Healthy Eating Plans Blog: Check Your Diet with Dietary Record (Part 01)

If you has read my previous post, you might already know how to build a healthy meal planning.

Now, you need a diet-tracking tool which may help you for your meal planning program.
As you can see in below pictures, this is the same diet-tracking tool researchers use
in clinical studies. It not only lets you see exactly what you’re eating now,
it also helps you see how to improve your diet over time.

For example, you’re getting a little too much fat or too little fiber, you’ll spot it right away and can fix the problem.

To do your record, you simply take a sheet of paper, and note down everything you eat or drink (except water) for three days, including two weekdays and one weekend day (most of us eat a bit differently on weekends, compared to weekdays).

Using the Diet Record form as below pictures (photocopy it as many times as you need to), jot down each food, condiment, or beverage on a separate line.

For example, if you had a salad made of lettuce, tomatoes, chickpeas,and dressing, use four lines, one for each ingredient. Or if you had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, along with a cola, use four lines so you can separate out each part of the meal—bread, peanut butter, jelly, and the drink.

Write down everything you eat, including snacks and condiments. The only item to omit is water. Record the amount of each food as accurately as you can. You can either weigh each item using a food scale or measure or estimate its volume (e.g., one cup of orange juice, or perhaps a small, medium, or large apple).

Record your foods as you go so you don’t forget. If it is more convenient, you can keep notes in a small notebook and transfer them to the Diet Record form later.