The GAPS books group abnormal stools, abdominal pain, gas, reflux and indigestion within their explanation of gut dysbiosis, an altered microbial community. This guide helps you describe those symptoms clearly: what happens, when it happens and what else has changed. It is an observation tool, not a score that diagnoses irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or identifies a particular microbe.[1]
You can use a notebook or a dated page. Start with the symptoms you actually notice rather than trying to fill every box. If you want the wider explanation and the Intro-versus-Full starting guidance, read my IBS and GAPS guide alongside these notes.
Start With the Main Digestive Pattern
Campbell-McBride names diarrhea, constipation or a mixture of the two, abdominal pain, overproduction of gas, reflux and indigestion in her dysbiosis discussion. Keeping those descriptions separate makes a much clearer record than writing only “my digestion was bad.”[1]
| What to Notice | Useful Details to Write |
|---|---|
| Stool changes | How often you passed stool, its consistency and whether passing it was difficult or urgent. |
| Pain | Where it was, when it started, how long it lasted and whether it changed around a bowel movement. |
| Gas or bloating | Whether you meant belching, passing gas, visible distension, pressure or discomfort. |
| Reflux or indigestion | What you felt, how it related to eating and whether a taste or burning sensation was part of it. |
Record the date the pattern began and whether it has changed. NIDDK’s description of IBS assessment includes the symptom pattern, its duration, medical and family history, medicines and an examination. These notes can help you explain that history; the checklist itself cannot establish the diagnosis.[2]
Keep Stomach Symptoms Descriptive
The GAPS stomach-acid discussion connects belching, bloating, indigestion and reflux with changes in stomach flora and acid production. It explains why reflux can burn even in a low-acid setting. Those are the mechanisms being described, not a way to calculate stomach acidity from how the meal felt.[3]
- Write down belching or burping and whether it began during the meal, afterward or between meals.
- Describe pressure, a burning sensation or an acid taste in your own words.
- Include the meal size, food preparation and medicines or supplements actually taken.
- If you can see pieces of food in stool, record the food and any accompanying discomfort instead of assuming an automatic need to remove it.
The stomach-acid and pepsin guide follows that fuller discussion. Do not use this list to decide to stop an acid-reducing prescription or start a stomach-acid supplement.
Include Earlier Meals and Recent Changes
The FAQ explains that gas production takes time and that a new meal can release gas produced from earlier food. The book also describes food reactions overlapping across different days. Keep both the immediate meal and the recent history in view.[4][5]
| Add to the Timeline | Example of a Clear Entry |
|---|---|
| Meals | “Soup at noon; pressure began around 12:30.” |
| Food introductions | “First day trying this food; amount and preparation written beside it.” |
| Probiotic changes | “Same product, increased amount today; actual amount recorded.” |
| Medicines and illness | “Course began on this date; symptoms before and after kept separately.” |
Use your own dates and amounts to make each entry specific. A history of antibiotics belongs in the record because the GAPS book discusses antibiotic-related changes in microbial balance. Keep the symptoms from before a course beside what changed afterward, without assuming that the timing identifies Candida or SIBO.[1][3]
When Diarrhea or Constipation Predominates
For loose stools, record consistency, frequency and urgency. The FAQ’s fast-transit answer describes an inflamed, sensitive lining reacting to food with rapid peristalsis, the muscular movement through the gut. It discusses movement through the digestive tract, not only emptying of the stomach.[6]
For constipation, record whether stool is hard or difficult to pass and whether you rely on fiber, supplements or a particular food to pass it. The 2020 book says people with chronic constipation often do better starting on Full GAPS, because removing fiber on Intro can worsen their problem. It directs serious active digestive symptoms such as chronic diarrhea, pain, bloating and reflux toward Intro.[7]
If the pattern alternates, include both sides and the dates. Do not force the record into one category just to choose a diet. The parent guide’s starting table explains the source distinction, with separate links to diarrhea guidance and constipation guidance.
Keep Related Conditions Separate
SIBO means small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. The GAPS book discusses it beside IBS and low stomach acid, but shared symptoms do not make the labels interchangeable. A list of gas, pain or stool changes cannot identify which organisms are present or where they are growing. My SIBO guide follows that distinct discussion.[3]
Likewise, a food reaction, established allergy and a probiotic introduction are different entries. Record what was introduced and what happened. Keep any established allergy instructions with the notes rather than assuming a broad gut-healing explanation has cleared a food for you.[4]
Frequently Asked Questions
What If Several Categories Fit?
Write all the symptoms that actually occur. Campbell-McBride’s account connects activity in different parts of the digestive system, so the useful task is describing the full pattern, not finding the single box with the most check marks.[1][3]
Does Visible Food Mean I Must Stop Eating It?
Not automatically. The FAQ says visible food alone is not necessarily a reason to remove it. It adds that if abdominal pain or flatulence accompanies it, a temporary removal may help you see whether symptoms improve. Keep the actual food and symptoms together when considering that question.[4]
What Should Not Be Treated as a Routine IBS Entry?
Blood in stool, black tarry stool, unexplained weight loss or anemia needs assessment rather than being counted as ordinary IBS symptoms. NIDDK identifies these as findings that can suggest another problem. Keep the GAPS food work and that assessment as separate responsibilities.[2]
Your Next Step
Write one dated account using the table at the top. Add when the pattern began, the recent introductions and medicines, and any existing findings or instructions. Then use the IBS and GAPS guide to understand the source’s starting options. The useful result is a clearer account of what is happening, not a higher checklist score.
My Stool & Stage Tracker and 90-Day Family Food Diary are listed in the WFLI Shop. The tracker is the closer fit for stool and stage changes; the diary is the broader option for keeping meals and symptoms together over time.
References
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020). Complete “IBS” entry and “Friend or foe?” dysbiosis and digestive-symptom discussion.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, symptom/history assessment and signs of another condition.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020). Normal stomach/small-intestinal flora; “Digestive Enzymes,” “Stomach acid booster”; A–Z, “SIBO.”
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Official GAPS Frequently Asked Questions. “Food reactions, food allergies, leaky gut,” and “Stool,” question 1; food timing and visible-food context.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Official GAPS Frequently Asked Questions. “Flatulence/Bloating,” question 1, gas production and the meal’s propulsion reflex.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Official GAPS Frequently Asked Questions. “Stomach,” question 4, gastric dumping and fast transit.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020). “GAPS Introduction Diet,” complete starting-situation discussion and chronic-constipation exception.
Leave a comment