3 reasons to write down what you eat

Diaries are great for slagging off your ex-boyfriend or letting off steam about how much your boss irritates you, but here are 3 reasons to write down what you eat, too.
A study from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research shows that keeping a food diary can help you lose double the amount of weight. If your health regime has recently been on more of a journey than a reality-show contestant, here’s why you can benefit from keeping an diet diary.

1. You can check you’re meeting daily requirements
To avoid the pitfalls of underestimating what you eat, a food diary can remind you of exactly how many calories you are consuming. ‘Keeping a food journal is an effective tool to help keep track of what you’re eating on a daily basis,’ says registered nutritionist Louise Pyne. ‘It allows you to get a better idea of whether there is enough variety in your diet and if you are missing out on any vital nutrients. From planning meals to jotting down the times you eat, logging a daily record helps you to reach your goals faster.’
An online food diary app can do all the sums for you while giving you an accurate view of your nutritional intake. From iron to sodium levels, an app can help you keep track of all the important nutrients your body needs to keep you running for that bus. Try MyFitnessPal.

2. It’ll help you track cravings – and put a stop to them
Whether it’s that full English or carb-laden late-night meal, a food diary will show you when your cravings are the most persistent. ‘If you want to lose weight, sticking to a healthy diet is essential, but we all need to indulge once in a while!’ says Louise. ‘The morning is the best time of the day to tuck into treats as you have the rest of the day to burn off extra calories. Eating a large meal late at night will not leave you with enough time, and this can result in weight gain in the long-term.’
By creating a graph of how many calories you consume per meal or time of day (the easiest way is to use an app, unless you’re the queen of spreadsheets), you can recognise when you’re most likely to give in to cravings, and when your willpower is stronger than Rocky’s.

3. You can spot your bad habits
Take the time to write down everything you’re eating and how you’re feeling to figure out if your emotions are the cause of your binges. By noting it all down rather than trying to find the answer in a family-size packet of crisps, you’ll save yourself the pennies of a muffin as well as the pounds of a muffin-top – win-win! ‘Food diaries also help you determine whether your eating is habit-driven – for example, if you always having a pastry with your morning coffee,’ says registered nutritionist Dr Carina Norris. ‘Once you’ve noticed any habits that aren’t doing you any favours, you can figure out ways to change them.’