How to track your diet on day to day basis?
(May 31, 2010)
In order to keep a track of one’s daily diet, the most important thing to start is a food intake diary. Invest in a large diary, one that has about a page dedicated to a day. Starting from how many glasses of water you have taken in on a daily basis, write down each small and large thing you ate all day, along with the quantities. If you are going forward with an aim, it is always good to write down the aim on each page, so you will not forget what you are trying to do with all this diet tracking business. Once you start keeping a track of what you eat, how frequently you eat and how much you eat, it becomes child’s play to keep track of your diet.
The next thing you can concentrate on is the nutritional content of your food. In order to track this, it is absolutely essential to have a comprehensive list of the foods you eat on a general and everyday basis and to measure how much you are eating vis-à-vis how much you are actually allowed to eat. The amount allowed should be obtained from the regular doctor or health care professional who has recommended the diet. If needed, a dietician can also do the same thing.
Make a chart of the foods eaten by you on a daily basis. You would need to include even smaller things like cooking mediums, spices and so on. Against this list, add the nutritional quantities list that comes with packaging on almost everything available in the market. If some fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables by the count do not come with a nutritional value list, then the list for these products can be obtained from your regular family physician. Once you have this list, pin it up in the kitchen in a place where it can be easily accessed. Keep referring to it while cooking and also refer to it while serving. These lists usually have a quantity assigned to each food. While this may sound very complicated, it actually becomes really easy while doing it. The system is long winded and may take some time to get down to perfection, but once you have it, you will see that it works very well. The only thing is that it is mandatory to always keep consulting it – and most importantly following it every single day.
