Do you ever keep a food diary?
I think there are plenty of reasons to consider keeping one, even if just for a week.
Food diaries are generally used to keep track of what you’re eating. Either for fact finding, or to help maintain discipline when you’re trying to reach a certain goal. And this is useful – but, I think they have uses beyond this.
Whatever your goal, most of the route involves adjusting your habits and making sure the way you eat most of the time is in line with the goal you’re trying to achieve.
And this is where a food diary can be brilliant.
When you keep your diary, try to notice whether it looks how you expected it to look.
Next, try to make it about a little more than just food. Try to notice how you feel. Are you low on energy today overall? How was your sleep quality last night? Did your energy change after eating? How did you perform during your workout – or, how motivated did you feel to exercise?
With this information, you’ll naturally become more aware of how certain foods affect you.
Sure, a massive cheese sandwich is delicious – but if your food diary shows you that your Friday lunch always leaves you exhausted all afternoon and reaching for sugary pick-me-ups, then perhaps you’ve found something useful out which you might like to address.
Ultimately, a food diary will shine a light on your habits and help make it easier to make a better choices. And, what you do most of the time is what gets you to your goals.
I don’t think you necessarily need to keep a food diary week in, week out though. Some people do like to do this, but for others, it’s just another thing to do.
Once you’re clear in your mind about where you could improve things, go it alone again. But do check in again in a couple of months time and check you’re still doing what you think you’re doing!