5 Important Reasons to Keep a Food Journal

Have you ever kept a daily food journal? It’s an especially effective tool when it comes to reaching and maintaining your healthiest weight. Here are 5 compelling reasons to track your daily food intake:

Cultivate your awareness

Most Americans don’t track what, when, or how much they eat. Yet, doing so is a proven way to become aware of your eating patterns, including when you may be engaging in “situational” or impulse eating instead of consuming regular, balanced meals.

Become more accountable

A daily food journal keeps you self-accountable, allowing you to better tune into how, when, and where you eat, Knowing that you’ll be recording your food choices may give you pause before going back for seconds at a buffet, or binging on sweets out of boredom.

Zero in on your triggers

If you feel triggered to eat by feelings of stress, boredom, anger, or sadness, this is emotional eating, This is not a healthy coping mechanism, however, because not only does overeating fail to resolve problems, it may compound them, as additional weight gain can damage self-esteem and overall well-being. Keeping a food journal allows you to identify and eradicate these patterns. .

Regain portion control

Am astonishing 54% of Americans clean their plates at every meal, suggesting that poor portion control is a key factor in weight gain. Heightened awareness around the amount you eat is another food journal benefit. When it comes to portion sizes as well as healthy digestion, it pays to emulate the Japanese and their cultural practice of Hara hachi bu which is eating to 80% full at every meal.

Track your progress

Your daily entries offer a valuable record of your progress as you phase out fat-promoting habits and incorporate new “slimming” behaviors and choices. Keeping your food journal is a valuable component of a happy, healthy life.