Daily food diary

How to use this diary: 

  • Save the sample food diary page to your computer.
  • Replace the “servings goal” numbers with numbers that are specific to your age and sex, based on the guidelines from Canada’s Food Guide. See below.
  • Print out seven days worth of pages (or save the pages on your computer in a special folder and name them by the date). Fill in the page at each meal, or at the end of the day, whatever is best for you.

Note: The new Food Guide has a great interactive tool called My Food Guide that will give you a list of how much you should be getting from each food group every day as well as give you the serving sizes based on your selection.

Servings by age and gender

 

Women aged 19 to 51

7-8 servings of vegetables and fruit
6-7 servings of grains (at least half wholegrain)
2 servings milk and alternatives
2 servings meat and alternatives

Men aged 19 to 51

8-10 servings of fruit and vegetables
8 servings of grains (at least half wholegrain)
2 servings milk and alternatives
3 servings meat and alternatives

Women aged 51+

7 servings fruit and vegetables
6 servings grain products
3 servings milk and alternatives
2 servings meat and alternatives

Men aged 51+

7 servings fruit and vegetables
7 servings grain products
3 servings milk and alternatives
3 servings meat and alternatives

All adults: Oils and fats 30 to 34 mL (2 to 3 tbsp) per day used in cooking, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise.

My daily food diary

Food Group

Servings goal

Actual servings (today’s date:          )

Vegetables (especially dark green and orange)

4

 

Fruit (fresh, frozen, canned)

4

 

Grains (choose whole grains more often)

7

 

Milk and Alternatives (yogurt, soy beverage, cheese)

2

 

Meat and Alternatives (fish, chicken, lean meat, beans, unsalted nuts)

2

 

Oils and fats (olive, canola, soybean, margarine)

1

 

Extras (such as candy bars, doughnuts, cake, cookies, fries, chips)

0

 

Sodium checklist. Did I add any of the following today preparing my food or at the table?

  • bouillon cubes
  • cooking sherry or cooking wine
  • chili sauce
  • meat tenderizer
  • seasoned salts
  • soy sauce
  • steak sauce
  • tamari
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • salt

The Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends that Canadians consume no more that 2,300 mg of sodium (the equivalent of about 1 tsp/ 5mL of salt) a day total from processed foods and salt added during food preparation and at the table. Look for the sodium values in the Nutrition Fact tables on food packages and in recipe nutrition information. If you have high blood pressure, consult your physician for specific dietary recommendations.

Posted January 2008.