While the word "diet" usually is associated with weight loss, it actually refers to everything you eat. For instance, a vegetarian's diet doesn't include meat, while a vegan eats a diet free of animal products. Write down what you eat and drink in a daily food journal to track your diet. A food journal works well if you need to restrict your diet or evaluate your caloric intake.
Background
Before you change your eating habits, take an honest look at your current diet for a few days or weeks. Dietitians and nutritionists often ask their clients to complete a food journal before and after they start a new eating pattern. While your current eating habits may not surprise you when you review them, it helps to have a record. Compare your previous diet with your new eating habits to measure your progress.
Features
Make your food journal as simple or as complex as necessary. You can change the information you're tracking to suit your needs. Record your diet in a small notebook or tablet you can carry in your purse or pocket; this method lets you immediately record your diet information. You also can take advantage of free online food journals; however, this method may not work as well if you forget to record what you ate for lunch or an afternoon snack.
Recording
When recording your information, it's vital that you're honest about everything you write. Your food journal is a useless tool if you only write what you think are the "correct" items and amounts. For instance, the taste-testing you do while making dinner--those items count. If you drink a glass of wine with dinner--it counts, too. Record any midnight snacking, even if it's only an apple. Nothing you write is good or bad--it's just a record of your diet throughout a 24-hour period.
Benefits
Keeping a food journal helps you see trends in your dietary habits. The more detailed your food journal, the more it will help you. For instance, you may find it useful to jot down your mood during each meal or snack, especially if you're an emotional eater. If you overeat, use your journal to figure out what triggered your lapse. Show your food journal to your health care provider, dietitian or nutritionist. They can look at your eating habits and make recommendations for tweaking your diet to help you reach your goal. Use your food journal to help lower your cholesterol, improve your blood sugar or reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Considerations
You may want to include the times and locations of each meal and snack. Record your feelings each time you eat to discover more about why you eat certain foods at different times throughout the day. For instance, you may learn that you reach for something sweet when you're bored; take this information and find other ways to cope with your boredom. Your food journal can include such items as your daily physical activity and water intake. If you're sick one day, include that detail; when you look back at your entries, this fact will explain why you didn't exercise that day. Your food journal is first and foremost a tool for you; if you find you've made it too complex initially, pare it down.
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