Whether it’s getting off the Tube a stop early to walk (good for all-round health) or ensuring you get enough light in the mornings (improves your sleep, mood and focus), sometimes small, simple things can make a big difference to our lifestyle. One of the most effective tips I’ve picked up from my time working with nutritionists and other health experts is also super simple: keeping a food diary can pay dividends when it comes to your diet.
The benefits of keeping a food diary
Pay a visit to any health expert and they will almost certainly ask you keep a comprehensive food diary for a couple of weeks. The idea is to write down everything you consume – food and drinks – and ideally the emotions you experience each day, too. “It can provide invaluable information about how your food may be affecting your mood, metabolism, energy and more,” explains Rhian Stephenson, nutritionist, naturopath and founder of Artah, who points out that the process is not – I repeat, not – about tracking calories.
Instead, it’s a great tool to help you “identify obstacles that may be preventing you from hitting your health goals, learning about eating behaviours that may be sabotaging your progress and to check in on important nutritional parameters like fibre, protein, sugar and more”.
Eating a diverse array of plants is now widely acknowledged as an important health goal, and a food diary helps you to grasp how many fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds and whole grains (for example) you are ingesting each day. Not to mention the fact that it also helps you ensure you’re eating adequate protein and fibre – both of which are good for gut health and overall wellbeing.
As someone who tends to forget what she’s consumed (especially the foods that aren’t so great for my health, funnily enough), keeping a food diary ensures I stay mindful and aware of what I’m eating. In my experience, it’s really easy to think you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet, when in reality you might not be, so it’s a good way to confront your daily consumption in black and white.
What to observe through your food diary
It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than simply writing down what you’ve consumed, but identifying any patterns that might emerge is where the magic really happens. Here are some things Stephenson, as a nutritionist, always looks out for:
- Sugar intake: This includes obviously sugar-laden foods and those that contain hidden sugar.
- Alcohol and caffeine: Our consumption can creep up without us noticing.
- Snacking: We often do this on autopilot and constant snacking can impact our microbiome.
- How you feel and the impact of food: Your mood is influenced by everything you eat, so making a note of this each day can add a layer of depth to your tracking, and ultimately help you make changes to rectify the situation.
- The times you eat: This can help you manage cravings, appetite, satiety and gut health.
Where to diarise
It’s up to you. While some people love to put pen to paper, others find it easier to write in the Notes section on their phone. I belong in the latter camp for on-the-go tracking, but there are also programmes, like Zoe, that offer digital diaries within their apps. Make sure to update your diary every day of the week – including the weekend. “Most people shy away from tracking at weekends because it can vary from weekday patterns so dramatically, but this is precisely why they should be included,” says Stephenson. “Weekends make up 30 per cent of your year, so it’s important to get a realistic view of what your norm is.”
And finally? “Approach the exercise with curiosity, not judgement,” recommends Stephenson. “Removing the shame around food is essential for long-term health and enjoyment. Food logging can be eye opening, but it is meant to be a tool to help you make positive changes that will benefit your health and wellbeing, rather than something that makes you feel bad about yourself.”