How It Felt vs
Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary: Which Fits?
Recovery Record and Ate Food Diary are not interchangeable choices, and the right fit depends on the kind of support you are looking for. The official product links below are the source of truth for their current features and privacy terms. The How It Felt links provide the same check for its current journal and privacy details.
What each app optimises for
Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary
Recovery Record is the recovery-focused choice by name; use its official product information to confirm whether its current tools fit your needs.
How It Felt
Use the official How It Felt pages to check whether its current approach suits your reflection needs.
Side-by-side
| Feature | Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary | How It Felt |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary Recovery Record presents itself as a recovery-focused service. Confirm its current scope in the official product information. | How It Felt Check the official How It Felt page for its current stated purpose. |
| Recovery and care-team connection | Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary Check the official pages for current care-team or coaching features. | How It Felt Check the official How It Felt pages for any care-team connection. |
| What gets recorded | Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary The official pages determine which fields and media the current services accept. | How It Felt See the How It Felt product page for the current journal fields. |
| Guidance | Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary The official pages determine whether the current services provide guidance or automation. | How It Felt See the How It Felt product page for current guidance and prompts. |
| Photos and interpretation | Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary Check each service's official product and privacy information for photo handling and interpretation. | How It Felt See the How It Felt product and privacy pages for current photo handling. |
| Account and privacy | Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary Check each service's official privacy terms before recording sensitive information; this comparison does not infer storage or telemetry details. | How It Felt See the How It Felt privacy page for current account, storage and service-data details. |
| Clinical role | Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary Review each service's current terms and safety information. | How It Felt The disclaimer on this page explains that it is not a clinical or crisis tool. |
When to pick which
Pick Recovery Record vs Ate Food Diary if…
- Review Recovery Record's official product information with your care team if you are considering recovery-related journaling.
- Review Ate Food Diary's official product and privacy information before recording sensitive details.
Pick How It Felt if…
- You want a place to reflect on how a meal felt.
- You prefer to review the journal yourself.
- You want to pause easily when journaling stops feeling supportive.
Verdict
Choose Recovery Record only if its official current information matches the recovery support you need. Check Ate Food Diary's current product and privacy pages before using it for sensitive journaling. Choose How It Felt if its current product and privacy information match the kind of reflection you want. Pause if any app adds pressure.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between Recovery Record and Ate Food Diary?
Recovery Record presents itself as recovery-focused, while Ate Food Diary presents a different product approach. Their official pages are the source of truth for current features, access and data handling.
Is Ate Food Diary still available?
The name and availability can change. Check the current official Ate Food Diary or AteMate page and your app store for your region.
Is How It Felt a replacement for Recovery Record?
No. How It Felt is a non-clinical journal and does not replace treatment or a care plan. If you are in recovery, discuss app use with your care team.
Which app is more private?
This page does not rank privacy across services. Recovery Record, Ate Food Diary and How It Felt have their own privacy terms. Review the current notices before choosing.
What if journaling makes eating feel harder?
You can pause any app. If you are in eating-disorder recovery or the app increases distress, consider speaking with an eating-disorder-informed clinician before changing a clinician-directed plan.
Sources and review date
The research links below add general context about digital diaries and eating-disorder apps; they do not establish either named app's current features, treatment role or suitability. Use the official product and privacy links above for current details.
- How It Felt product page
- Recovery Record official site
- Ate Food Diary / AteMate official site
- Christopher G. Fairburn et al. (2015): Apps and eating disorders: A systematic clinical appraisal
- McCombie C. et al. (2024): Qualitative digital diary methods: Participant-led values for ethical and insightful mental health research
- A clinical appraisal of eating-disorder apps supports checking whether an app's structure fits recovery needs rather than assuming a consumer app is suitable. [Christopher G. Fairburn et al. (2015)]
- Research on participant-led digital diaries highlights the importance of user control and ethical handling when entries concern mental health or eating. [McCombie C. et al. (2024)]
Last reviewed: September 5, 2026.
Learn the concepts
Plain-language explainers behind the comparison.
Try How It Felt
A calmer way to be with food.
How It Felt offers a place to pause and notice. Choose the amount of structure that feels kind and easy to stop.