Food journaling is a relatively new trend that is used in health circles. Many people associate food journaling with weight loss or exercise, and while that is a main use for it, it also has other purposes. Here are some reasons why you should try food journaling!
Food journaling is the process of keeping a journal or diary of everything that you eat in a day, starting from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. It is also beneficial to write down the time you ate and how you feel. The purpose of this is to keep track of what you are putting into your body. Giggle Magazine created a Free Printable Food Journal that you can download and print off for you and your family to use!
For weight loss:
As previously mentioned, food journaling is a great practice if you are on a weight loss journey. Keeping a detailed list of what you eat has been proven to help people lose weight. In this study from the Obesity research journal, a group of people was monitored for 24 weeks as they journaled everything they ate in a day. At the end of the process, the study showed that those who journaled more frequently were able to lose up to 10% or more of their unwanted body weight. If you think about it, writing down what you eat every day really holds you accountable for what you put in your body, so the guilt of having to write down that bowl of ice cream or that fast-food burger might keep you from eating it in the first place. Food journaling is a great supplemental habit that you can do if you are on a weight loss journey, just be sure to consult with your doctor before making any diet changes.
For discovering food issues:
Another way that food journaling can be beneficial is it can be used to pinpoint food allergies or dietary problems. If you have been experiencing irregularity in your diet, digestion problems, stomach pains or other uncomfortable symptoms, they could be food-related. Writing down what you are eating and then explaining how the food made you feel after you ate it could be used to discover any food problems that you have. As always, if you are experiencing pain or discomfort related to eating or digestion, consult your doctor.
If you want to keep track of what you are putting into your body, try food journaling! It could be the missing piece to your weight loss journey or to finding out what foods cause discomfort. Don’t forget to download our Free Printable Food Journal to get started!