Recording your eating habits over a week or fortnight can help you see where and when you’re eating the ‘wrong’ sorts of food or skipping meals.  This can then help you to take steps to change things.

It couldn’t be easier:

• Buy yourself a notepad or notebook, preferably one small enough to carry around in a pocket or handbag
• In your food diary, make a note of everything you eat and drink during the day. Take note of where you are, who you are with and any other relevant information you think might have a bearing on your eating habits. Always write your entries there and then, as it’s easy to forget exactly what you had for lunch or breakfast at the end of a busy day
• Record what you eat on at least one week day and one weekend day, as most people change their eating habits a little at weekends. If you can record what you eat for a week or more, you’ll have an even clearer picture of any patterns that emerge
• Be honest with your entries! The point is to get to the truth of what you eat so you can go about changing things. Leaving out snacks or that second helping of dessert means you’re only cheating yourself

Once you’ve kept your food diary for a week or so, it will help you to identify any ‘trigger factors’ that may lead to any poor eating habits you have.

For instance, you may find that you tend to make not so good snacking choices in the afternoons when you’re at work. If that’s the case, then being prepared and bringing  snacks like a piece of fruit, a small handful of unsalted nuts or a tub of low fat yoghurt to work may help you to make better choices at that time of the day!

If you stick at it, you’ll soon find your food diary can be a powerful tool to help you be in control of your diet.