Information from ChooseMyPlate.gov
The January issue of Healthy Cells shared part one of this article, ‘Learn What You Currently Eat and Drink.’ As a refresher, let’s review how to get started identifying what you eat and drink.
- Write down what and how much you eat and drink. Find a way that works for you. Use a journal, log your intake on your calendar, keep track on your phone, or use an online tool.
- Start by identifying what you’ve already eaten today. Be sure to include how much as well as what you ate. Don’t forget to include drinks, sauces, spreads, and sides. It all counts.
- In addition, write down the physical activities you do, and how long you spend doing each one. Log each activity that you do for at least 10 minutes at a time. Every bit adds up. Use an online tracking tool, a journal, or mark a calendar.
Once you’ve identified what you are doing now, keep it up! Tracking what and how much you eat and drink, your body weight, and your physical activity can help you manage your body weight over the long term.
Stumbling blocks
Concerned about identifying what you eat and drink? Below are some common “stumbling blocks” and ideas to help you overcome these barriers.
- “I’m interested in using an online tool, but I don’t have internet access every day.” If you don’t have regular access to a computer, you can begin by simply writing down what, when, and how much you eat in a journal. Just writing down what you eat and drink helps you become more aware. When you are able to access a computer, and use a tracking app, you can enter several days of intake into at once.
- “It takes a lot of time to track my intake.” The fact is that tracking works. Find a way that you can track your intake that works for you — whether it be writing what and how much you eat and drink in a journal, your day planner, or your calendar. With an on-line application, you can develop lists of your favorite foods that can help you enter your intake more quickly.
- “By the time I get to a computer, I’ve forgotten what I ate.” For tracking to work, it needs to be complete. If necessary, carry a food journal or log your intake on your smart phone. Logging what you eat immediately will help your tracking to be more accurate.
- “I can identify what I ate, but have no idea of how to figure out how much I ate.” Measure out foods you regularly eat (such as a bowl of cereal) once or twice, to get a sense of how big your typical portion is. Also measure out what 1/2 or 1 cup portion size looks like to help you estimate how much you eat.
Check the serving size information on the Nutrition Facts label of packaged foods. It describes what the “standard” serving size is, and how many are in the package.
Use the food galleries for each of the 5 food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein foods to see what sample portion sizes look like, and compare them to how much you ate.
For more information about weight management, visit: www.choosemyplate.gov. In case you missed part one of this article or need a refresher, please visit www.healthycellsmagazine.com/Peoria to read it on-line in the January 2016 issue.
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