How to keep a FODMAP reintroduction log

How Monash describes Step 2

From Monash University’s guide:

• you stay on your Step 1 diet while testing
• each challenge means eating a food rich in only one FODMAP group, daily for 3 days
• after each 3-day challenge, you record how well you tolerated it
• foods high in two FODMAP types (like apple or pear) can be optional extra challenges

Milk is Monash’s example of a clean challenge: high in lactose, no other FODMAPs.

Your dietitian will usually tell you which foods and amounts to use. We won’t suggest doses here, because that’s their job.

What goes in the log

Keep each challenge on its own block:

Column	What to write
Day	Day 1, 2 or 3 of the challenge
Challenge food and amount	e.g. “1 cup milk”
FODMAP group	e.g. lactose
How I felt	Your own words: fine, gassy, crampy, bloated
Poop (Bristol type)	1 to 7, for each poop
Notes	Stress, travel, period, anything unusual

At the end of the 3 days, add a one-line verdict: tolerated, partly tolerated or not tolerated. That’s the line your dietitian will look at first.

We’ve made this into a free FODMAP challenge log printable you can print and stick on the fridge.

A sample challenge week

Lactose challenge (milk)
Day 1  08:00  Breakfast (text): 1 cup milk, oats  tags: dairy, FODMAPs
Day 1  Paper note: fine
Day 2  07:40  Poop: type 4
Day 2  08:00  Breakfast (text): 1 cup milk, oats  tags: dairy, FODMAPs
Day 2  Paper note: a bit gassy evening
Day 3  07:50  Poop: type 5
Day 3  08:00  Breakfast (text): 1 cup milk, oats  tags: dairy, FODMAPs
Day 4  07:30  Poop: type 6
Verdict: partly tolerated, check with dietitian

Tips that make it work

• Change one thing at a time. If you start a new medicine or go on holiday, note it, as it can muddy the result.
• Write it on the day. Memory is generous to the foods we love.
• Leave space between challenges. Ask your dietitian how long to wait before the next one.
• Note the non-food stuff. The NHS lists stress and anxiety among IBS triggers, so a stressful week is worth a line.

Where PoopAI helps (and where it doesn’t)

PoopAI is good at the boring, repeatable part:

• log each challenge meal by photo or text
• tag it with FODMAPs, dairy or another trigger tag
• log each poop’s Bristol type, with an optional photo
• see your weekly report and charts

What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t log symptoms like pain or bloating, and it has no FODMAP database. For the “how I felt” column, use the printable or the Monash app diary. The low FODMAP tracker page shows how the two fit together.

Questions to ask yourself

Reintroduction works best when each test is clean. Before you start a new food, ask: have my symptoms been settled for a few days? Am I testing only one FODMAP group at a time? Have I written down the exact portion my dietitian suggested? After each test day, ask: did anything change in my poops, and when? Keep the answers in one place, whether that’s our printable sheet or your app log. If a day goes badly, that’s still a result. Note it, give your gut time to settle, and check the next step with your dietitian rather than guessing.

Wrap-up

Reintroduction is where the low FODMAP diet earns its keep. Three days, one FODMAP group, one honest log. Bring it to your dietitian and let them help you read it.