Food Diary, Here are the Benefits and How to Make It

Recording the food and beverages you consume throughout the day in a journal, known as a food diary, can help you make smarter food choices according to your goals, such as losing weight or maintaining health.

In a food diary, you record the types of food and drinks you eat, including snacks, as well as how much you consume, when, where, and how you feel before, during, and after eating.

The benefits of keeping a food diary include helping you develop healthier eating habits, managing medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, identifying triggers for certain disease symptoms, and aiding in weight loss efforts.

You can create a food diary yourself by making a simple table that records all the details of the food and beverages you consume, your mood before and after eating, and your body’s reaction to the food. It’s important to note that keeping track of food should also be done wisely, and consulting with a doctor beforehand is a good step to prevent the risk of eating disorders.

First, you need to prepare a small notebook or use notes available on your phone. You can also download a specific food diary app to make recording easier. Then, follow these steps to create a food diary:

1. Create a table with columns for the date, time, type of food or drink, portion size, cooking method, and ingredients and spices. You can also add other columns to record who you ate with, activities during eating, and reactions that occurred after eating.
2. Write down all the food and drinks, including snacks, that you consume in the table. If you don’t know the nutritional content of the food or drink, you can look it up online or read the nutrition label on the packaging.
3. Record how you feel before, during, and after consuming the food and drinks.
4. Record in detail the types of food or drinks that cause discomfort and describe the complaints that arise.
5. Try to make notes immediately after you finish eating or drinking. Avoid delaying it because you may forget or not record accurately.
6. Create a specific timeline to evaluate the results of your food diary, such as every one or two weeks. By evaluating regularly, you can see overall eating patterns and make changes or improvements as needed.

While a food diary has benefits for improving eating habits and maintaining overall health, this habit may potentially lead to eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia.

This can happen because keeping a food journal can trigger obsession and excessive control over the calories consumed. Additionally, feelings of guilt and anxiety when exceeding calorie limits or consuming unhealthy foods can also lead someone to engage in extreme dieting and experience eating disorders.

To prevent these impacts, you can consult with a doctor before starting a food diary. The doctor will help you plan a healthy eating pattern that suits your condition.