Keeping a record of your daily food intake will help you stay on track when trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight and activity levels.

It also will give your doctor or health care provider a quick way to check your progress. The diary will print larger in the PDF version if you deselect the "Shrink to Fit" button in the print dialog box.

Note: Documents in PDF format require the Adobe Acrobat Reader®. If you experience problems with PDF documents, please download the latest version of the Reader®. The Aim for a Healthy Weight: Keep an Eye on Portion Size Z Card will help you assess food portions and meet your healthy eating goals.

The week starts on a Monday but the days are editable so you can change them if you want to start from another day. This is a daily food log that you can use for seven days. You can either write your planned meals vs actual meals or only add your food intake.

There are no titles on the days for more flexibility. You can create a food tracker bullet journal devoted entirely to what you eat, a food journal section in your notebook, or just add a few spreads whenever you need them.

You can also just add a food log to your daily spread. This mindful eating food log will help you develop mindfulness and to be more aware when you eat. Before you eat, you fill out how hungry you are rate your hunger on a scale of Then, you record what you ate.

Why did you eat? Were you truly hungry or were you stressed or bored? This will help you pinpoint the triggers that cause you to eat. How did you eat? Did you eat quickly without paying attention to what you ate or did you eat mindfully?

After you eat, you fill out how full you are. If you keep using this food journal you will become more aware of when and why you eat. How did you feel after you ate? When you binge on junk food you tend to feel bloated and unhappy. When you eat a healthy meal you feel good and nourished.

When you spend a moment to describe how you feel after you eat and record how you feel it might help you make better choices in the future. Describe your emotions and feelings.

See our free intuitive eating journal and workbook. Word Editable PDF. Image Word Editable PDF. One of the benefits of a food journal is to detect food intolerances and sensitivities.

The best way to identify food intolerances and sensitivities is with an elimination diet. You refrain from eating all foods known to cause food intolerances for weeks the elimination phase and then you introduce them one by one reintroduction phase. The most common culprits for food allergy and intolerance are: citrus, dairy products, eggs, gluten, soy, peanuts, shellfish, tree nuts, beef, and corn source.

When you do introduce them to your diet again, you check for symptoms and write them down in your food sensitivity journal see above. When you reintroduce a food group, look out for symptoms for a period of 2 to 3 days. Symptoms can include headaches, fatigue, bloating, stomach pain, or changes in bowel habits.

You should of course only try an elimination diet under the supervision of your doctor. I am not trying to promote the diet but to provide a food journal for those who have been advised to try an elimination diet. A food journal is more than just a food log. Food is supposed to be fuel to eat when we are hungry.

However, emotional eating often eats for other reasons such as when they are happy or sad, depressed, or lonely.

Since I am an emotional eater I like to keep a food journal where I record what I eat and how I felt prior to overeating. If I am not sure how I felt, I like to journal about what happened before I ate more than I should.

Analyzing the situation often helps me to understand what I was feeling. This is helpful to prevent overeating in the future and to understand what I am feeling in order to address those feelings in ways unconnected to food.

To create a food journal, download any food diary template free of charge from the selection above. Print multiple copies of it. Put it in a binder or have it bound to create a journal. Either select one of the ready-made templates on this page or create your own with our free bullet journal app.

With the free app, you can section the page or select a table. You can add text, doodles, titles, etc. If you want to leave space to journal about what and why you ate then you have more flexibility than with a ready-made template.

A food log template is a food journal that you can use to keep track of what you plan to eat and what you actually eat. If your goal is weight loss, then you might want to select a template that includes how much water you drink, how many fruits and vegetables you eat a day and how much sport you do each week.

You can use a blank template to record what you eat as you eat it or you can use a meal tracker template that divides the food you eat into three meals and snacks in between meals. A food log enables you to ensure that your diet is balanced. If you keep track of your food each day you can ensure that you are eating carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, fruit, and vegetables, etc.

When I plan my diet then it is almost always more balanced. Keeping a food log journal will enable you to count calories or points or to just keep track of how much you are eating to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight depending on your goals. If mindless eating is a problem for you too then keeping a food log can be very helpful.

If you go for expert guidance to a registered dietitian or a trainer they will probably ask you to write down what you eat for a few days before you meet the first time. This will give them an idea of what your current eating habits are like, the portion size you are used to eating, etc.

Once they provide you with an eating plan they might still ask you to keep a food log. They might give you tips on making smarter choices or set macro goals and track micronutrients. Keeping track of your progress will also provide motivation.

Besides all the benefits you get from drinking water, you might also eat less.

Check out this article for a round-up with a few of the best calorie counter websites and apps available. Although many people focus solely on what they eat or drink when filling out a food journal, keeping track of how your mood changes throughout the day and with each meal can also be beneficial.

In fact, identifying how you feel before or after eating certain foods can make it easier to identify patterns and understand how your diet might be affecting your mental health. If you struggle with emotional eating , determining which factors trigger you could also help treat its root cause to prevent overeating.

In particular, studies show that negative emotions like anxiety, sadness, and perceived stress could increase food intake and contribute to overeating 9 , While food journals can be a useful tool for many, they may not be a great choice for everyone.

For some people, they might even end up doing more harm than good. In particular, food journals can be triggering for people with a history of eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia 11 , Some people may also find that keeping a food journal causes obsessive thoughts or negative feelings like guilt and shame.

Additionally, some people may get fixated on specific details or numbers rather than using the data to improve their diet quality and make more informed healthy choices.

If you find that using a food journal is triggering or unhelpful, other strategies like mindful eating may be a better fit for you. For some, keeping a food journal can be triggering and could cause obsessive thoughts or negative feelings. If this is the case for you, trying out other practices like mindful eating may be better.

Food journals are often used to track what you eat and drink throughout the day. You can also note down where and when you eat, who you eat with, and how you feel before, during, and after each meal. While these journals may not be a good fit for everyone, they can help you built healthy habits, identify food sensitivities, and manage your weight.

Using the tips outlined above, keeping a food journal can be a great way to improve your diet and take control of your health. Experiment with different apps, formats, and tracking methods to find what works for you! Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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