Keeping A Food Diary

Keeping a food diary helps you keep track of and be accountable for what you eat. If your goal is to lose weight research has shown that the more food records someone keeps the more weight they lose. But keeping a food diary can also help you improve the overall quality of your diet. By keeping track of what and how much you eat you begin to see patterns that could lead to overeating, skipped meals or times of day when you are more likely to eat something less nutritious. When you see your eating behavior on paper it holds you accountable to yourself and makes you aware of your habits.

If you’ve ever created a budget to manage your spending habits it’s the same logic with a food diary. For example, you may be surprised to find out that on days you skip breakfast you eat much more than you do on days when you eat something before 10am. Or that on days when you workout you need an additional snack in the afternoon. If you have a nutritious snack or breakfast planned you are less likely to grab something unhealthy at the last minute when you get hungry.

Awareness is the first step in changing your behavior so the food diary is a valuable tool in assessing what you are currently doing. The better your food diary, the better chance you will have to find places to make improvements. Here are some tips for keeping a food diary:

• Use whatever tool works for you – you can print the Meals Matter Food Diary or use a notebook or scratch paper.
• Write down everything you eat for seven days and estimate the amounts using cups, teaspoons, etc. for measurements. You can also use this chart for relating portion sizes to everyday items
• Record what you eat immediately so that you don’t forget later. Carrying your food diary with you at all times makes it easier to do this.
• Remember to include all beverages, sauces, gravies, as well as fruit, vegetables or cheese, etc… that might be part of a sandwich or salad.
• Don’t alter your behavior while keeping the diary. You want to accurately assess your current food intake.
• Don’t skip a day because you don’t think of it as a typical day. Special occasions are an important part of the big picture when managing your habits and tracking your behavior. Just make a note that it was a special occasion in your food diary.

When keeping a food diary it is also useful to include additional information such as whether you ate alone or with someone else, the mood you were in when you ate and your physical activity for the day. These things can also impact the amount and types of food you consume on any given day.

Keeping a food diary is an important tool in learning what behaviors you may want to change as you strive to meet your goals for improved health. It’s the process of reflecting on what you eat that helps you understand yourself and your behaviors in order to make the positive changes that will make you healthier!