Provided herein is a method for monitoring dietary intake of food items. The method involves the steps of selecting a portion of food, weighing the portion, inputting the type and weight amount of the food into a computer, and obtaining the caloric content of the food by from a database. There is also provided an apparatus for monitoring dietary intake of food items. The apparatus includes a means for weighing a preselected portion of food, a computer for inputting the type and weight amount of the food therein, and a database operatively associated with the computer for obtaining the caloric content of the food.