In today’s episode of the Willpower Not Required podcast I talk about some of the big benefits of keeping a food journal and how to add this healthy habit to your regular routine. Watch the episode below or keep reading.
Scroll to the bottom for a free printable food journal template.
What did you eat yesterday? Like exactly everything. Can you remember it all?
Well you might be able to, but I’m guessing that there are at least a few items that you’ve forgotten about. If you are trying to eat healthier or lose weight, not knowing what you are eating on a regular basis might be holding you back from reaching your goals.
Just the act of keeping a food journal for 1 week can uncover some small changes that can have a huge impact; and it’s not just about counting calories. Recording what you eat can help you make a few other helpful discoveries.
Benefits of Keeping a Food Journal
- Food Intolerances – Maybe today you feel bloated after that yoghurt you just ate. If you take a look back at your food journal you may notice that you always feel a little bloated after yoghurt and even other types of dairy. Perhaps dairy doesn’t sit so great with you any more. You can now try and reduce or eliminate it from your diet and see if you notice a reduction in digestive symptoms and a boost of energy.
- Discover triggers to unhealthy eating patterns -You might notice that you tend to eat more sugary foods at night after the kids go to bed. Or you always grab a muffin from the coffee shop while you are waiting for your child to finish up their karate lesson. Knowledge is power and once you know what triggers a behaviour you have more power to change it….like bringing an apple or handful of nuts to snack on during karate instead of grabbing that muffin.
- Nutrient Balance – Are you getting enough protein, eating enough veggies or healthy fats? Your food journal can let you know if your diet contains an optimal sampling of items from each food group or if you are missing out somewhere.
Now life is busy and food journaling might feel like just one more thing you have to remember to do each day. It doesn’t have to be time consuming and you don’t have to get obsessive.
Tips to make food journaling work for you:
- Make it convenient for YOU – If you are digitally inclined there are lots of smartphone apps available that make recording your food intake easy. MyFitnessPal is a free app with a huge database of foods and can make it easy to track nutrient intake like protein, carbs, fats, even sugar and sodium. If an app seems like way too much trouble go old school. Grab a small notebook and just write everything down or follow the link below to download my printable food journal.
- Track your food as you’re eating it or immediately after – If you wait until the end of the day or the following day you are risking food amnesia – yes it’s a thing..we’ve all experienced it.
- Include details other than food intake – In addition to recording what you eat, keep track of the time of day, where you are and how you are feeling. This allows you to get the full picture of your eating habits and identify any triggers that might be throwing you off course.
- Make it a habit – Set reminders in your calendar or alarms on your phone to cue you to update your food diary. Or even post sticky notes in your kitchen or at your desk. Once you get in the habit of recording you won’t need them but they will definitely help in the beginning
- Avoid getting obsessed – Don’t get caught up weighing, measuring and calorie counting. It’s okay to estimate. As I mentioned in episode 11 (listen to that one next if you missed it), the calorie count for foods in databases can be off by about 25%. This is because of incorrect labeling, laboratory measurement error, and food quality. So obsessively counting calories and nutrient content isn’t helpful. Just use your hand to measure your portions and worry more about overall trends. If you find that that isn’t enough, enlist the help of a nutritionist or dietitian…and let them obsess about it for you.
What to do next
After completing a week’s worth of food journaling, step back and look at what you’ve recorded. Look for any trends, patterns, or habits. Use that information to make one small change each week. Like adding a serving of protein to your breakfast or keeping a few snack sized portions of almonds in the glove compartment of your car for when you are hungry on the run.
A little tracking goes a long way in improving your health and your relationship to food. By taking a few moments each day to record what you eat, where you are and how you feel, you can connect your eating habits to your well-being. Use this information as motivation to make the small changes needed to help you reach your health or weight loss goals- willpower not required.
Looking for other healthy eating tips? Find more on the blog here
Learn more about Fired Up Fitness and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals in the comfort and safety of your own home by clicking here
Make sure to subscribe and listen to my podcast Willpower Not Required for more tips and ideas you can add into your day to live your life to the fittest! Listen on all podcast platforms or watch on YouTube