How do I keep a food diary that’s easy to maintain?

Food diaries (also called food journals) are an important method for tracking food consumption and can support a variety of goals, including weight loss, healthier food choices, detecting deficiencies, identifying allergies, and determining foods that trigger other symptoms.

Research shows that for people interested in losing weight, keeping a journal can be a very effective tool to help change your behaviour.

In one weight loss study of nearly 1,700 participants, those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records.

Why are you keeping a food diary?

It’s important to understand why you are keeping a food diary. Is it to lose weight, or to find what foods affect your mood? Are you trying to work out what the triggers are for snacks or fast food? Do you want to see if you are generally consuming enough vital nutrients?

Depending on this, you will want to include more or less information on different factors you can record.

What should you include in your food diary?

Most experts agree that the secret to successful food journaling is accuracy and consistency. So, what should you record? A basic food diary should include the following:

• What are you eating? Write down the specific food and beverage consumed and how it is prepared (baked, broiled, fried, etc.). Include any sauces, condiments, dressings, or toppings.
• How much are you eating? List the amount in household measures (cups, teaspoons, tablespoons) or in ounces/gms. If possible, it is best to weigh and measure your food. If you are away from home, do your best to estimate the portion.
• When are you eating? Noting the time that you’re eating can be very helpful in identifying potentially problematic times, such as late-night snacking.
• Where are you eating? Record the specific place you are consuming food, whether it’s at the kitchen table, in your bedroom, in the car, walking down the street, at a restaurant, or at a friend’s home.
• What else are you doing while eating? Are you on the computer, watching TV, or talking with a family member or a friend?
• Who are you eating with? Are you eating with your spouse, children, friend, or a colleague, or are you alone?
• How are you feeling as you’re eating? Are you happy, sad, stressed, anxious, lonely, bored, tired?
• Although it’s called a “food” diary, it’s usual to include everything you drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Club Inc says:

“Throughout our lives, we learn that eating can give us something to do, provide a pleasant social setting, help us avoid addressing unpleasant feelings, provide a reward, recall a cherished memory or alleviate stress. Take time to journal what you were feeling when you chose to eat when you weren’t physically hungry.”

Tips for doing it well

If you wait until the end of the day to write down your meals and drinks, there’s a good chance you’ll forget a few items here and there.

It can be much trickier to estimate portion sizes once you’ve already eaten your food, so do it beforehand.

If you can’t keep your food diary with you, jot down some notes on paper or in your smartphone and add it to your log later that same day.

Record everything. While a quick nibble or bite during the day may not seem like a big deal, it’s important to include it in your food journal.

Apps or pen and paper?

The important thing is that you choose the format that you are most likely to use and is most convenient for you.

There are now many different smartphone food journal apps.

Not only do most apps have an extensive library of foods and drinks to choose from, but they may also provide detailed information about their nutritional content and ingredients.

This can save you time, eliminate any guesswork, and allow you to see more accurate data about your daily intake of potential food sensitivity triggers, calories, macronutrients, and vitamins.

Check out a review of them here>>

Alternatively, you can write using pen and paper or a file such as a Word doc.

You can also use a pre-formatted paper template. Here is one from the CDC:

US CDC Food Diary Template

or try this one from the UK NHS:

NHS Food Diary Template

Using a food diary to monitor your mood

Although many people focus solely on what they eat or drink when filling out a food journal, keeping track of how your mood changes throughout the day and with each meal can also be beneficial.

In fact, identifying how you feel before or after eating certain foods can make it easier to identify patterns and understand how your diet might be affecting your physical and mental health.

If you struggle with emotional eating, determining which factors trigger you could also help treat its root cause to prevent overeating.

In particular, studies show that negative emotions like anxiety, sadness, and perceived stress could increase food intake and contribute to overeating.

The important thing is to be consistent and honest. Remember if you omit anything, you are compromising yourself, no one else.