Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Write it down... the benefits of keeping a food journal

“I have NO idea what I ate yesterday” or “I really do not eat that much” or “I can’t understand why I am not losing weight” or “I don’t know what my child eats for snacks”.


How many of you have ever said this? Most of us are so busy with our everyday lives that we don’t pay detailed attention to what we eat. Our portions may be larger than we think or we may not be getting enough calcium, we may not be eating fruits and veggies, or we may even eat mindlessly at times during the day. Many people vastly underestimate the amount of food they are eating – sometimes by as much as 75% and recent studies have shown that those people who keep a food log can double their weight loss.

Keeping a food journal has many benefits including:

-Encourages mindful eating. – keeping a record of what you eat encourages you to think about what you are eating.

-Helps you make a connection between what you eat and how you feel. (This can be used in many ways, either to help with emotional eating or even to track symptoms of food allergy/intolerance).

-Helps you be sure you are getting enough of each food group to maintain a well balanced diet. It is important to eat a balanced diet. A food diary can provide clues as to what foods you have been neglecting and need to add to your diet.

So get your notebooks out or try one of the food log apps on your smart phone (try livestrong.com).

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