very specific about your portion sizes in addition to writing down any ingredients, spices, or seasonings that you use in your meals.

If you eat any premade or packaged meals, record everything in the ingredient list. Some people react to a single ingredient, so recording ingredients can help you spot any patterns. 

It’s also helpful to record your portion sizes. When it comes to food sensitivities, there is usually a threshold below which you may be able to tolerate small amounts of a food. Recording how much you eat will help you zero in on your thresholds for certain foods. 

Try a food journal app

Apps for food journals on smartphones can be a handy substitute for writing down everything.

The majority of apps not only offer a wide variety of foods and beverages, but they may also include comprehensive information about their ingredients.

This can help you save time, get rid of any uncertainty, and see more accurate information about your daily intake of calories, macronutrients, vitamins, and potential food sensitivity triggers.

Rest assured that Dr. Hiba can help get to the root of your digestive distress. To get started, call or message the team at our Brooksville, Florida, office to schedule a visit with Dr. Hiba.