Food Diary: Where to Begin and Why

It’s oftentimes difficult to stay accountable for the amount that you’re eating if, by the end of the day, you can’t recall everything you’ve put into your mouth. Mindful eating begins by acknowledging each and every mouthful you take of something, regardless of whether it’s a slice of pizza, a few biscuits with your tea, or a whole meal. Every bite really does count, especially when you’re on a journey to lose weight. This is where a consistent food diary comes in. But what is the point of writing down the food you’re eating?

Food Diary Benefits

A food diary is, as the name implies, a daily log of what you eat and drink. There are a few great benefits of keeping a food diary and not only for weight loss; a food diary can also help you to identify which foods affect your mood, your energy levels, bloating, and so much more to do with your health.

Food Diary App: Do I Need One?

You don’t need to wait until you found a fancy journal to start a food diary. You can use a basic notepad and pen to write down important pieces of information, or you can simply download a food diary application to keep track of your consumption.

Information to Include in Food Diary

The important thing with documenting your food and drink consumption is consistency; don’t wait until the end of the day to record your meals – you may leave things out and it will not be as effective. There are important bits of information that should be included such as:

Food type: Be specific – don’t forget to include condiments that you added (dressing, sauces, salt, sugar, etc)

Quantity: Try to be as clear here as possible to measure accuracy. This can come in handy for calorie counting as well

Time of Day: This is important to track other factors as mentioned above

Location: This can help you understand your eating behaviour better – do you eat more at home, or when you’re in the office?

Mood: By monitoring your mood, you may be able to pick up trends in your eating habits; you eat more sugar when you are feeling tired or sad, etc. 

Weight loss doctors may be able to give you more informed information if they can see a record of what it is that you consume. Slender Wonder is a weight loss programme with a food diary app that can assist on the weight loss journey from start, to lifestyle! Contact us for more information.