This March marks the 40th anniversary of National Nutrition Month, held annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The theme for 2013 is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day” and encourages people to make informed food choices and develop healthy eating and exercise habits.
The Academy’s website offers a wealth of nutrition tips and resources for National Nutrition Month to help you making lasting positive changes in your diet:
"There's no one-size-fits-all way to eat that's right for everyone," says registered dietitian and Academy spokesperson Jim White. "In reality if the diet doesn't fit with your lifestyle and unique needs, it won't work in the long-term and can even leave you missing out on the nutrition you need to get you through the day."
Nutritionists and doctors encourage food journaling as a way to be mindful about not only what you are eating but also why you are eating. By writing down everything you eat and drink throughout the day and tracking your moods and emotions, you become more in tune with mindless munching or stress eating.
A recent CNN article profiled 53-year-old Charmaine Jackson, an Atlanta nutritionist who went from 260 to 130 pounds in five years. She credits most of her success to daily food journaling, calling it her “truth serum,” forcing her to be honest with herself about her habits and choices.
"(Journaling has) really helped me get an idea of what my behaviors are, what my patterns are, how I can make change for myself for good," she said. "You wouldn't see it unless you look at it over time and you really get a chance to see this worked and why."
"That's when the weight started to come off because I had already started exercising a little bit and that sort of triggered the whole exercise, eating, trying to sleep more ... trying not to stay up late and watch TV and really trying to track my moods," she said. She was able to identify when she was mad or sad, and wanting to eat more.
3 Quick Food Fun Journaling Tips
1. Start right now!
Don’t put it off until tomorrow; just jump right into the food journaling habit, and you’ll see how little time it takes. The next time you grab a snack, a coffee or a meal, write down exactly what you eat and drink and a few sentences about your mood and hunger level. How hungry are you on a scale from 1 to 10? Are you craving a particular kind of food? How are you feeling – relaxed, stressed, content, frustrated?
2. Don’t forget the drinks!
It’s important to record everything you drink, as well as everything you eat. You might not think much of a few lattes in the morning, a soda in the afternoon and a glass of wine or two in the evening, but the drinks you consume add up. For example, if you are trying to develop healthier eating habits but drinking several sugary beverages a day, you can identify this pattern through journaling and work to change it.
3. Pat yourself on the back A Lot!
Maintaining a food journal takes discipline and effort, so give yourself credit for sticking with it. Every time you record something in your journal, tell yourself, “Good job – you’re really working hard to create healthy habits.” When you look back on past journal entries and notice progress you’ve made, celebrate it! Rejoice in the small changes and successes.
Please share your food journaling tips. It will really help a lot of people!
You can have more fun with food journaling (and heal your body!) when you take the Create Write Now 7 Day What the Health? Journaling Challenge
Leave Comment