All food and drink consumed is recorded. The description of food items are recorded as for a weighed intake record, but portion sizes are estimated in household measures, e.g. teaspoons or tablespoons.

This method has similar disadvantages to the weighed intake record. An additional disadvantage is that subjects vary in their ability to estimate portion sizes. Women tend to be able to do this better than men.

Having collected the records, data must then be entered into a computer for nutritional analysis (see WISP).