I’ve talked about the importance of keeping a food diary before. Now I have even more evidence of the benefits. The results of a new study funded by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research underscores the importance of keeping track of the food you eat when dieting. Study participants who kept daily food diaries lost twice as much weight or more than those individuals who did not keep records.

Image via WikipediaThe study participants were asked to follow the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). This healthy diet was originally designed to lower blood pressure but has since been found to decrease the risk for heart disease and stroke as well. It is a low fat and low sodium diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat or non-fat dairy. (The 1200 and 1500 calorie diet plans that I provide on this site are modeled after the DASH diet.)

Almost 1,700 participants agreed to adopt the healthier diet and exercise. About two-thirds of the individuals lost nine pounds or more over a period of six months. However, those who kept a food diary lost as much as 20 pounds, more than twice as much as the others.

So why do food diaries work? They work because you can learn so much about your food habits and eating patterns. First of all, you see where the extra calories are coming from. And you get a better sense of how your calorie intake is influenced by portion size. For many people the primary issue is portion size.

Another benefit of keeping a food diary is the knowledge you gain about when you eat out of boredom or stress. So there are a number of different ways in which food diaries increase your awareness and keep you accountable for your choices.

Some people struggle with keeping food diaries. It isn’t easy. It takes time, although that may be a good thing. Some of the participants noted that they thought twice about having a cookie or piece of cake because they didn’t want to have to write it down or see it in their diary.

The good news is that most people tend to be creatures of habit eating a relatively small number of foods. Your regular diet may include a base of no more than about 30 to 40 different foods. So in a short period of time it may become easier to keep track of your calorie intake.

I like the convenience of the service provided by MyFoodDiary.com to keep track of calories and nutrients. (See Food Diary Review: MyFoodDiary.com for my review) My husband and I enjoy eating a wide variety of foods. Although neither of us enjoys cooking every day, we do like to try new recipes and healthy food products from the supermarket when time permits. So I appreciate the convenience of having a place to record and store an ongoing record of all my food choices.

The foods I eat as well as the recommendations I make with the sample menus provided on this website are all based on foods I “add to my refrigerator” on the My Food Diary website. My digital refrigerator is full of healthy foods. This makes it a lot easier to keep track of my own diet and to also come up with new ideas for sample menus.

There are other sites that provide a similar service. Some are free and others have a small fee. My review of the available nutrition calculators and food diary sites online may help you choose a service that will work best for you. (Calorie Counts and Nutrients: Best Sites Online) Or you might want to just keep track of your food choices with a pen and paper.

If you haven’t given food diaries a try or you have in the past without success, you may want to take a new look. Keeping a food diary takes time. But I can guarantee you it will be worth it. You will learn things about your food choices and habits that you were not aware of before. What you learn could be just what you need to know to get healthier, reduce your calorie intake, and reach your weight loss goal.

Give a try!

Brian Wansink, Ph.D. has overseen some of the most fascinating research into the reasons why we overeat of anyone I know. He is the author of “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think” (2007) and the head of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab. His research demonstrates how our eating behavior is strongly influenced by the society we live in and our immediate environment.

How would you answer the question “How do you know if you are through eating dinner?” Dr. Wansink’s research revealed a fundamental difference between the responses from 150 Chicagoans as compared with 150 Parisians.

The Americans were primarily influenced by external factors whereas the Parisians were influenced by internal factors. I suspect the Chicagoans in the study may very well be typical of many if not most Americans. I encourage you to watch the YouTube video I’ve posted of an interview with Dr. Wansink to see what people shared. You may be surprised at the responses that were given.

We have little control over the dominant food culture. In the United States, that means having food within plain sight and easy reach too much of the time. In addition, all too often the food is a poor choice. We are also bombarded with highly effective advertising messages and other forms of food marketing. In restaurants the portions are often too big, far more food than one person needs to eat.

Dr. Wansink’s perspective is that our best chance for eating less food and in turn, managing weight, is to gain some control over the things we can in our immediate environment. For example, we have a choice as to the amount and kind of food we bring into our homes and where we choose to eat out when we go to a restaurant.

Changing the society we live in and the cultural norms would be a much more difficult battle. He’s not so sure that’s something that needs changing. I disagree. Bringing about change in the dominant culture is difficult. However, I believe it is what we need. And I believe it is beginning to change for the better as awareness increases about the nature of the problem we are facing. It may take many years but it will happen.

In the meantime, keep in mind some of the observations Dr. Wansink shares from his research:

1. We eat more when we eat family style meals with the serving bowl on the table.
2. We eat more if we eat directly from a bag or carton.
3. We eat more from a bigger plate than a smaller plate.
4. We eat more when we are in front of the television, in the car, or with friends.

Of all the societal and environmental influences on our food habits, he claims that visibility and convenience have the greatest influence. All too often if food is available for eating and within sight, we eat. In this next video you get a glimpse into the ways in which small changes, which affect visibility and convenience, can have an enormous impact on our eating behavior.

Candy Dish Placement and Weight Gain

Fascinating!

In my last post I wrote about the importance of record keeping for weight loss. If you are keeping a food diary, make notes about your eating habits. Keep in mind what Dr. Wansink has shared. Watch for the moments when you may convince yourself that eating a little more won’t hurt. Keep track of when you eat just because you can and not because of hunger. Now get creative about what you might do to protect yourself from the “See it, eat it” tendency.

Have a great week, watch those calories, and stay healthy!