What do you think about when you think of a food journal? It may bring to mind a lot of different ideas. A food journal can be specific to you. How would you like to organize one and the reason for keeping one?
Here are a few ideas for a food journal to help you get started:
Allergies
A lot of people have food allergies but do not always know what is causing them. One way to help you pinpoint what may be causing your allergies is to keep a food journal. With a food journal, you can keep up with your meals and snacks each day and record how they made you feel afterward.
There have been many times I have eaten something and experience a headache or other ailments and never related it to the food I had eaten.
Sometimes you may break out in a rash or your child or children experience a rash and you do not remember what they ate. You may not even associate the rash with something you or your child ate. Keeping a food journal will help you to pinpoint what the culprit may be.
New Recipes
A food journal can be used to keep up with all those wonderful new recipes you have found. You may want to organize them in your journal and take notes about things you want to remember such as when you tried the recipe, how easy or hard it was to make, or whether you or your family like the dish.
Some other things you may make note of is whether you would want to make it again or take it to a family gathering or potluck.
Dietary Concerns
Many people suffer from food-specific maladies. You may have a condition where keeping a record of your meals is something you want to do to help you pinpoint those foods that are causing you problems.
Recording your meals can help you identify foods that may feel lethargic or energetic. There may be foods that cause you indigestion or heartburn and you learn to stay away from them or limit your consumption of those foods.
How do certain foods make you feel? Do you feel bloated or gassy? Are your feet swelling or your knees hurt? There are foods that cause inflammation and cause you to retain water. If you are keeping a food journal it may help you to identify the foods that are causing these problems.
Picky Eaters Guide
Another reason to keep a food journal could be to help you keep a record of foods your family enjoys or dislikes. You may even create a meal that everyone enjoyed, and you want to remember what you made or the ingredients you used.
When my children were younger, I sometimes had to come up with inventive ways to get them to eat more veggies like zucchini cookies or zucchini bread. Keeping a food journal can help you to keep up with those meals or individual foods your kids like or dislike. If you have a large family this could come in immensely helpful.
You may keep a record of meals you put together that would be healthy and easy for school lunches or lunch for yourself at the office too.
Aid to Weight Loss & Healthy Eating
Keeping a food journal can aid with your weight loss efforts or healthy eating efforts. Sometimes we mindlessly go about our day and we do not pay attention to what we are eating. We are not cognizant of how many calories we are consuming each day. Before we know it, we have gained several pounds, our jeans are snug, and you generally do not feel well. You may begin to feel sluggish and wonder why.
A food journal is a great way to keep up with those foods you are putting into your body and how they make you feel. If you are trying to eat healthier or trying to lose weight a food journal can an extremely useful tool.
A food journal can be combined with other journals such as an exercise journal or a weight loss journal.
Happy Journaling!
Pamela
