Keeping a food diary can help you determine your nutritional needs and develop the right eating plan to meet them, according to FamilyDoctor.org. To be accurate, a food journal should keep track of what are you eating, how much, at what time of the day and your mood. This will in turn help you ensure that you're eating out of hunger and not due to your emotions. While you can keep a diary easily using a simple notebook and a pen, keeping an online diary has benefits.
Step 1
Decide on a format that fits your needs, such as one that allows you to print out form and journal pages, or one that offers graphics or access to experts or forums You can use a pre-set online journal, such as the free ones available at Fit Day or NutriDiary, where you can track calorie intake and have access to food and exercise databases (see Resources).
Step 2
Choose an online journal rather than a diet diary if you want a more general journal that looks similar to the type you would keep on paper. KeepAndShare, for example, is an online food diary that allows you to create entries, keep them private or share them with others and create appointments and time tables to track your meals. If you want even more freedom in format, you could also start a blog and simply post about your daily eating habits.
Step 3
Take time to understand all the features offered by the journal. If the journal doesn't offer a food database, decide whether you'll count calories and how you'll keep track of them. If graphs, charts or other features are offered, try them out. Don't waste time on those that you don't need or have interest in.
Step 4
Enter as much detail as the journal allows. If you're keeping a blog, be detailed. While exploring emotions, moods and activities is important, you also need to be specific with your food intake. If you're eating out and the food is not in the online database, try breaking it down into components and log in the ingredients separately.
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