Food Diary For Allergies and Symptoms – Free Download!

A food diary is one of the best tools to figure out what foods you or your child are allergic or sensitive to. Your allergist can perform blood tests and skin prick tests that will help you determine any allergies. But, as the doctors will tell you, those tests are not 100 percent accurate. You may test positive for an allergy to peanuts, but maybe you’ve been eating them without noticing any reaction. Or, your child’s test may be negative for a milk allergy, but you suspect she wheezes when she has dairy products. That eczema that won’t go away even after switching to hypoallergenic skin care products may be caused by a food sensitivity. If you or your child have symptoms but can’t figure out a cause, keeping a food diary is a great way to determine if a food allergy or sensitivity is the culprit. It can help you before and after going to the doctor for tests.

To get you started, I created a free printable and downloadable food diary (linked at the bottom of this post). Use it to track everything you (or your child) eats and any symptoms. Record what foods were eaten, time ingested, ingredients, and the food categories or allergens involved. This will help you figure out what might be triggering any reactions. There’s a section for noting reactions or symptoms experienced during the day. The download looks nicer than the following, but here’s an example of how to use it:

Symptoms/Reactions: 

Stomachache – from 7:30 to 8:30, severe but no vomiting

Headache – began at 8:00, mild, lasted until noon

Rash on cheeks – began at 10:30, itchy

The symptoms/reactions section is separate, and not a column in the chart, because you can’t always tell what meal caused the reaction. A food may give you an immediate reaction, or it could occur an hour or day after ingesting it. Food sensitivities can cause all sorts of symptoms that you may not associate with food right away. Some people get joint aches and pains which don’t show up immediately. For me, wheat gluten caused the headaches and mild depression that plagued me as a teen and young adult. However, I didn’t realize that until years after cutting gluten out of my diet, because I had so many other symptoms. I suggest writing down any and all problems or symptoms you have to discover possible patterns. Maybe you’ll find that your reflux and heartburn only happens on days when you eat dairy. Or that your child’s eczema is really bad on the days she eats berries. A food diary is the best tool to figure it out.

Click on the text/hyperlink just below this paragraph (but above the green “Print/PDF” button) to access the free downloadable food and symptom diary in PDF format. If you’d like it as a template in Word format, please let me know. Good luck with your investigation!

Daily Food and Symptom Diary – Click Here – Fearless Food Allergy Mom