By Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD 

Food journaling is a simple task that can come with big benefits, especially for weight loss. Jotting down what you eat is helpful for identifying patterns, staying on track with a weight loss meal plan, and increasing awareness of how foods make you feel. 

However, if you’ve never tried food journaling, you may be wondering how to start and if it’s an appropriate method for you. This article reviews the pros and cons of keeping a journal of your meals and how to get started. 

Benefits of Food Journaling 

Keeping a food journal usually involves writing down what you eat at each meal or snack with other details, including time and location of the meal, approximate portions, any distractions, and how you felt before and after the meal. 

Food journaling may be helpful for those who want to lose weight for several reasons. Here are a few of the possible benefits: 

• Increased awareness of food choices and portion sizes. The process of writing down meals can make any high-calorie or less healthy foods you are consuming more obvious. Plus, you may notice that you are eating bigger portions than you thought. With this knowledge, you can start to make healthier swaps and eat portions that better match your needs. 

• Better recognition of foods that zap or boost energy and increase blood sugar. Keeping track of how you feel after meals can help you better understand which foods lead to cravings, overeating, or energy crashes and which ones leave you satisfied and full of energy. If you have diabetes, food journaling can also be helpful in identifying which foods raise your blood sugar versus those that help you maintain stable levels. 

• Identification of distractions or other scenarios that lead to overeating. A food journal can allow you to pinpoint whether distractions like working, watching TV, or scrolling your phone while eating affect how much and what you eat and how you feel afterwards. Once you figure out the effects of distractions on your eating habits, you can make changes that promote more mindful eating that doesn’t lead to overconsumption. 

• Awareness of how often you eat. If you tend to graze on food throughout the day, you may not realize how often you eat. Keeping a journal can therefore be helpful in identifying when you eat and building a more structured meal schedule if you are interested in having one. 

• Better understanding of gaps in your diet. Eating a balanced plate at meals, with sufficient amounts of proteins, vegetables, complex carbs, and healthy fats, is helpful for losing weight. Writing down your meals in a food diary is a good way to see if you are eating too much or too little of a certain food group. Once you identify gaps in your nutrition, you can take steps to fill them. 

• Increased accountability. Journaling is often considered a great practice to stay accountable when you are setting healthy eating or weight loss goals. When you anticipate writing down your meals, you may be more likely to choose nutrient-dense foods and stay on track. 

As you can see, food journaling may promote healthy food choices and weight loss via a number of different ways. In fact, the link between keeping a food journal and losing weight is even backed by research. 

A review of 15 studies found that self-monitoring techniques, including paper food diaries, were significantly linked to weight loss. In addition, one randomized trial that compared strategies for maintaining weight loss found that the more food records participants kept each week, the more weight they lost. 

Possible Downsides 

While food journaling has many possible benefits, it’s not for everyone and can come with downsides and challenges. Keeping a food diary may be harmful for those who struggle with disordered eating or obsessive thoughts about food. In addition, some people may find that writing down meals sparks feelings of shame, guilt, or failure and takes the joy out of eating. Finally, online food journaling programs or apps may not always be accurate and therefore may discourage users who want to have a better understanding of daily calories or nutrients. Before starting a food journal, consider your health history and how the process makes you feel to help decide if it’s right for you. 

How to Keep a Food Journal 

If you have reviewed the aforementioned pros and cons of food journaling and are interested in trying it, here are some tips: 

• Figure out your method of journaling. You can use a paper diary or an online program like Lose It! Or My Fitness Pal. 

• Include key details. In addition to writing down what you eat, try including an estimated portion size, what time and where you ate, how you felt before and after (physically and emotionally), and any other details that may be helpful. For example, you can include distractions (TV, computer, phone, reading materials) and who else was present at the meal. If including all of those details seems stressful, start with what you think is the most important information and go from there. 

• Don’t forget about drinks. Remember to include beverages and not just food. 

• Log entries as soon as you can. Try to write down what you ate shortly after doing so, in order to prevent falling behind. 

• Stay consistent. Set a goal for how long you want to keep a food journal and try your best to reach it. Choose a short timeframe, such as 5 or 7 days, at first. Then, reflect on how the process went, what changes you want to make, and whether or not you found it helpful. Then, set a new goal for how long you want to continue. 

• Make changes as you go. The ultimate goal of food journaling is to help you better understand your eating habits so that you can make changes to support your goals. It can be easy to get wrapped up in keeping a journal and forget about making changes. Remember to take some time to brainstorm healthy swaps, sign up for meal prep services or diet meal delivery if needed, and pinpoint other actions you can take to improve your diet. As you start to develop healthier habits, eventually you may find that food journaling is no longer necessary. 

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