A study of dieter's eating habits comparing the effects of written food diaries with taking a snapshot of each meal suggests that the photographic variety is the most effective. Food diaries track food consumption during weight loss programmes, but now people are using digital cameras to record their meals rather than laboriously writing everything down.
Lydia Zepeda and David Deal at the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked 43 people to record what they ate for one week in words an as pictures. When the volunteers were followed up, the photo diaries seemed to be the most effective. According to the authors, these photo diaries provided a powerful visual documentation of snacking, but also prompted participants to actually think hard about what they were about to photograph - and eat.
Written diaries are often filled in long after a meal - too late to help someone change their minds - and do not provide as powerful a reminder of the quantity and quality of the food eaten.
