How should I keep a food diary? What should one look like?

The easiest way to keep a food diary is to use a small notebook, or to carry around a few index cards that you can slide in your purse or pocket. Whenever you put any type of food or even drink in your mouth, write it down – every detail, estimating how much you have eaten and how long it took you to eat. It is also very important to write your feelings and thoughts down. Were you happy? Angry? Tired? Did you eat with others or alone or in secret?

Often it can be painful to look long and hard at the type and amount of food you are eating, but writing it down is a way of bringing your eating into awareness. It will help you determine if you are eating enough or too much, skipping meals, or eating when you are not hungry. Keeping a food diary is also a good way of taking positive note of the things you are doing right – getting enough water, eating a variety of foods, having breakfast every day.

You may want to share your food diary with a professional psychologist, especially if you suspect you are binge eating and particularly if you are purging by vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics. Purging is extremely dangerous, so if this is happening, you should seek immediate help.