Choose to Journal
Nerri Lou Dobler, MS, RD, CD
When we were young, one of my sisters used to keep a diary. She hid it away, under lock and key, putting her private thoughts down in this floral-colored book. No one was allowed to know what she had written.
As a dietitian, I now work with people who willingly share a different kind of diary: a food journal. It has a purpose far greater than an objective recording of milk, meat, vegetables, fruits, starches, and everything else people eat. Dressed up in pretty paper with fancy colors and a smooth cover, it is still one of the most marvelous tools you have. Put the time and effort into keeping one and you have a record that reveals a lot about you.
Reviewing a food journal yields a huge harvest of information. Present a completed one to your delighted dietitian and you both learn how life may revolve around food. A careful review of your record by your dietitian, a few pointed questions to clarify items, and your behaviors associated with your attitudes become clearer.
Discussions may reveal that:
* People have a tendency to measure a day as good or bad based on labeling a food as good or bad. They can quickly get back to the real measures of life, such as how they’ve treated people that day with kindness and respect. Forgive yourself when you self-judge about food, and life looks a lot better.
* It can take emotional and mental energy to write every single food down. Some people are better than others at taking on this task. Continually reaffirming to yourself the value of this record can boost your motivation.
*Ingrained patterns may quickly reveal themselves since we are creatures of habit. Vary food choices for varied nutrients. What’s new in your shopping cart today? Eat differently and your day looks brighter.
*The fluctuations in quantities can be based on other life factors. Drinking more fluids when you feel more relaxed and then fewer fluids when stresses bother you, show how your attention to things can be diverted. A food journal is a positive trigger to make a healthy change.
*Your intentions and desires can be impacted with special events and occasions.
You may learn that there is no real routine to your day. You may eat out at restaurants more often than previously thought, grab food at the office snack table often, or discover you drink caffeine beverages when you thought you had completely given up this habit.
*The behavior changes that occur right in the middle of recording a planned meal show your recognition of the power within you to take charge of yourself. Noticing your hesitation because you feel you will have to explain an item can lead you to make a different choice. What’s another choice, you might ask yourself.
You have the ability to change any behavior the instant you notice it. Writing down “½ fresh peach “reaffirms the feeling that a food is nutritionally better for you. Uncomfortable feelings may arise when you write “3 tablespoons peanut butter”. Your feelings are an important indicator. If you’re unsure, ask yourself what feels right. Take a deep breath. Listen to the quiet space within.
Take the food journal challenge:
Purchase a food journal or make your own. Its insights will unfold as you use it.
Alternatively, use an on-line food journal such as FitDay.com. Have some fun using your computer for something beneficial to your health. You own it by writing it down.
Determine your success point: can you keep a journal for one, two, three or four weeks?
Does your interest in things usually peter out after a brief time? Post sticky notes in strategic places with the reminder: “FOOD JOURNAL DAY—HOORAY!”
Get a good book of food counts. Grocery store checkout stands usually have pocket-size complete food counters. My latest one had a picture of a sundae on it, so I covered it up with a picture of a hot cup of tea, more appropriate to my own motivation level. There are several food counter guides in book stores that are comprehensive, including fiber, sodium and cholesterol as well as calories, carbohydrate, protein and fat. Use your highlighter to help you quickly locate foods you usually eat. Avoid the extra mental energy needed to continuously look up foods.
Post the food journal for your family to see. It’ll bring up interesting discussions.
Plan to it bring it to your dietitian before your next Medical Nutrition Therapy appointment or share the journal with a friend for accountability.
Be honest. Your dietitian can help you with ideas if you have already identified the areas you’d like to work on. Be open to the little surprises that might be revealed.
Get used to using all measuring utensils during the recording phase. Our amazing brain seems to be in charge of a lot, telling us we know a quantity without having to measure it. Taking the time to weigh and measure is a little bit of discipline practice that carries over to other areas of your life too.
See how savvy you are at reading the Nutrition Facts food label. Notice your lowered resistance to choosing certain foods at certain times of the day, as when you’re tired. See how often you eat while watching TV.
Appreciate the care you take in preparing foods, adding flavorings with herbs and spices. Count the times you make a good salad, double your vegetables, drink more water, take your supplements.
A food journal gives you a baseline to start from, no matter where you are after surgery. It shows you how you care about your health, that you are willing to take the time and effort to write down the foods you’ve chosen. It is a way of nurturing yourself, of reinforcing the best choices you make.
Keep track of your exercise too. Walk or plan a different activity every day, even if for a short time. Note the time. Notice how good you feel.
A dietitian learns early on in patient interactions how valuable a food journal is. This encompasses alternative choices, nutritional requirement foods, post-bariatric surgery recommendation transitions, translation of food science to kitchen practicalities, varying emotional components, balance, selection, and enjoyment. There is a positive dialogue about applications using your food journal as a jump off point. Share it, and learn what you already know about yourself.