While food journals commonly are associated with weight loss, they're also used to support dietary changes that address obesity, food allergies, medical conditions and eating disorders. Food journals provide more than an inventory of what you eat on a daily basis--they include additional information to tell a complete story. Your journal might include the time of day you eat, where you eat, your mood at the time and who else was present. This type of information can help dieters, patients and medical professionals evaluate eating patterns and make beneficial changes.
Weight Loss
Keeping a food journal can improve weight loss success. People often underestimate the amount of food they eat daily. Dieters who used food journals lost double the weight of those who didn't use journals, according to a 30-month research study on long-term weight management sponsored by Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and published in 2008 by the "American Journal of Preventive Medicine." Add information to your journal immediately after eating--include your mood, the time and place, and the names of people with you at the time, recommends the American Cancer Society.
Improvement in Mood Disorders
People with mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, often experience stress-induced overeating. They also may experience mood swings in connection with certain foods. Food journals help physicians and counselors determine the nutritional quality of eating habits and how brain function might be affected. Dietary habits may point to eating disorders, severe dietary restrictions and the overuse of alcohol or caffeine. This information can lead to dietary changes and reinforcement of healthy eating habits.
Identify Foods that Cause Reactions
Food journals can help you identify foods that cause allergic reaction, illness or discomfort. Foods may worsen the symptoms of existing conditions. For instance, migraine sufferers use food journals to identify trigger foods. People with irritable bowel syndrome may use food journals to identify foods that cause significant distress. People who are lactose intolerant may use the journal to identify foods that supply nutrients they're missing. Dietitians and physicians can use food journals to discuss dietary needs and changes with a patient.
Recognize Eating Disorders
Food journals may benefit people with eating disorders by revealing severe dietary restrictions, binging and purging behaviors, insufficient caloric intake and other behaviors that point to unhealthy and dangerous eating habits. Food journals can help families and mental health professionals respond more effectively to a person's eating disorder.
Improve Eating Habits
Food journals are helpful if you just want to change poor eating habits and start eating a healthy and balanced diet. It may help you to see in writing how much you eat, the types of foods you consume, how much you snack and the times of day when you're more likely to overeat or snack. Evaluation of food journals can show which foods are missing from your diet and which you consume too often. By including detailed information, such as your moods, you can develop insight into how food functions in your life.
References
- Science Direct: "American Journal of Preventive Medicine": Weight Loss During the Intensive Intervention Phase of the Weight-Loss Maintenance Trial
- American Cancer Society: Food Diaries: Losing Weight the 'Write' Way
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: Food and Mood
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Headache: Hope Through Research
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