Keeping Track of Trigger Foods
What exactly are “trigger” foods? Trigger foods, like the word trigger implies, can worsen existing symptoms with IBD and/or IBS. These symptoms commonly include cramping, bloating, and diarrhea.
While finding a diet can require trial and error, we think that the best way to work towards finding the best diet is to keep a record of your daily foods and beverages. This can help track any “trigger” foods as well as possibly identify allergies. Often, those with IBD can develop Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that can also cause irritation, bloating, constipation, and/or diarrhea, but not inflammation. Above all, it’s important to remember that no two person’s IBD diet plans will be 100% alike and that’s perfectly okay.
Here we discuss some existing solutions with (1) mobile applications and (2) journaling. Before we go into these solutions, it's important to keep the following challenges in mind:
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Hard to keep up with paying attention to symptoms
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Easier to do an elimination diet rather than identify triggers
Mobile Apps
While the following list is not exhaustive, these are some smartphone apps to help guide your trigger food tracking:
Journaling
If you prefer to stick to pen and paper, journaling might be the best way to go with keeping track of trigger foods for IBD and/or IBS. We recommend checking out the following resources:
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Page 59 of the IBD Self-Management Handbook
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"A Healthy Meal Plan for IBD" by Kari Vagstad, RD
