Food diaries are the gold standard for measuring food intake. The National Institute of Health and the American Medical Association both recommend using food diaries as an aid to making dietary changes. Like watching a video of your golf swing, knowing what you are doing will help you know what to change. While you may worry that recording what you eat will be a huge undertaking, or that you will change your eating habits to look good on the diary, just remember that food diaries are the tools to make it work! Food diaries may take some effort, but it will be worth it. An accurate food diary gives you a valid measure of your nutrient intake. Food diaries allow the Eat by Numbers nutritionist to made individualized dietary recommendations just for you.

Eat it Up and Write it Down!

The basic requirement for keeping a food diary is simple: Write down everything you eat or drink throughout the day and night. At Eat by Numbers, we also recommend that you record your hunger level before you eat. Hunger and fullness are your body’s way of telling you when to start and stop eating and how much to eat.

Step 1: Prepare

Choose your days. Eat by Numbers suggests a 3-day food diary covering 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day, although the days need not be consecutive. Do not wait for “typical days”! All days are part of the mix and provide valuable insight.

Don’t rely on your memory! You need to write it down as soon as you eat it up. Consider how you will keep your diary. You can carry the printout with you, or buy a small notebook that fits in your pocket or purse. In a pinch, even a napkin will work. Transcribe your notes to the Personal Food Diary at the end of the day. Depending on your software, you can even use your computer to type right in the Personal Food Diary

Step 2: Begin Your Food Diary

Complete each column on the Personal Food Diary. Below are explanations for each category.

TIME: Start by recording your first food or drink of the day. Note the time of everything you eat and drink during the day, even sips, nibbles and pills.

HUNGER-FULLNESS LEVEL: Before you eat, rate the intensity of your hunger from 0 to 10, with zero being empty and 10 being full just like a gas tank. Ideally, it’s best to start eating when your hunger level is between 2 and 3 and to stop when your fullness level is between 7 and 8 .

Hunger-Fullness Scale

FOOD DESCRIPTION: Be specific, complete and accurate when describing what you eat.

- Use the brand name
e.g. Brand X Fat Free Half and Half

- Use the language on the food label
e.g. skim milk fortified with vitamins A and D

- Use the name of the restaurant and menu item
e.g. Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Supreme 14 oz pizza.

- Don’t forget the condiments
e.g. 12 oz of decaf coffee with 3 TB of light cream and 2 tsp. sugar.

AMOUNT: Be precise when describing how much you eat.

Either:

- Measure your portion ( Remember - Measure only the edible portion and record only what you eat.) (e.g. 1/2 cup)

- Read the food weight on the package and adjust for the portion you eat.

- Count the pieces and note their dimensions and the number of pieces you eat
e.g. one piece of 4” x 4” meat lasagna

- Describe the size
e.g. a small, medium, large banana

HOW PREPARED: Be as descriptive as possible.

- Describe the ingredients and how the food is prepared
e.g. 1 medium green pepper stuffed with ½ cup of lean ground beef sautéed with onion in olive oil, mixed with white rice and tomato sauce.

Provide the recipe when you are able to.

Sample Food Diaries:

Please click here to see examples of useful and not-so-useful food diaries!