Tips for Best Results¶

Getting useful patterns from Intestigator depends on how you use it. Here are practical tips to help.

1. Log Consistently¶

The most important factor. Patterns emerge from consistent data over time.

Log every day, even if briefly
A few missed meals won't ruin your data, but frequent gaps will
Logging "healthy" days is just as valuable as logging "bad" days

2. Be Specific (But Not Obsessive)¶

Good descriptions help you remember what you ate and make it easier to select the right tags.

Helpful: "Chicken Caesar salad" or "Latte with almond milk"

Too vague: "Lunch" or "Coffee"

You don't need exact measurements—just enough detail to jog your memory later.

3. Log When It Happens¶

Log meals and symptoms as they occur so timing is accurate. Intestigator uses timestamps to calculate the delay between what you ate and when symptoms appeared—that's how it finds patterns.

If you forget, you can adjust the timestamp when you log. Just estimate as best you can.

4. Pay Attention to Tags¶

Tags are how Intestigator groups foods for analysis. Take a moment to select the tags that apply to what you're logging.

If you reuse a past entry like "Cappuccino," the tags from last time are preselected—but adjust them if needed. Oat milk today? Deselect Dairy.

5. Give It Time¶

Patterns take time to emerge. Don't expect revelations after three days.

Week 1–2: Focus on building the habit
Week 3–4: Early patterns may appear
Month 2+: More reliable insights

If you've logged for a month and see few correlations, try adding more tags or ingredients to your entries. These help Intestigator group similar meals together—spaghetti and lasagna might not show a pattern individually, but if both include garlic as an ingredient, that connection can emerge.

6. Check Insights Weekly¶

Don't obsess daily—patterns need time to stabilize. A weekly check gives you meaningful changes without noise.

7. Try Different Time Windows¶

If a correlation doesn't appear in the default 4–12 hour window, try others: - 0–4 hours for quick reactions - 12–24 hours for slower reactions

Your body might respond on a different timeline than average.

When talking to your doctor, share observations:

Good: "Bloating followed dairy 5 out of 7 times in my logs"

Less helpful: "I figured out I'm lactose intolerant"

Let your doctor interpret the patterns—they have context about your health that Intestigator doesn't.

Common Questions¶

How long until I see patterns? Usually 2–4 weeks of consistent logging. Some emerge faster, some take longer.

What if I don't see any correlations? Try adding more tags or ingredients to your entries. Correlations need at least 3 occurrences to appear, and tags/ingredients help group similar meals together. For example, spaghetti and lasagna eaten twice each, followed by bloating, won't show a pattern—but if both include garlic, that's 4 garlic occurrences, enough for a correlation to emerge. If you're tagging consistently and still see nothing, your triggers may not fit common categories, or your diet may be stable.

Should I log water? Only if hydration seems relevant to your symptoms. Most people don't need to log every glass.

What about stress and sleep? Intestigator focuses on food and symptoms. Stress and sleep affect digestion, but tracking them is outside the current scope.

You're ready! Start logging and let Intestigator help you find patterns you might be missing.