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A food diary is a journal to record all food and drinks consumed over a certain period of time. That way, you can choose and consume food and drinks more wisely according to your goals, whether losing weight or preventing symptoms of certain diseases.

A food diary contains records of the types of food and drinks, including snacks, consumed throughout the day. In a food diary, a person can also record the amount or portion of food and drink, the time and location when consuming it, as well as feelings before, during and after consuming it.

Various other details, such as ingredients and seasonings, cooking methods, who consumed it with, activities carried out while eating, as well as complaints that arise after consuming it, can also be included in food diary.

Various Benefits of Food Diary

Even though it seems simple, writing a food diary can have great benefits for body health and lifestyle changes. The following are the benefits of a food diary that you can get:

1. Building healthy eating habits

Food diary helps you to monitor your daily nutritional intake, including calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. These records can also help identify unhealthy eating patterns, such as consumption of processed foods or too many high sugar foods.

By reviewing your food log, you will be more aware of your eating habits and can change them for the better.

2. Managing certain medical conditions

Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, or PCOS, are several diseases that require a healthy diet to manage the condition.

In diabetes sufferers, for example, the food consumed can have a direct impact on blood sugar levels, so you need to pay attention to your intake of carbohydrates, sugar and the glycemic index of food so that blood sugar levels remain controlled.

Just like heart disease, you need to eat foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol to reduce the risk of blocked blood vessels. So, by recording the food consumed, sufferers can be more aware of their eating patterns and ensure that they follow a diet that suits their health needs.

3. Look for triggers for symptoms of a disease

Food diaries can be used to analyze food triggers for symptoms of an illness, so you can avoid those foods.

For example, in sufferers of food allergies or intolerance, a food diary can help identify foods that cause allergic reactions or other uncomfortable symptoms.

In irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Celiac disease, or colitis, a food diary can help identify specific foods or drinks that worsen symptoms, such as flatulence, diarrhea, or stomach pain.

4. Lose weight

If you are on a diet to lose weight, try making a food diary. Apart from helping you limit certain types of food and drinks, this record can also monitor portions and eating habits and prevent you from over-snacking.

Once you have succeeded in forming healthy eating habits through monitoring and managing your eating patterns with a food diary, you may be able to achieve the weight you dream of. Weight gain can also be prevented if the habit of recording food and healthy eating patterns is carried out consistently.

How to Make a Food Diary

Food diaries are usually recommended by doctors or nutritionists to manage and resolve certain conditions. However, you can also make these notes yourself to regulate your diet and keep your body healthy.

The first step, you need to prepare a small notebook or use the notes available on your cellphone. You can also download a special food diary application so you can record more easily. After that, follow these steps to create a food diary:

• Create a table containing the date, time, type of food or drink, portions, cooking method, and ingredients and seasonings. You can also add another column to record who you ate with, the activities you did while eating, and the reactions that occurred after eating.
• Write all the food and drinks, including snacks, that you consume on the table. If you don't know the nutritional content of the food or drink, you can look for it on the internet or read the nutritional label on the packaging.
• Record how your mood is before, during, and after consuming these foods and drinks.
• Record in detail the type of food or drink that causes complaints and explain the complaints that arise.
• Try to take notes immediately after you finish eating or drinking. Avoid putting it off because you might forget or not take notes accurately.
• Make a specific timeline for evaluating the results of your food diary, for example once every week or two. By conducting regular evaluations, you can look at your overall diet and make any changes or improvements that need to be made.

Food diaries do have benefits for improving diet and maintaining body health. However, this habit may have the potential to cause eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia. .

This can happen because keeping a food journal can trigger obsession and excessive control over the number of calories consumed. In addition, feelings of guilt and anxiety when exceeding the calorie limit or consuming unhealthy food It can also cause someone to go on an extreme diet and experience an eating disorder.

To prevent these effects from occurring, you can consult a doctor first before starting to make a food diary. The doctor will help you plan a healthy diet that suits your condition.

Apart from that, don't delay seeing a doctor if writing a food journal actually causes excessive anxiety when eating and drastic weight loss.

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