Food Diary

One of the most important factors in identifying potential food triggers is your own observation. Keeping a food diary in which you note down everything you consume is a useful way of detecting whether there is any significant pattern of reaction to a particular food or foods.

Following are a few useful tips for keeping a food diary and an example of how to set one out

  1. The diary should be designed to make it easy for you to fill in and refer to.
  2. Get a new exercise book or blank diary and make this your food diary. Label it clearly and make sure it is a good size so that you can carry it with you when you are out and about for the day.
  3. If the diary is for a child, then make sure that the child’s day care teacher, nanny or babysitter also has a copy or knows how to fill it out.
  4. Include any medication that is taken and creams / oils that are applied.
  5. Review the diary on a regular basis. Look back each day and add any additional information that may help.
  6. Have a food index page at the back of the diary to note down the ingredients that are in a favorite dish or food that you eat regularly. This will prevent the need to list down the ingredients each time the food is consumed.
  7. Take the diary with you all the time and especially when you go to your GP or naturopath. They will find it a very useful tool and will be able to help you identify triggers.

EXAMPLE OF PAGE LAYOUT FOR EACH DAY

DATE:

HOW WAS YESTERDAY?

Brief note about how you felt yesterday, i.e. Generally a good day, but felt tired after lunch. Had a banana smoothie, but afterwards eczema around eyes started to get sore.

FOOD TABLE

TIME

FOOD / DRINK CONSUMED

MOOD / REACTION
8:00am Porridge with soya milk
Banana
Glass of water		 Tired this morning, but felt good after eating breakfast. Behind knees very red and itchy.
11:00am Fruit salad
Rice cake with jam		 No worries
1:00pm Salad sandwich with tuna on white bread, with Mayo
Orange juice		 Felt okeating lunch, but afterwards my eyes started to get sore and itchy. Maybe the mayo in sandwich, or the juice? Will avoid this tomorrow.

Fill in time that you ate, what you ate ( list ingredients in food index section at back of diary) and how you felt or if you noticed a reaction to a food – and don’t forget the condition of your skin.

CREAMS / OILS USED:

MEDICATION TAKEN:

HOURS OF SLEEP:

NOTE: Any thing of significance that you did today. Maybe something new you wore, went to a different restaurant etc.

FOOD INDEX / FOOD INGREDIENT PAGES

List each food that you ate that had more than one ingredient.

Food ingredients:

i.e. Salad Sandwich with Tuna

White bread x 2 slices, butter, mayonnaise ( had egg in it ), lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot, beetroot and tuna in brine.

Mel Sinclair, RN