Food Journal Worksheet

People who suffer from mental health challenges may find themselves having a hard time staying on track with a healthy diet. Whether they are inclined to eat too much or not enough, it can become difficult to maintain healthy eating habits while struggling with mental health. 

Clients in therapy can benefit from a food journal if their mental health affects their eating and appetite. A food journal can be used to monitor a client’s diet, identify patterns of eating that need to be corrected, and track the progress they are making in their process of improving mental and physical health.

A food journal can be helpful in the treatment of eating disorders because they help to identify the problem habits that need to be targeted in a treatment plan, keep track of the client’s progress, and boost accountability for how eating habits are worked on between counseling sessions.

About This Worksheet

This is the Food Journal worksheet. This worksheet is helpful because it allows the client to track their food intake and progress with modifying their habits. It also helps with identifying problematic patterns in their weekly routine.

A food journal helps with accountability. As the client records their food journal, they can reflect on their habits, see points of improvement, and feel the authority of the process as they work hard to reach their goals.

This worksheet charts out the 7-day week and provides space to record what the client eats during the day. It also asks the client to set a goal and identify their motivation to stay consistent with making healthy food choices.

This worksheet is intended for adolescents and adults and may be used in individual and group sessions, at the mental health professional’s discretion. It is intended to be assigned as a homework assignment to be completed between sessions.

Instructions

The Food Journal worksheet provides a chart where the client records their daily food intake for one week. Explain to the client the intention for consistently tracking their food intake with this worksheet. After you are confident that the client understands the importance of this exercise, have them verbalize their goal for the week and their motivation to maintain the food journal in between sessions.

Instruct the client to write the date next to each weekday and to include any information you see relevant (What was eaten, how much was eaten, why it was eaten, etc.).

This worksheet provides spaces for 6 time periods per day, so provide extra copies if needed. 

Download Food Journal Worksheet