The foods you eat greatly affect your metabolism, energy levels, digestive function and overall feeling of wellness. Everyone has different fuel requirements based on body composition, age, height, weight, activity level, and overall health. Therefore, each nutritional consultation you have will be individualized to fit your specific needs. Food is your body's fuel, and you cannot maintain a healthy, active lifestyle for very long without eating the right combination of foods your body requires.

Our job is to find the correct combination of foods that will make you look and feel your best. Depending on the physician's diagnosis, we will tackle numerous nutritional issues including specific eating plans, food allergies, weight management, and analysis of vitamins and minerals. Practicing proper dietary habits will allow us to work together in your quest for better health.

In order to assist you in achieving your health and nutrition goals, we need to know your current eating patterns.

Please complete this food diary for 2 weeks prior to your nutrition consultation.

For best results, and to assist the dietician is designing the best plan for you, please follow these tips and guidelines to keep accurate records of your food intake, and try not to alter your "normal" eating patterns during these days.

• Record food as soon as possible after eating
• Be as specific as possible
• Provide as much information as possible when describing your food items. Use additional paper or the back of the food diary pages if you need more space. Brand names, information from the nutritional label, and ingredients will be very helpful (especially when describing things like specialty items, products from health food stores, ethnic foods, homeade foods, and restaurant items).

Nutrition Guidelines

Portion size: Use measures - cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, etc. Avoid "bowl of cereal" or "handful of chips". Remember that 3 oz of meat (beef, fish, poultry, etc) is about the size of the palm of an average sized hand.

Preparation: Was the item baked, grilled, fried, steamed, etc? Was this a fresh, frozen, canned or packaged food? Were cooking oils, butter, marinades, or sauces used in the food preparation?

Canned foods: Was the food packed in oil, water, light or heavy syrup, juice?

Condiments: What kind and how much of each condiment was added? Condiments include items such as catsup, mustard, mayo, cream, sauces, gravy, dressing, sugar, salt, salsa, sour cream, butter, margarine, etc.

Food specifics: Items such as dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, etc) and bread products (bread, rolls, bagels, English muffins, pitas, etc) have several varieties. Examples include - milk: fat free, 1%, 2%, whole breads - whole wheat, white, multigrain, raisin, etc