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Free Food Diary Template
Download and print our free food diary templates and food journal templates. Whether you're a nutritionist creating food tracking sheets for clients or someone wanting to track your own intake, these printable food log templates make it easy to record meals, portions, and nutrition data.
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Daily Food Diary Template Most Popular
| Meal | Time | Food & Beverage | Amount/Portion | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | |||||||
| Morning Snack | |||||||
| Lunch | |||||||
| Afternoon Snack | |||||||
| Dinner | |||||||
| Evening Snack | |||||||
| TOTALS | |||||||
| Notes | |||||||
Weekly Food Journal Template 7 Days
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Simple Food Log Template Quick Track
| Date | Time | What I Ate/Drank | How Much | How I Felt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
This simplified food log is designed for people who want a straightforward, non-calorie-counting approach to tracking their eating habits and how food makes them feel.
Want to go digital?
Foodzilla's built-in food diary lets your clients log meals from their phone. As their nutrition professional, you can review their food diary entries in real-time and provide feedback through secure messaging.
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What Should a Food Diary Include?
A well-designed food diary template should capture all the essential information needed to understand your eating habits. At a minimum, every food journal template should include space for the date and time of each meal, a description of what you ate and drank, and portion sizes. More detailed food tracking templates add columns for calories, macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat), water intake, and notes about hunger levels or mood. For nutrition professionals, a printable food diary template with macro tracking helps clients become more aware of their nutritional intake and makes it easier to identify areas for improvement during consultations.
Benefits of Using a Food Diary Template
- Increased Awareness - Keeping a daily food diary helps you become more mindful of what and how much you eat, which research shows leads to healthier choices
- Weight Management - Studies show that people who use a food journal consistently lose up to twice as much weight as those who do not track their intake
- Identify Patterns - A food log template helps you spot eating patterns, emotional triggers, and habits you may not have noticed before
- Detect Food Sensitivities - By tracking foods alongside symptoms, a free food diary can help identify foods that cause digestive issues, headaches, or other reactions
- Professional Accountability - Dietitians and nutritionists use food diary templates to monitor client compliance and provide targeted feedback
- Nutritional Balance - A printable food log template with macro columns ensures you are meeting your protein, carb, and fat targets each day
- Medical Documentation - Healthcare providers may request a food journal template to assess nutritional status and guide treatment plans
How to Use These Food Diary Templates
Getting started with our free printable food diary templates is simple. Follow these steps for the best results:
- Choose your template - Select the daily food diary template for detailed macro tracking, the weekly food journal template for a broader overview, or the simple food log if you prefer a relaxed approach without counting calories
- Print multiple copies - Click the print button above to print as many copies as you need. These free printable food log templates are designed to look great on standard letter-size paper
- Fill in your header information - Write your name, the date, and your daily calorie or nutrition goals at the top of each template
- Record meals as you eat - For the most accurate results, fill in your food diary immediately after each meal rather than trying to remember at the end of the day
- Be specific with portions - Use measuring cups, a food scale, or visual comparisons (such as a fist-size serving) to estimate amounts accurately
- Review weekly - At the end of each week, review your food journal entries to identify patterns, nutritional gaps, and areas for improvement
- Share with your practitioner - If you are working with a dietitian or nutritionist, bring your completed food tracking template to your appointments for review and guidance
Digital vs Paper Food Diaries
While printable food diary templates are convenient and accessible, digital food diaries offer significant advantages for both nutrition professionals and their clients. A paper food journal template free download is great for getting started, but digital solutions like Foodzilla allow clients to log meals from their smartphone, automatically calculate calories and macros from a database of thousands of foods, and share their entries with their nutrition professional in real-time. For dietitians managing multiple clients, this means no more deciphering handwritten food logs and the ability to provide immediate feedback when a client logs a meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a food diary template?
A food diary template is a structured document used to record everything you eat and drink throughout the day. It typically includes columns for meal times, food descriptions, portion sizes, and nutritional information like calories, protein, carbs, and fat. Food diary templates help individuals and nutrition professionals track dietary habits, identify patterns, and work toward health goals. You can use a printable food diary template on paper or switch to a digital food tracking tool for automatic nutrition calculations.
How do I use a food diary for weight loss?
To use a food diary for weight loss, record everything you eat and drink immediately after consuming it. Include portion sizes and calorie counts. Review your entries weekly to identify high-calorie habits, emotional eating patterns, or unnecessary snacking. Studies show that people who consistently track their food intake lose up to twice as much weight as those who do not. Use a daily food diary template with calorie and macro columns to make the process simple and consistent. Setting a daily calorie target and comparing it to your actual intake each day creates accountability that supports lasting weight loss.
What should I track in a food journal?
A comprehensive food journal should track: what you ate and drank, portion sizes, time of each meal or snack, calories and macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat), water intake, how you felt before and after eating, and any symptoms or reactions. For a simpler approach, start with just food descriptions and portions using our simple food log template, then add more detail over time. The most important thing is consistency - tracking something every day is more valuable than tracking everything sporadically.
Can a food diary help identify food intolerances?
Yes, a food diary is one of the most effective tools for identifying food intolerances and sensitivities. By recording everything you eat along with any symptoms you experience (bloating, headaches, fatigue, skin issues), you can identify patterns and correlations. Many dietitians use food diaries as part of elimination diet protocols to systematically identify trigger foods. Our simple food log template includes a "How I Felt" column specifically designed for tracking symptoms alongside meals.
What's the best food diary template for dietitians?
The best food diary template for dietitians includes detailed macro tracking columns (calories, protein, carbs, fat), space for client notes and symptoms, water intake tracking, and a professional layout that can be branded. Our daily food diary template includes all of these elements. However, many dietitians are moving to digital food diary tools like Foodzilla, which allow clients to log meals from their phone while the dietitian reviews entries in real-time, provides feedback through secure messaging, and uses the data to create personalized meal plans.
Related Resources
- What Is a Food Diary? - Learn the fundamentals of food diary journaling and how it supports nutrition goals
- Meal Plan Templates - Free weekly meal plan templates for nutritionists and health coaches
- TDEE Calculator - Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure to set accurate calorie targets
- Macro Calculator - Determine your ideal protein, carb, and fat targets for your goals
For Nutrition Professionals
These food diary templates are designed for nutrition professionals who need to provide clients with easy-to-use food tracking tools. Whether you hand out printable food journal templates during consultations or prefer the efficiency of digital food logging, having a structured system for client food tracking is essential for delivering results. Join 10,000+ dietitians, nutritionists, and health coaches who use Foodzilla to streamline their practice.
- Digital food diary with real-time client logging
- Automatic calorie and macro calculations
- AI-powered meal plan generation
- 1,500+ dietitian-approved recipes
- White-label mobile apps for your clients
Disclaimer
These food diary templates are provided for informational and educational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical or nutritional advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider, registered dietitian, or physician before making any changes to your diet or nutrition plan. Individual dietary needs may vary based on health conditions, medications, and other factors.
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