Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Fixing Food and Drinks
• Part 2 of 3: Analyzing the Findings
• Part 3 of 3: Recording Additional Useful Information
• Tips

A food diary will help you understand what you eat every day. This is a good way to keep track of your diet, as it can be difficult to figure out how many calories and what types of food you have consumed without records, and how it affects your health and lifestyle. For example, if you have indigestion or other health problems, a journal can help you figure out what exactly triggers this reaction. Plus, a food diary can help you lose weight, keep track of your weight, and eat well. Start with a few quick notes and you will soon be amazed at how many new things are revealed to you.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Fixing Food and Drinks

1. 1 Keep a diary. The easiest way to control your diet is by keeping a diary in a notebook or on your mobile phone using a special application. You will need to write down the date, time, place, food consumed and their quantity, as well as take other notes if desired.
   • If you want to write everything down by hand, buy a notebook or diary large enough to fit anything you need to write down. You can even search the Internet for sample food diary pages and either print them out or design your diary in a similar way.
   • If you wish, you can use special applications or online services. As more people start keeping food diaries, you will have a wider variety of apps to choose from.
2. 2 Record everything you eat and drink. The more accurate and complete your notes are, the more useful they will be in the future. Try to fix anything that gets into your mouth. Write down all the main meals, drinks, snacks, and even the small nibbles you ate when you tried the dishes while preparing them.
   • Write everything down very accurately and break down the compound meals into ingredients. For example, instead of writing a turkey sandwich, record the amount of bread, turkey, and other toppings separately. Do the same for other mixed foods such as casseroles and smoothies. This will help you determine exactly what you ate and calculate the number of calories.
   • Remember to write down any small snacks and casual meals, such as cookies that your coworker gives you at work.
   • Record all drinks, including the amount of water you drink. This will help you determine if you are drinking enough fluids to keep your body hydrated.
3. 3 Record exact amounts in your journal. If it is important for you to know how many calories you are consuming, this data should be included in the records. You can buy a kitchen scale to know the weight for sure. This will allow you to weigh the ingredients and record the exact values.
   • Before changing the amount of food you eat, determine how much you usually eat at each main meal. If the portions are too large or small, resize them.
   • Measure the amount of food using measuring cups, bowls, or other fixed-volume containers. This will help you keep accurate journal entries. Do not try to measure volume or weight by eye, as doing so tends to underestimate food and calories.
   • You may need to roughly estimate the amount of food when you go to restaurants and buy foods that are difficult to weigh. When choosing a chain restaurant, check if you can find information on the Internet about the amount of ingredients that make up a particular dish. Also try to compare typical weights and serving sizes with different household items. For example, a deck of playing cards corresponds to 80-110 grams or 1/2 cup, and one egg corresponds to 60 grams or 1/4 cup.
   • Record your calories. If you are trying to lose or gain weight, you should record the number of calories you eat per day. Some mobile apps contain information about the calorie and nutrient content of various foods. If you are journaling in a notebook, search the Internet for this information. For example, a table of calories for various foods can be found on the website azbukadiet.ru.
   • Start noting how many calories you eat per day, and adjust the amount as needed.
   • If you decrease or increase your daily allowance by 500 calories, you will accordingly lose or gain about 0.5-1 kilograms per week.
4. 4 Write down the date, time and place where you eat. This will help you understand your eating habits. If you are trying to change your diet or lifestyle, then from this information you can judge why you prefer a particular food at a particular time.
   • Record the exact time, not just the time of day (night or afternoon).
   • You can even write down where you ate in the house. Was it in front of the TV? Or at your desk? Sometimes certain places or activities make you want to eat something. For example, you might eat out of boredom while watching TV.
5. 5 Write down how you felt after eating a particular meal. It doesn't matter if you keep a diary to lose weight or to identify food allergies, your post-meal condition matters anyway. Write down how you are feeling in a journal.
   • Wait 10-20 minutes after eating before assessing your feelings. It takes the body about 20 minutes to feel full. Write down how much one or another food allowed to satisfy the feeling of hunger.
   • Also try to write down how you felt before eating. This will allow you to determine if you are inclined to eat because of your emotions. For example, if you are stressed, you can eat more or prefer more fatty foods.
   • Track your hunger levels before and after meals. If you are very hungry, you can eat more than usual.
   • Remember to note the various symptoms or side effects that you may experience after eating. For example, after consuming dairy products, you may experience nausea and stomach upset.

Part 2 of 3: Analyzing the Findings

1. 1 Try to find dietary patterns. After a few weeks, you will be able to spot certain trends. Some of them will be obvious (for example, the same food for breakfast every day), others will be more difficult to notice. Review the diary and answer the following questions:
   • Are these patterns related to how foods affect your mood?
   • After what food do you feel hungry, and after what - satiety?
   • In what situations do you tend to overeat?
2. 2 Count how many snacks you eat throughout the day. Many people do not notice how often they eat during the day. A handful of nuts here, biscuits there, and a big bag of chips in front of the TV will pack quite a lot of calories. Using a food diary can help you determine if you have a healthy attitude towards snacking.
   • Do you tend to choose healthy snacks or eat whatever comes handy? If you are often in a rush and don't have time to prepare fresh food every time you need to grab a bite, try thinking through the menu in advance and taking food with you so you don't have to rush to look for something when you get hungry.
   • Do you feel full after you eat, or is your hunger just getting stronger? Review your notes to see if you need to change your attitude towards snacking.
3. 3 Compare weekdays and weekends. Many people's eating habits depend on their work or school schedules. If you don't always have time to cook on weekdays, try to cook more on weekends. Try to find patterns that affect your diet.
   • Do you tend to eat more on certain days? If you find yourself buying takeaways four times a week because you stay late at work, it may be worth cooking more on weekends to eat healthier throughout the work week.
   • Use this information to plan your menu. If you know that on some day you won't want to cook, buy something useful in advance and put it in the refrigerator so that you don't have to order pizza again.
4. 4 Analyze the relationship between your emotional state and what you eat. Think about what situations affect your diet on certain days of the week. You may find that food choices change if you are stressed, lonely, or bored. Maybe you find it difficult to fall asleep, which is why you eat at night, or seize stress after a busy day at work. Understanding these factors will help you shape the right diet.
   • Consider if you overeat when you're upset. If so, think of another way to cheer yourself up and relieve stress.
   • On the other hand, if certain foods make you feel negative, try cutting them out and see what happens. For example, too much coffee can make you jittery and unbalanced.
5. 5 Note the poor tolerance of some products. See how your body reacts to a particular food. You may find that every time you eat or consume dairy products, you experience nausea, upset stomach and bloating - a sign that you are poorly lactose-tolerant.
   • Think about which foods are causing you bloating, gas, headaches, nausea, or just a feeling of a full stomach. Write this information down so you can share it with your doctor or dietitian.
   • Celiac disease (gluten intolerance), irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions can be treated with a diet that excludes certain foods. If you have symptoms that lead you to believe that certain foods may be the cause, show your food diary to your doctor and ask him if you need to adjust your diet.

Part 3 of 3: Recording Additional Useful Information

1. 1 Record your exercise. If you keep a calorie diary and want to lose weight, you should also record all physical activity in it.
   • Write down which exercises you did and for how long. If possible, note the number of calories burned as well.
   • See how exercise affects hunger and food choices. Notice when you feel hungry or when you feel an urge to eat right after exercise.
2. 2 Write down nutritional information. If you are keeping a diary to keep track of your intake of a particular nutrient, you should write down the nutritional value of each food you eat. This information is available on the Internet. In addition, many electronic food diaries automatically calculate nutritional values. The most important nutrients include:
   • dietary fiber (fiber);
   • proteins;
   • carbohydrates;
   • iron;
   • vitamin D.
3. 3 Track your progress towards your goal. A food diary can help you motivate yourself to achieve your goals and change your diet. Whether you want to lose weight or just start eating more vegetables and fruits, a food diary will allow you to keep track of how far you have come and what else you can do. There are several ways to do this:
   • Record your weight. Write it down at the end of each week to see how much it has changed.
   • Mark important milestones. If you have been able to avoid eating gluten-containing foods for a month, record this in your diary.
   • Record your level of physical activity. For example, note how far you have progressed towards the goal of running 5000 meters.
4. 4 Use a food diary to keep track of your spending. Since you still write down everything you ate, why not write down the price of the food as well? This allows you to stay within your budget for the day, week, or month. You will be surprised when you see where your money goes.
   • Pay attention to how much money you spend on each meal. Count your homemade food and all the prepared meals you buy.
   • Look for patterns to understand how much money you spend on food every week or every month, and think about how you can reduce those costs.
   • It is helpful to keep a record of how much you spent on the food you bought. For example, you can spend money on an afternoon coffee or lunch with colleagues. If this is a little over one day, a round sum can accumulate in a month.

Tips

• If you decide to keep a diary in order to lose weight, or because you have an eating disorder, highlight the column to record how you feel after eating a particular meal. This will help you understand the reasons why you choose a particular food.
• While you don't need to keep detailed notes every day, remember that the more often you open your diary and take notes, the more information you will have. If you can't keep a diary every day, try to keep notes for at least a few working days and at the end of the week.
• You can use an online service or a dedicated app such as Like iEatWell or MyCaloryCounter to keep a food diary.