Registered dietitian Alana Kessler, RD, shares what a food journal template should look like and include.

Plus, how keeping a food journal can be helpful.

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This is beyond thecalorie counting of the past, which strictly has a diet mentality.

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registered dietitian, founder of Be Well

If youve never kept one before, knowing how exactly to do it can be tricky.

What does a food journal template even look like?

4 benefits to keeping a food journal

1.

An image of four wine glasses on a wooden surface

So often wethinkwe know what we eat, but we dont realize the whole truth, she says.

A food journal is a mirror that really reflects what you put into your body.

Over time, you may notice certain patterns.

Young woman mixing ice coffee

Its also important to think about more than just the actual food, Kessler says.

This, she explains,could impact digestionor even how much youre actually able to enjoy your meal.

The circumstances surrounding when you eat matter greatly, too.

Cropped shot of young woman shopping in the dairy section of a supermarket. She is reading the nutrition label on a container of fresh organic healthy natural yoghurt

registered dietitian, founder of Be Well

3 ways to keep a food journal

1.

I actually always recommend taking a photo anyway, she says.

Because nothing is clearer than a photo!

Two cups with coffee and green tea on a beige background.

Food journals should be personal, so create a structure and template that works for you, Kessler says.

Most importantly, she says, it should make you feel better, not worse.

Food journals are not meant to feel guilty or shame about anything you eat.

red pigment in a wooden spoon

Instead, theyre meant to be a tool used to help determine what makes you feel your best.

Below are food journal templates to print out and use at home:

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