The Many Benefits of a Food Journal

Keeping a food journal is the first step in changing your lifestyle, and beginning a diet and exercise program. As I said in the artice about Kristy Alley in regards to keeping a journal, “you can see what you are eating and drinking, how much, how much of what, and why. When you see how many calories you are eating, from there you can adjust whether you need to eat more or fewer calories. When you can see what nutrients you are getting and what you are lacking, you can see what needs to be reduced and what needs to be increased.”

As I mentioned in article regarding Kristy Alley, I kept a food journal after meeting with a nutritionist. “I was not eating enough for my activity level. My diet was too healthy. My nutritionist said I was eating the diet of a cardiac patient, not an active 28-year-old woman. I was eating about 1,800 calories a day, because I thought that was how much I should be eating. But no, I should have been eating about 2,300 calories a day.” I was eating too much for my health, and not getting enough satisfaction or pleasure from food. You should be eating foods you like, and enjoy eating while fueling your body with the nutrients it needs. The journal will help you find that balance. A food journal will also help you see patterns with your eating. As I also mentioned, “Keeping a journal…will allow you to answer the following questions. Are you eating too many calories or too few? Are you drinking enough water? Are you eating too many refined carbohydrates and too few vegetables? Are you skipping meals, eating too little during the day, and too much in the evening? Are you eating mindlessly when bored? Are you eating to soothe an emotion? Are you active enough?” So in your journal leave a separate column or space for your feelings/emotions. Go into as much detail as you wish. Use this as a Guide:

 So the Food Journal is the first step in changing your life and beginning a healthy weight loss plan. However, many physical conditions and ailments are the direct result of our diet, and may go unnoticed unless we track them in a food journal.

If experiencing any of these symptoms or conditions:

- Headaches
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Lethargy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Constipation/Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Before running to your doctor, begin a food journal. Your diet might be the direct cause of your condition. The food journal will also be a useful tool for your doctor to more accurately diagnose your condition. Also, note your water intake. Not consuming enough water, which is essential to every major bodily function, may also be the root cause of your symptom or condition.

Headaches

The brain and nervous system require a complete balance of essential nutrients and energy to develop and maintain neurons and supporting cells. A deficiency of essential nutrients may impair the structure or functionality of the neurologic system. Severe deficiencies of vitamins, especially the B-complex group, can impair nervous system function. Note if your food journal is lacking in foods rich in B vitamins:
Vitamin B1 (thiamin), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin, niacinamide, or nicotinic acid) Vitamin B4 (adenine) ,Vitamin B5 (pantothenic Acid),Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Vitamin B9 (Folic acid, Folate), Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin, cobalamin), Vitamin B13 (Orotic acid), Vitamin B15 (pangamic acid), vitamin B17 (Amygdalin), vitamin Bh (Inositol), Vitamin Bt (L-carnitine) Vitamin Bx, PABA (Para-Aminobenzoic acid), Vitamin B7 (Biotin). B vitamins are found in foods such as broccoli, asparagus, romaine lettuce, red peppers, bell peppers, spinach, parsley, beets, turnip greens, lentils, liver, and fish. Headaches are one of the most common conditions evaluated by neurologists. The foods most frequently implicated with headaches contain tyramines, found in cheese and red wines, or phenylethylamine commonly found in chocolate. Dizziness and headaches could be attributable to a high quantity of monosodium glutamate (MSG) used some packaged or canned foods and in Chinese food.

Depression/Anxiety

Food can have a severe impact on our mood, both positive and negative. Some B vitamins have have an impact on major functions that can effect one’s mood. Vitamin B1, for instance, is essential for energy production and nerve cell function. Vitamin B6 is important in maintaining hormone balance. However, insufficient consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidant vitamins, and Vitamins B9 and B12 is associated with depression. Avoid alcohol consumption as too much alcohol consumption can lead to vitamin B deficiencies. In addition, high protein diets and diets of excess sugars can negatively affect mood.

According to Catherine Carrigan, author of Healing Depression: A Holistic Guide, (pp. 126-7) listed ten common dietary substances that are most likely to contribute to depression.

1. Anything moldy, malted, or fermented,
2. Anything processed,
3. Anything dried or aged,
4. Anything made with sugar or honey,
5. Anything made with yeast,
6. Any meat raised with antibiotics or steroids,
7. Leftovers unless frozen,
8. Alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, chocolate, and colas,
9. Food colorings, chemicals, preservatives, and additives,
10. Tap water. (non-filtered)

Although anxiety is a natural and normal reaction to stress, excessive anxiety can be debilitating. Excessive amounts of caffeine and alcohol can increase anxiety, and excessive amounts of sugar can worsen anxiety. Dr. Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D., suggested in the the May 7, 2009 article in the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), eating frequent small meals to help stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day.

Other suggestions of Dr. Hall-Flavin are:
- Increase your intake of complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrate-rich meals and snacks are believed to increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, which has a calming effect. Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains), and eat fewer simple carbohydrates (sugars).
- Drink plenty of water. Even mild dehydration can affect your mood.
- Limit or avoid alcohol. The immediate effect of alcohol may be calming for most people. However, as your body metabolizes alcohol, it can cause anxiety-like symptoms.
- Limit or avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that can make you feel nervous and interfere with sleep.

Pay attention to food sensitivities. In some people, certain foods or food additives can cause adverse reactions, including moodiness, which can lead to irritability or anxiety. Foods that commonly cause reactions include wheat, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, nuts and shellfish. This is where journaling comes in handy to better see these patterns. Had I kept a food journal 3½ years ago, I would have realized much sooner that I was lactose intolerant, and saved myself months of pain. Eat some foods that contain L-tryptophan, an amino acid that helps your brain produce chemicals such as serotonin and melatonin that can improve mood and have a relaxing effect. Milk, bananas, oats, soy, poultry, cheese, nuts, peanut butter and sesame seeds are good sources of tryptophan, assuming you have no sensitivities to any of them. (May 7, 2009, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Insomnia

If having trouble sleeping, sometimes a simple change in one’s diet can be an effective way to enhance one’s sleep. First, make sure you are well hydrated and drinking the recommended amounts of water per day, more if exercising or on hot days. According to www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Sleep/sleep_ins_food-and-diet.htm, foods such as bread, bagels, and crackers that are high in complex carbohydrates have a mild sleep-enhancing effect because they increase serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. A glass of milk is one of the oldest and best remedies for insomnia. As stated above, milk contains L-tryptophan which, induces sleep. Lettuce has a long-standing reputation for promoting healthy sleep due to an opium-related substance combined with traces of hyoscyarnin present in lettuce. Lettuce should be an integral part of your evening diet if you are suffering from sleep disorders. The meal should also include legumes, peanuts, nutritional yeast, fish or poultry. These foods contain vitamin B3 (niacin). Niacin is involved in serotonin synthesis and promotes healthy sleep.

Other foods to eat to help promote sleep:

 
- Chlorophyll-rich foods, such as leafy, green vegetables,
- Microalgae, such as chlorella and spirulin,
- Mushrooms (all types),
- Whole grains such as whole wheat, brown rice, and oats have a calming and soothing effect on the nervous system and the mind,
- Fruit, especially mulberries and lemons, which calm the mind.

Other Foods to avoid if having trouble sleeping:

- Spicy foods,
- Refined carbohydrates (white flour, sugars as they drain the B vitamins),
- Additives/ preservatives,
- Canned foods or any source of toxicity or heavy metals.

Lethargy/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Diet and exercise has a tremendous effect on one’s energy level, as energy comes from food in the form of calories. However, certain foods provide more lasting energy than others do. For optimum energy, eat a healthy and balanced diet. Fruits, vegetables and grains should be a major part of your diet. Drink lots of water. Low carb diets such as Atkins, South Beach, Mediterranean, Zone tend to deplete our energy. Avoid these types of diets. Lack of exercise can also lead to fatigue. Although it seems like an oxymoron, beginning and maintaining a regular exercise schedule will increase your energy.

Avoid fried foods, food high in saturated fats, refined sugar, the artificial sweetener NutraSweet (aspartame) and monosodium glutamate (MSG). Instead, eat foods rich in vegetables (except for corn, peas or beans), fruit (except citrus or any that you currently eat 2+ times a week), lean meats (except for bacon, sausage, hot dogs or lunch meat), rice and grain alternatives such as amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat, and drink herbal teas and plenty of spring or filtered water.

Constipation/ Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Although other conditions and medications can lead to constipation, the culprit is usually diet, especially a diet insufficient in fiber. A diet that increases the chances of developing constipation is one that is high in meat, dairy products, and refined sugar, and low in dietary fiber.

To reduce constipation, add fiber to your diet, from food, not pills, in sources such as whole-grain bread and cereals, fruits (with skin), vegetables, and beans. Keep well hydrated, to allow your intestines and colon to work efficiently. Avoid dehydrating fluids such as coffee, alcohol and carbonated drinks. These can actually make your IBS constipation worse. Highly refined foods will satiate you without providing the fiber and nutrients you need. People with IBS symptoms should avoid eating too many refined foods such as:
• White bread
• White rice
• Certain cereals lacking fiber
• Corn or potato chips
• Cookies
Also, a high-protein, low-carb diet can worsen your constipation. You need protein, of course, but do not eliminate carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables. Constipation is a common side effect of some popular low-carb diets such as Atkins, South Beach, Mediterranean, and Zone. Drink plenty of water, and water, did I say water? and get regular exercise to keep your insides moving. You should be eliminating 1-2 times per day, and not be be crass, but your feces should be in the shape of an “S.” If neither of those apply to you, you are not eating enough fiber and/or dehydrated. Also, very important, eat slowly, and small frequent meals to lesson the strain on your digestive system. Eating little all day long, then having one large meal in the evening is a great way to create digestive problems such as IBS.

How to Write the Journal

Page Format:

Food Journal

Date: _________________

Time	Food	Amount	Activity
Notes:
Time	Food	Amount	Activity
Notes:
Time	Food	Amount	Activity
Notes:
Time	Food	Amount	Activity
Notes:
Time	Food	Amount	Activity
Notes:

 

The top of the page if for the complete date, then set up columns for the date, the food and beverage, the amount, and what exercise was performed that day. See pages from my actual food journal.  Note: done just write cereal, write the exact brand, how many cups, how much milk was added, etc. For lunch, don’t  just write tuna fish sandwich, specify how much tuna in ounces or tablespoons, how much mayo, how many slices of bread or roll.  Don’t just write salad,  specified the size, how many cups of lettuse, what was in it, the amount of dressing used, etc. Breaking it down into detail allows you to see how many calories you are consuming, what nutrients you are or are not getting in your diet. My goal for my food journal was to eat 2,300 calories a day, increase my fat intake, and enjoy food more. Therefore, mine was not the diet of someone trying to loose weight, as it was about 500-700 calories more that what is recommended for someone trying to loose weight. As stated in my previous newsletter, using these calculators is a great guide to see how many calories per day is needed.

http://www.hpathy.com/healthtools/calories-need.asp

http://www.vitalhealthzone.com/health/tools/recommended_calorie_intake_calculator.html

So now you know where to begin…good luck.

Melanie Mogavero, CSCS, RYT