How to start a food journal

Start with one meal

A food journal is a record of what you eat and drink. It can be a notebook, a note on your phone, or an app. You can keep it simply to remember your meals; a calorie target or weight goal is not a requirement.

For your first entry, write down the meal you just ate in one sentence. “Toast with two eggs and a coffee with milk” is a useful start. You don’t need to organize a whole week before making the first note.

What to record

Include the food or drink, roughly how much you had, and any details you would otherwise forget. A bowl, a slice, a handful, or half a restaurant portion can be enough to make a note more meaningful when you read it later.

• The main foods: “Rice with chicken and broccoli” tells you more than “lunch.”
• The amount: “One medium bowl” gives context without requiring a scale.
• The extras: A dressing, cooking oil, spread, or drink may be easy to leave out.
• The uncertainty: “Shared plate, about half” records what you remember without pretending to know the recipe.

Only add detail that serves your reason for keeping a journal. For more starting points, borrow the meal-note template and examples.

Choose a format that fits the moment

Text works when you have a moment to write. A photo can preserve the visible parts of a plate. Voice can be convenient when you would rather describe the meal out loud. There is no need to use the same format for every entry.

A photo alone may leave out a filling, sauce, or second helping. Pair it with a short note when those details matter. With voice, check that the transcript captured the food and amount you meant. Our photo, voice, and text guide walks through each option.

Keep it manageable

Pick a moment that is easy to remember, such as clearing your plate or sitting down after dinner. If a daily reminder is useful, use one. If it becomes noise, turn it off.

When you miss an entry, continue with the next meal. You can add something you remember later, but an incomplete record can still be useful. Avoid filling gaps with details you don’t remember just to make the day look finished.

Looking back can be as simple as finding a lunch you enjoyed and want to make again. You decide whether totals and charts are useful to you.

Try it in Meali

Meali is a food journal for iPhone built around your own words. Type in the journal composer, optionally add photos, or record a short voice note and review its transcript. Save the meal, then review and edit its nutrition estimate when available.

Meals save on your device first. Nutrition estimates, voice transcription, and syncing need an internet connection. Estimates can be wrong, so they remain editable. See the app’s three ways to log a meal.