Food logs are an excellent diet tool that can help you develop an awareness of what, how much and even why you eat certain foods. Keeping track of your daily eating patterns will encourage accountability and help you make adjustments that will benefit both your health and your waistline. Food logs are a powerful reminder of how much control you have over your dietary habits, your overall wellbeing and how you feel about your body.
Food Logs Help With Weight Loss
A 2008 study from Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research revealed that participants who kept a daily food log lost twice as much weight as those who did not. This large study followed 1,700 participants, who lost an average of 13 lbs. in the first six months. Kaiser physician, Keith Bachman who uses this study's findings in helping patients with weight loss says, "It's the process of reflecting on what you eat the helps us become aware of our habits."
Logging Styles For Every Lifestyle
The Kaiser study revealed that a food log does not need to be a fancy journal. It can be as simple as sending yourself an email, jotting down on a sticky note the hard candy that you grabbed from the office candy bowl, or texting yourself diet choices as you make them. If you prefer a formal journal, you can use with any blank journal or notebook that suits you, or you can purchase a journal that has been designed specifically for logging food. LiveStrong.com's My Plate is an easy to use electronic food journal. The point is to write down what you ate and how much you ate so that you can track habits and make the necessary changes that will benefit your health.
Making Your Own Journal
Researchers in the Kaiser study found that details beyond what was eaten and how much was eaten did not increase participant weight loss, as much as daily logging did. The Cleveland Clinic, adds that rather than logging in a food as "turkey sandwich," it should be broken down into individual components. Its dietician staff also suggests that you include place, feelings while eating and physical activity to detect specific eating patterns. For example, there may be times when you overeat or undereat, depending on location, occasion or emotional state. Having this information can help you make healthier food choices.
Analyzing Your Eating Patterns
Include everything you eat at formal meal times, as well as in between. Nora Norback, a Kaiser Permanente registered dietician says that even small nibbles, like something off your toddler's tray or other incidental food tasting needs to be recorded. She explains that over time, you can you look at your entries to see if you're getting the recommended number of servings of particular foods, when or what you over eat, and then make dietary adjustments accordingly. Both Norback and the Cleveland Clinic emphasize approach your log with compassion and in a positive manner. The goal is to use your log as a daily tool as a positive measure to improve your health.
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