5 Reasons to Start a Food Journal

Your body keeps an accurate journal regardless of what you write down.

Having a food journal or “food diary” serves many purposes for people’s different diet goals. Whether an individual is looking to lose weight or someone vegan is keeping track of caloric intake, a food journal can help make positive changes to one’s diet or lifestyle. A food journal works by writing down and tracking what you consume daily. And by this data, you can reflect and change your diet accordingly. If you don’t have one already, here are five reasons to start today.

1. Accountability

Take responsibility for your eating habits by recording what you consume daily. Because you can visually see what you’re putting into your body, you become aware of the foods you eat, which may help you think twice about the foods you shouldn’t eat and the foods you should be eating more.

2. Helps track progress

A food journal allows you to take control of your dieting habits by being mindful of not only what you eat but your portions, the time you eat, who you’re eating with, where you’re eating, your hunger level, and the way you feel afterward. By seeing this data on paper, you can adjust certain things and habits that can make room for healthier choices. For example, if you notice you eat more junk food when you’re around certain people, you might take that into consideration by implementing a better resolution right away.

3. Discover food intolerances

When you write down the foods you consume every day, along with you how you feel afterward, you get a sense of what foods make you feel sluggish, bloated, or even sick. By knowing what foods affect you negatively, you can avoid those foods in the future. Knowing your food intolerances allows you to feel better about what you eat and help you achieve your health goals.

4. Motivation for a healthier diet

Analyzing the foods you eat makes all the difference in how you can improve your diet. The purpose of food journals is to allow you to see the bigger picture of your consumption and how you can make healthier decisions. Are you getting enough of each food group? Are you eating foods with more vitamins and minerals? Food journals make it easier to see which foods you lack and which foods you need to cut down more.

5. Keep tabs for other healthier actions

A food journal is a place where you can go to focus on your health. It doesn’t need to be filled with boring calendars of what you eat; make it fun and inspiring! Feel free to add new recipes you’ve found or plan out your exercises for that week. You could even decorate it with motivational quotes. Every time you open your food journal, it should make you feel inspired and driven for better overall health.