A food journal is useful in understanding your own dietary habits and identifying the things in your diet make you feel less than 100%. You can build better habits, especially when it comes to snacking, when sticking to creating a consistent food journal. Keeping up with your journaling and keeping track of everything you consume is vital. Below are a few questions and methods to achieve this.
According to Heart.org, these are the best questions to ask when creating a food diary:
To control hunger:
- Did I eat healthy meals?
- Did I have filling foods (including water) with every meal or every snack?
- Did I eat enough fruits, vegetables and fiber from whole grains?
- Did I plan for healthy snacking to help conquer cravings?
To reduce calories:
- Did I keep portions small?
- Did I limit sugary, high-calorie foods and beverages?
- Did I include fruits and vegetables with every meal or snack?
- Did I eat when I was not hungry? If yes, what was I feeling or doing that made me eat?
When creating a food journal, there are lots of options. You can download a free template, create your own with a leather padfolio like these, or download an app — though more often than not an app will cost money.