Eating right is a major priority for a healthy lifestyle -- one that not only keeps you trim and looking good, but plays a pivotal role in reducing your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other health concerns. A healthy diet incorporates specific amounts of calories, protein, carbohydrates and other nutrients. Getting the proper amounts of certain food groups is yet another essential facet of a balanced diet to consider. Planning a comprehensive worksheet will help ensure that you're eating for optimal health.
Step 1
Organize a page of your worksheet into seven columns -- one for each day of the week. A standard, ruled notebook works well for this, although a day planner is another handy tool for your dietary records. Or, if you prefer, use a spreadsheet or word processing computer program to create a seven-column template to be reused each week.
Step 2
Separate the columns of your worksheet into the same number of rows as the number of meals and snacks you typically consume in a day. For instance, if you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with an afternoon snack, create four rows, leaving one extra in case you decide on a late snack or extra light meal. Beneath these rows, add another row and label it "Caloric Intake," in which to record the number of calories you eat each day.
Step 3
Get your recommended daily caloric intake as a guideline for your healthy dietary needs. The Food and Drug Administration bases its nutrition facts food labels on a standardized, 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, but your caloric needs depend on your gender, age, and level of physical activity. Your physician or dietitian can provide you with this information, or you can use an online tool such as the MyPyramid Planner listed in the Resource Section below. List this number below the "Caloric Intake" row as your recommended daily intake of calories.
Step 4
List each meal and snack that you eat in the appropriate space on your worksheet. Pay close attention to the food groups from which your nutrition comes -- Harvard recommends eating mostly vegetables and whole grains as your staple foods, which provide complex carbohydrates, nutrients and fiber in your diet. Protein sources such as nuts, beans and lean meats are vital to your muscle and tissue health, so plan on several servings of these foods per day. Plan to record few fatty and sugary foods, which you should only eat sparingly for a healthy diet.
Step 5
Pick a day to start recording the foods that you eat, entering the type of food as well as the amount of calories in each. At the end of each day that you enter your dietary data into your worksheet, total the calories and record your daily total in the bottom row. At the end of a week, you can now easily calculate your average daily intake of calories, as well as how many servings of healthy foods you consume. Don't stop after one week -- keeping a worksheet will continue to help you make healthy choices in your diet.
Tips and Warnings
- Consulting with a doctor or dietitian for advice on how to plan a healthy diet is always a solid idea for filling your worksheet with positive data.
- If you have any medical conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes or any other health concerns, talk to your doctor before planning your dietary worksheet.
Things You'll Need
- Ruled notebook or day planner
- Pen or pencil
- Computer spreadsheet program (optional)
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