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Keep Yourself on Track by Keeping a Food Diary

By Andrew Voris

A great tool for maintaining overall health is keeping a personal food diary.

Whether you are just starting to eat healthier, or struggling say on the right track, incorporating a food diary into your plan is a great way to keep yourself on course.

There is something about looking at your food intake in indisputable writing that helps you curb your bad food habits.

Keeping a food diary will show you exactly how much you are eating, as well as documenting the types of food that make up the majority of your diet.

Some people find it helpful to keep a food diary for a week or so before changing their eating habits to enable them to more accurately target problem areas.

Understanding your weaknesses and preparing yourself to combat issues is a great step in maintaining a healthy relationship with food.

There are no strict rules about how to keep a food diary. The important thing to remember is to write down everything that you eat.

Remember, no one but you is going to see what is written in your food diary, so omitting snacks or other food items will mean that you are only lying to yourself.

If you are serious about being healthier, it is critical that you understand exactly how much and what types of food your eating.

Once you find out exactly what you eat you'll be better able to lay a strong foundation for better eating habits.

When you get into the hang of keeping a food journal, you might want to consider expanding the information that you track.

Along with food intake, tracking physical activity is a great way to compare how much you eat to how many calories you are burning.

After you get the hang of it and want to take the next step it may also helpful to note the number of calories and nutritional information for the food you write down.

Developing healthy eating habits has as much to do with what you eat as how much you consume.

Once you have a good understanding of the Types of food you are eating, it will be easier to plan more balanced eating habits that help you stay in shape and be healthier.

About the Author:

Andrew Voris is a NASM certified personal trainer working out of his private office in Glen Ellyn, IL and out of Tri-City Fitness in St. Charles, IL. His websites are www.bodyformpersonaltraining.com & www.tri-cityfitness.com