FIGURE B

This is the Daily Log screen.

After selecting the Find Food tool, (a magnifying glass on the bottom of the food log page), you get two ways to search the database. You can use the string search method to search for foods, menus, or recipes by writing in their name or type and tapping the find button shown in Figure C.

FIGURE C

This is the Search screen.

You can also search the database by using the three part hierarchical menus. You select a category of food from the first window, as shown in Figure D, then a name and then a type of food. You can save steps by turning the "Pop" selector button on before searching through the selection hierarchy. Then when you make a selection, the next menu appears dynamically.

FIGURE D

Select a category of food from the Food Categories screen.

Once you have selected a food to log, the Nutritional Facts page appears with the breakdown of the eight nutritional values of the selected food. These facts are based on a single serving. You can change this serving size by entering a new value in the Graffiti writing area. By selecting the serving size menu you can change the unit of measurement. You can then enter it in your log by selecting the Add to Log button.

At any time during the day, you can select an individual food you have already logged and get the Nutritional Facts. Perhaps you decided during the day to get honest and actually admit that you really had two servings of pretzels for your after-lunch snack instead of the one serving you had logged. Using the above method you can change the serving size. You can also change the default unit of measurement by selecting the arrow adjacent to the measurement. For example, you might want to add a teaspoon of non fat milk to your coffee and the default measurement for milk is a cup. Or, instead of a cup of milk with dinner, you had a ten ounce glass. Once you have made your changes, just select Revise Log Entry.

Menus and recipes
Using the Menus and Recipes search method is a real time saver. If for example you have a meal that consists of the same food on a regular basis, you can enter the individual foods together as a meal in the Menu list. For example you might have a four ounce glass of orange juice, a bowl of the same brand of cereal with a half cup of milk, half of a banana, and a slice of toast most days for breakfast. By entering this combination into the database once and saving it as a Menu, you'll be able to quickly log future breakfasts. The same goes for Recipes. Entering an omelet, the way you like to make one, as a Recipe turns it into one search item.

The database
I said above that, for the most part, using DietLog couldn't be easier. Well the database is the one area I first thought could use some improvement. I still do, but I guess the size of the database is a tradeoff for the amount of space needed to hold it. Also, as I get better acquainted with it and how it is structured, the database has become easier to use. Sure, it would be nice if every time I ate something I could find that specific item in the database. But, of course, if wishes were horses beggars would ride (an old family expression).