The Importance Of Keeping A Food Diary

Many overweight people are fairly unaware of what they put into their bodies on a day-to-day basis. Scientific research has found that most of these people simply underestimate what they eat, or forget to take account of their calories.

One technique to make people conscious and assess their eating habits is to keep a food diary, says Chrissie Gallagher, bestselling author of “Fat-burner Workout” (Bounty Books,2003). This can be a record in which you write down what, when, and how much you eat for between five and seven days including a weekend. Here’s some tips on what to include in your food diary:

1. Try to be as specific as you can, giving amounts such as cups, grams, ounces, litres, tablespoonfuls, pints, etc.

2. List whether the meal was homemade or bought ready-made.

3. List the way that food was cooked, for example boiled, fried, grilled.

4. Record the time that food was eaten-this may give you some pointers for future fat-burning.

5. List whether you ate in a restaurant or at home.

6. Remember to include the type and quantity of milk and sugar used on your bread.