Objective: To evaluate a new computerized method for recording 7-day food intake.
Research design and methods: Randomized crossover trial was conducted with patients recording the amount and type of every food and drink consumed during a week by either a computerized device (Food-meter) or recording the data in a diary. Each method was applied twice. Twenty-one insulin-dependent diabetic patients (mean +/- SD age 25 +/- 9 yr) were studied.
Results: The two methods showed very good agreement in the evaluation of the patients' diets (1792 +/- 408 vs. 1764 +/- 436 kcal/day, 84 +/- 19 vs. 82 +/- 21 g/day protein, 68 +/- 22 vs. 67 +/- 23 g/day fat, 210 +/- 60 vs. 207 +/- 58 g/day carbohydrate with the conventional and computerized methods, respectively). The variability between the methods and the variability within each method were of similar magnitude.
Conclusions: The Food-meter represents a useful tool for computerizing the 7-day food record. The method is easy, reliable, and time saving. Moreover, it minimizes the risk of transcriptional errors.