Analysing your eating habits can tell you a lot about yourself, such as: am I eating too much, am I eating healthily, does food influence my mood? Knowing where you go wrong can help you make decisions to benefit your health and wellbeing.

Weight loss

You cannot expect a different outcome when you keep doing the same things; you cannot expect to lose weight if you keep eating the same foods in the same quantities. We often eat without realising what and how much we eat! Keeping a food diary for two or three weeks will help you see the bigger picture.

Physical health

Feeling a bit under the weather? Perhaps this is due to your heating habits. Do you eat a nutritious breakfast every day or do you tend to grab a cup of coffee on the run? Do you tend to get a cold every few weeks? Perhaps your immune system is compromised by unhealthy eating habits. You will only know this when you take note of what you eat and drink. A food diary may help you with this.

Emotional health

It is well-known that food affects mood, but do you realise that how you feel at this very moment may be the result of what you had for breakfast or lunch? Do you feel anxious, lethargic, feeling a craving coming on? Please note, not all foods cause bad moods — some foods make us feel great! And some foods may influence one person but not the next. Food diaries help determine which food influences your mood and to what extent.

Food diary

To analise your eating habits you need to take note of current patterns and selections regarding your daily food intake, the time of day you consume them and their effect on your mood. Therefore, you must list all you need and drink each day for a period of time. For this purpose you can use the template provided below.

Once you’ve done this, you will be able to see which habits need to be changed. (If you cannot see this clearly, please consult the EAP/EAP, a nutritionist or your doctor.) Habits control our lives, but it is possible to change them for the better. The secret is not to try to change too many at one time – in fact, choose one bad habit and make a firm decision to change that habit … for the rest of your life.

Keeping a food diary is an important tool in dietary self-awareness, and one of the best ways to improve your eating habits.

 

Sources
http://www.squidoo.com
http://webhealth.com
http://brainmass.com
http://www.personal-nutrition-guide.com