5 Reasons You Should Maintain a Food Journal

Last updated on March 4th, 2022

We all keep dairies at our office, to note down important work, meetings, to-do lists, and so on. But, how many of us keep a diary or a journal for our personal life? Did you know a lot of people, that is considered highly successful by the world, maintain a personal journal? What’s the benefit? It helps us keep track of our life!

And while you’re at it, how about keeping track of your diet too? But, a food journal is too much of a work, you might say. Wait until we tell you how you stand to benefit from maintaining a food journal. You can thank us later…

So, why have a food journal/diary?

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You come to know what you eat and how much

A food diary works as a mirror to show you what you eat and in what portion. You get to know your eating habits better. You’ll know how many times you’ve munched on that snack you found lying on your desk, sometimes even when you weren’t hungry, and how many times you’ve had to skip meals. Do you tend to eat more when you have company? Do you eat less when you combine eating with other tasks such as watching videos or playing games? A food diary will give you insights into your food habits which you might otherwise stay oblivious to.

Self-awareness leads you to make the right choices

Nothing makes you more aware of yourself than a personal diary. Ditto for a food diary. By writing down everything you feed your body, you will be astonished and surprised to see what you consume on a daily basis. And this awareness will make you more cautious every time you eat something you know is not good for your health. The more you do this, it becomes a habit and you end up consuming fewer calories, quite naturally.

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It can help you lose weight

This is kind of obvious, right? If you’re looking to lose weight, you must keep track of what you’re eating. And yet, you’d be surprised to know how most of us, even those who want to lose weight, fail to maintain a food diary. A diary can tell you whether you’re following your diet program and if it’s working. It will guide you towards making the right changes in your diet which can catalyze your weight loss process. If you are someone who’s doing everything you can and are still not losing weight, well, maybe you need to start keeping a food diary. You might find some answers in there.

Find what you’ve been missing

A food diary works as a tool to help you plan your diet, on a daily, weekly and also monthly basis. Your diet will become more balanced over a period of time, as you identify what you need to consume more and what you need to get rid of to meet the nutritional needs of your body every day. Likewise, it will also help your doctor or nutritionist determine certain deficiencies in your diet, which will help them in performing a thorough and fact-based diagnosis.

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It helps you understand the source of your problems

We often feel certain symptoms of restlessness in our body, such as stomach pain, an upset stomach, headache, and so on. Sometimes, the cause of these problems lie in the food we eat. But, we can’t quite put a finger on who the culprit is. A food diary will help you understand that, it will help you see patterns and exceptions that you’ve made in your diet, leading you to avoid these problems in the future, either by not consuming those foods or getting medical help to solve the problems.

Maintaining a food journal is not as difficult as you might think. Once you develop a habit, it’ll be as easy as a cakewalk. So, get that pen and paper out, already!

Also read:- Female blood sugar levels chart by age

References:

1. https://www.medbroadcast.com/channel/nutrition/diets-and-specific-foods/why-you-should-keep-a-food-journal
   
2. https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-reasons-why-you-should-keep-a-food-journal-1463419285
3. https://www.health.com/nutrition/6-fascinating-things-a-food-journal-can-teach-you-about-your-eating-habits

Last Updated on March 4, 2022 by Dr. Damanjit Duggal