Benefits of Keeping a Food Journal

What you eat plays a huge role in how you build your body. And eating is like fishing - lots of tall tales are told and there can be a big difference between what you thought you did and what you actually did. One simple way to remedy this is with a food journal. No, it is not a list of foods to eat or not it. It is simply a notebook in which you write down everything that goes into your mouth. And it may shock you.
To make this work, you have to be totally honest and put down everything you ingest, including liquids and snacks. How long? Two weeks. Write down everything you eat and drink (including water) for the next two weeks. Include both what you are eating and how much you are eating of it. Also note the times that you are eating and drinking.
Don't cheat - put it all down. Also, don't try and eat differently to make your eating habits appear better. At this point you are just looking at a diagnostic test, not yet repair. The dietary repair comes last.
Once you have two week's worth of data on what you have been eating sit down and analyze it. Or if you aren’t that strong on nutrition, have a pal or someone who knows good nutrition analyze your diet. Are you getting enough protein? Drinking too much caffeine? Snacking on the wrong stuff? A two week overview should provide a fairly good picture on what your eating habits are and let you know if you need to improve.
Once you have the two week overview finished, as well as an analysis of what you ate, it is now time to move onward. Fix the holes in your diet by setting up a plan to improve your dietary intake, based on what your two week journal revealed. Get rid of the things you need to, improve any bad habits, etc.
This dietary journal is a simple yet very effective way to rapidly diagnose and improve your diet. It is a good idea to perform this journal check at least once a year and preferably twice a year if you are serious about changing your diet. Remember, change your diet and in turn change your condition.