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Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Nutrition Assessment

Food diary

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

nounCore term

In nutrition & dietetics, food diary means: A written or digital record in which a person notes everything they eat and drink over a few days, often with times, amounts and how they felt.

In Turkish: besin tüketim kaydı, yemek günlüğü, beslenme günlüğü

How it is used

A standard tool in counseling and research, also called a food record or food log. Dietitians ask clients to 'keep' or 'fill in' a food diary, often for three days including a weekend day. It helps reveal patterns, but people often under-report what they eat.

Example sentences

  1. Could you keep a food diary for three days, including one day on the weekend?

  2. Her food diary showed long gaps between meals and large evening portions.

Common collocations

  • keep a food diary
  • fill in a food diary
  • three-day food diary
  • food record
  • food log
  • dietary intakeThe food, drink and nutrients that a person actually consumes over a period of time, such as a day, a week or a typical month.
  • 24-hour recallAn interview in which a trained person asks someone to describe everything they ate and drank during the previous 24 hours or the previous day, including amounts and preparation.
  • nutrition assessmentA systematic process in which a dietitian collects and interprets information about a person's diet, body measurements, medical history and lab results to identify nutrition problems.
  • eating habitsThe usual ways a person eats: what, when, where, how much and how fast they eat, together with the routines and feelings connected with food.

More terms: Nutrition Assessment

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