Last week, your very own blog manager Evan sent me an invitation to view a Googledoc. Recently, Evan decided to start on a venture of trying out different types of diets for one week each, wanting to see how they make him feel, how they affect his exercise, and how easy they are to implement. What works and what doesn’t. The document was a log where he recorded all these things, first on a normal diet and then on his first experimental diet: no over-processed foods. To tell you the truth, looking at the log was a little strange. I don’t frequently examine other people’s diets, and it was quite surprising to see everything Evan was eating and to realize that it was kind of like getting an ultra-close look into a friend’s day-to-day life. The thing is, you can experience a similar reaction of surprise if you record your own diet.
There are many reasons for writing down what you eat. You may just be curious. You may want to see how food relates to how you feel during your runs. You may want to lose weight or lower cholesterol. You may want to see how your diet measures up to what is recommended. Once you do this you can say “okay cool” or you can make improvements. As Evan wrote in his blog (publication forthcoming), “the first step to making any worthy change (or knowing if any is needed) is being conscious of what is actually going on.”
That being said, several aspects of your diet may be worth looking at. Food is made up of macronutrients, micronutrients, and water. Macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats – are consumed in large amounts and contribute calories (4 calories per gram of carb or protein, 9 calories per gram of fat). Micronutrients – vitamins and minerals – are consumed in small amounts and do not contribute substantial calories.
You may want to find out, for instance, how many calories you eat in one day – you have heard the golden number 2,000, but your ideal value depends on body weight and weight loss ormaintenance goals. Or you may want to see what proportions of those calories are contributed by the three macronutrients – the Institute of Medicine recommends 45-65% calories from carbohydrates, 10-35% from protein, and 20-35% from fat. (All recommendations are published in the Dietary Reference Inakes, see “Salt’s Predicament” blogpost.) Or perhaps you may want to see whether you are getting enough vitamin C, potassium (see “Go Potassium!” blogpost), or iron.
What is the best way to keep a diet log? Actually, it all depends on preference. Evan uses a Googledoc because he can get to it from any computer with internet access. That way, he can update it more frequently to ensure that nothing is left out. Another fellow runner, Becky (not-necessarily-food-related-but-very-cool-blog at www.apostrophecatastrophes.com), has been doing Weight Watchers for about five months, and she carries a paper tracker where she hand-writes foods and corresponding point values. It’s interesting how these two methods are different: Evan’s Googledoc is just the raw data – the food he eats. Becky’s Weight Watchers points collapse all the nutrient information into numbers that are based on a system designed for weight loss.
I’m a big fan of the online nutrition journals because they straddle these two approaches, and many are available for free. You input what you eat with corresponding amounts, and the website creates charts that present all the nutrient information discussed above. My favorite is www.fitday.com which shows you a pie chart of the relative amounts of macronutrients you eat as well as a bar graph that displays how close you are getting to each vitamin and mineral recommendation. Another site, www.nutridiary.com , has similar features, and includes a linear display of how your relative amounts of macronutrients change over time. These features are fairly common, and it is also typical to see combination food and exercise logs. Even if you don’t record everything you eat, you can use these sites for nutrition information on a wide range of specific foods.
Information is one principal way that logging what you eat may help you eat healthier. Accountability is another. Some websites have gone so far as to take accountability up a notch by making people accountable to others, not just themselves. Online communities communicate via blogs and “friend feeds” on pages like www.myfitnesspal.com and www.sparkpeople.com . These provide both accountability and support for those wanting to make dietary changes.
These are fun to play around with, but it does take time. Evan, who has been thinking about trying his diet experiment for a while, admits “I procrastinated doing it because I knew it would be a change and a bit of work.” True, change does require work. “It has made me a little bit antisocial at times because I don't want to go out to restaurants because it's much harder to track,” says Becky about her Weight Watchers program. It may seem funny, but it’s true! If you are very committed, that can happen. Here is my advice: try logging your diet for a few days. Just get an idea of what it’s like, see how what you eat relates to your runs, make some changes if you find something you would like to improve. Use whatever method you like. Be flexible, and know that logging what you eat (as well as how you feel and exercise) is a cool tool you can use to improve your health and performance.
