Guide

How to keep a food diary

To keep a food diary, write down everything you eat and drink as you go, with a rough amount, the time, and a short note on how you felt. Review it after a week. Writing it as you eat is more accurate than writing it at night.

Updated 21 October 2026. Sources named on the page.

What to write in a food diary
How to estimate amounts
How to review it
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What to write

For each meal or snack: the time, what you ate and drank, the amount, and a few words on how hungry you were or how you felt. Add where you were and what you were doing if you want to see patterns.

Write as you go

Memory drops snacks and drinks, so write each entry soon after eating. A note on your phone or a printed page in the kitchen works. The food diary printable is one page a day.

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Estimate amounts

Use spoons, cups, slices and palm-sized pieces, or weigh a few staples once and reuse the numbers. You do not need a perfect weight to see what a day looks like.

Add the numbers if you want them

If your goal is calories, use a food database. The Daily Journal food planner shows kcal and kJ side by side and adds up the day. If your goal is only awareness, words are enough.

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Review after a week

Read the week and underline what repeats: skipped breakfasts, late snacks, low water days. Choose one small change for next week, not five.

A note on health

A food diary is a tool for noticing. If you are tracking for a medical reason, ask your doctor or dietitian what to record. If tracking makes you anxious about food, stop and talk to a doctor.

Questions

What do I write in a food diary?

Time, food and drink, amount and a short note on hunger or mood.

How long should I keep a food diary?

A week gives a useful picture. Two weeks shows more. You can stop when you have learned what you wanted to.

Do I need to count calories?

No. A diary of words still shows patterns. Add numbers if your goal needs them.

Is there a free food diary?

Yes. The food diary printable is free, and the Daily Journal food planner is free to start.

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