Step 1: Collect 3 day diet record — You will use the provided 3 day diet diary form for each day to collect your diary for anything you eat and drink! 

Here is what you need to do to complete this assignment: 

Getting started – Collect diary, record behaviors & set up profile

·       Keep a food diary for 3 days- 2 week days and 1 weekend day (consecutive days). Try to choose days that are fairly typical of your intake so that you can better understand your usual diet. In other words – don’t record on days that you are sick, your birthday, etc.  Use the food record sheet in the diet analysis project folder on Blackboard for your records. 

a.     Carry the food record with you and record everything or eat or drink (including water and any other fluid*)  

                                               i.     record immediately after eating with as much detail as possible 

                                              ii.     be accurate with portion sizes – this is  IMPORTANT

b.     Do not include vitamin and mineral supplements since you are looking only at food intake – you can discuss whether or not you need one later in the paper.  If you take a protein supplement or drink protein shakes, include these as they will influence calorie and macronutrient intake – you will often need to add the protein supplement as a custom food if you are consuming one. 

c.      You need to record your intake on the Diet Diary Form (1 form for each day)

                                               i.     you should be very detailed. It will be easier to do the analysis if you have kept a good record of everything that you eat and drink.

                                              ii.     record the meal and time you ate – you decide what the meal is.  If you get up at noon on Saturday and you eat – that might be your breakfast and it might be lunch

                                             iii.     record the food/beverage in as much detail as possible and the portion. You do not have to record method of preparation unless it will affect the food. For example – a pop tart is the same if it is toasted or not. But chicken is different if it is fried or baked. 

                                             iv.     Record the portion size – accurately, refer to the tools in chapter 1-2 to better determine serving size – you will also find a handout in the diet analysis project to estimate portion sizes

                                              v.     Record where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing when eating.   For example, you might have been alone at kitchen table reading your nutrition book.  Or you might be at work with co-workers.  Or you might be with friends watching TV

                                             vi.     Rate your hunger on scale of 1= not hungry and 5 = famished – you will need this data later in your report to discuss hunger rating

                                            vii.     Assess how   you were feeling (bored, happy, stressed, rushed, etc.)    

                                           viii.     Estimate how long it took you to eat, record in minutes (again details are needed).