By: Karim Damji, CSUN Dietetic Intern

If you are considering changing your diet, it is important to get a clear picture of what your current diet looks like. However, this can be quite a challenging task. Try this challenge: list every single item and portion you consumed yesterday. That includes the bite sized candy in the afternoon, the teaspoon of sugar you added in your coffee, and the two slices of cheddar cheese in your sandwich. Relying on memory may not give you an accurate picture of your diet. This is why food diaries are ideal; they take memory out of the equation. Even better, 3-day recalls allow individuals to be able to record 2 weekdays, and a weekend, representing a complete picture of their diet. Additionally, 3-day recalls have been shown to be a more accurate picture of diet than a traditional food frequency questionnaire¹.