Week 2 #HealthyHabits Challenge: Keep a Food Journal

Keep a Food Journal 

Our Week 2 #HealthyHabits Challenge is to keep a food journal. Write down what you eat throughout the day.

Before altering your habits, it is important to understand why you have the routine you do. The CDC says that reflecting is one important way to keep your eating habits consistent. In order to get to the bottom of your nutrition, journaling is known to help!  

The CDC recommends writing down  

• The food you eat  
• When you eat  
• What you were feeling when you ate it 

Some addition features you could keep in a food log might be 

• Who you ate with  
• Where you were eating 
• How much you are eating 

When you see constant unhealthy trends in writing, it can be a good wake-up call. Understanding why you have a bad habit can ultimately make it easier to prevent it in the future. 

“Tracking your daily food intake is essential with keeping your diet in check,” explains Tricia Harrison, the Health and Wellness Director at the Claire Chapin Eps Family YMCA. She states that to avoid random snacking, “it is important to keep track of everything that goes in your mouth throughout the day.” Not only will this help you accurately track calories, but it can bring awareness to the unnecessary foods you are consuming. Remember those little things that add up! 

Unfortunately, nutrition and exercise can be the hardest things to track. When it comes to a nutrition log, tracking your calorie intake and macronutrients are most important. Macronutrients are the nutrients your body needs in large portions to keep you healthy. These are your proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The CDC recommends your diet to be made up of 

• 45-48% carbohydrates 
• 15-16% proteins 
• 35-36% fats 

Since tracking these factors on your own is difficult, there are many apps that make it easy! Mrs. Harrison recommends the apps Weight Watchers and My Fitness Pal. However, if you have a Fitbit or Apple Watch, their fitness and nutritional tracking might be more accurate towards your body. 

Keeping a log of your daily food is a great way to see what healthy or unhealthy trends you might be following.

Habits do not change overnight! Instilling healthy habits into your lifestyle takes hard work and daily changes. Recognizing your habits, setting goals, and enacting them are the steps to a healthier lifestyle!