There is a large misconception that tracking your food only needs to be done if you are trying to lose weight. The reality is, many people can benefit from tracking their food regardless of what their health goals are or if they are working on one at all. So, here are 11 reasons you should track your food and how you can benefit from doing so.

 

Keeping a food log is the first thing I ask my clients to do because you can learn a lot about your habits, patterns, energy levels, digestive issues, skin issues, or what you are eating a lot of (or not a lot of) by simply tracking your food. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think you need to track your food forever, but even a few days, a week, or a month can bring a lot of awareness to your personal food choices and shine some light on what you are actually eating, not what you think you are eating.

Benefits of Tracking Your Food

Whether you choose to use a notepad, a spreadsheet, or an app, here are some important benefits of tracking your food.

1. Creates Awareness

The number of times I have asked someone “what did you eat today?” and the person is unable to answer is countless. Too often we are just eating and not actually paying attention to what we are eating, let alone how much we ate, how we ate it, where we ate it, when we ate it and why we ate it. More often than not people think they are eating much better than they actually are, but when you have to put pen to paper the facts don’t lie. Be it a notepad or an app, tracking your food can truly help to bring a whole new level of awareness and mindfulness to your diet.

2. Creates Accountability

Being accountable to someone, be it for work, at the gym, or for your diet, is a really helpful way to ensure that you stay consistent with your choices and, the reality is, the person you need to be the most accountable to is yourself. Although it may seem rather insignificant, tracking your food forces you to think twice about what you put in your mouth and therefore helps hold you more accountable to your own goals.

3. Shows You What You Are Doing Well

Keeping a food log is not only about discovering what you are doing poorly, it can actually help show you what you are doing well so you can ensure you continue to do it. Perhaps you eat more vegetables than you thought or are really consistent at drinking water, whatever it may be these good habits are often reinforced by keeping a food log and are something that you can (and should) feel good about.

4. Shows You What You Are Not Doing Well

In reality, there is nothing wrong with finding flaws in your diet, it’s actually a good thing because it helps you identify what you need to work on. I often refer to them as “areas of opportunity”, they are not “bad”, they are just things that you can improve upon. Often mistakes, errors, or failures are the things that propel people to the biggest successes, but being able to identify them is the first step to improving them.

5. Shows You How Much You Eat

Tracking your food is also a great way to identify how much you are actually eating. Are you eating too much? Are you eating enough? Surprisingly, although some people do over-eat, some people actually under-eat as well. The first step to eating well is focusing on whole foods, the next steps are paying attention to how much you eat and what balance of macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) you are eating. Using an app to track your food can help paint you a picture and show you if you are eating the right amount of the right things.

6. Shows You How Often You Eat

As you go through the day it’s really easy to eat a handful of nuts here, an extra slice of cheese there, and a spoonful of peanut butter over there, and then before you know it you’ve eaten way more food than you indented. Often people think they just ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but forget about all of the little items they grabbed in between as they walked past the kitchen, were watching TV, or while they were cooking dinner. Not only does tracking your food help you pay attention to what you are eating in your meals, but helps you identify all of the little things you are putting in your mouth without even realizing it.

7. Helps With Weight Loss

People often tell me they are doing “all the right things” but for some reason, they just can’t seem to lose weight, however, as soon as they start tracking their food they begin to see the holes in the “perfect” plan. Perhaps they weren’t eating enough protein. Perhaps they were eating too much fruit. Perhaps they weren’t drinking enough water. Perhaps they were eating too much. Perhaps they were eating too often. Or perhaps they were eating well during the week, but not on weekends. Whatever the reason may be, tracking your food is an essential tool for weight loss as it tells you exactly what you are doing, allows you to track your progress, and make adjustments where needed.

8. Helps Detect Food Intolerances

Bloated? Gassy? Tummy always feeling a little off? Different people react differently to different foods, so keeping a food log is a great way to help identify what may be affecting you individually. It’s actually not “normal” to feel uncomfortable after you eat, struggle to go to the washroom regularly, or have to go urgently all of the time. So, if you are accustomed to tummy troubles but can’t seem to figure out why, tracking your food and noting how you feel each day is a great way to start to connect the dots.

9. Helps Identify Patterns

Often things we think are unrelated to what we eat are actually more related than we realize. Being hungry mid-morning, being tired in the afternoon, and having cravings in the evening are all things (just to name a few) that can be related to what, where, when, and how we ate. Perhaps you never eat much for breakfast and that’s why you struggle to make it to lunch, or perhaps you always have a carb-heavy lunch so you always crave something sweet in the afternoon. Regardless of the reason, keeping a food log can help you to identify these patterns so you can adjust them.

10. Helps Identify Triggers

Reach for a snack when you are bored at work? Reach for a treat when you are stressed? Tracking your food forces you to be mindful of your food choices and why you are making them, so it can help you dive deep into the why behind what you are eating. Do you always open the fridge when you walk in the house? Do you always go to the pantry looking for a snack after dinner? Often our food cues have absolutely nothing to do with actual hunger and everything to do with cravings, our environment, and how we are feeling.

11. Allows You To Reflect On Progress

The best part about tracking your food is that you can look back and reflect on your progress. Changing your diet and food habits is hard so when you do make progress it is important that you celebrate it, even the smallest changes. Not only will tracking your food help you to celebrate these important milestones but reflecting on your success is added motivation to keep going.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve never done so before, or are currently struggling to reach a health goal, I highly suggest giving a food log a go. Whether you are writing in a journal, keeping notes on your computer, or using an app like MyFitnessPal, a little tracking goes a long way in taking your diet and your health to the next level.

For years, we’ve been told to avoid foods that contain cholesterol; we’ve been told to limit egg yolks, avoid fatty cuts of meat, and put down the butter. Cholesterol has been demonized as an artery-clogging substance, said to be the cause of heart disease, and has been vilified by doctors and health professionals for over 40 years, but, what if we got it all wrong? The truth is, several decades ago the story of cholesterol took a wrong turn and it’s time to bring it back. In fact, what we have come to realize is that dietary cholesterol does not equal blood cholesterol, and there is actually a big difference between the two. So, it’s time to rethink cholesterol, understand its functions, how it works, and the benefits of having cholesterol in your diet.

What is cholesterol?

Although often considered a fat, cholesterol is technically classified as a sterol, which is a combination of a steroid and alcohol. Cholesterol is an essential structural component of cell membranes, a necessary precursor for sex and stress hormones, and synthesizing bile salts, which help to break down and emulsify fats, which aid in metabolizing vitamins A, D, E and K from the food we consume.

It is also important to understand that although cholesterol can be found in certain foods, the body itself produces cholesterol. On any given day, we have between 1,100 and 1,700 milligrams of cholesterol in our body, up to 85% of which is actually produced by the body in our liver.  In fact, because cholesterol is so vital to human life, your body will produce cholesterol in response to what you eat. The body tightly regulates the amount of cholesterol in our blood by controlling its internal production; when cholesterol intake in the diet goes down, the body makes more cholesterol, and when cholesterol intake in the diet goes up, the body makes less cholesterol. In other words, trying to avoid cholesterol in your food has little to no impact on your body’s cholesterol levels since it will simply regulate its own needs.

The Vital Roles of Cholesterol

Although for years we have been told to avoid cholesterol, it turns out that, not only is cholesterol as harmful as it was thought to be, but cholesterol has many important functions in the body, including:

• Formation of cell walls;
• Making the cell walls waterproof for protection;
• Repairing wounds, including tears and irritations in the arteries;
• Creation of vital hormones, including sex hormones;
• Creation of bile salts, needed for the digestion of fats;
• Function of the brain and nervous system;
• Acting as a precursor for vitamin D, formed by the action of ultra-violet (UV-B) light on cholesterol in the skin;
• Protection against depression; it plays a role in the utilization of serotonin, the body’s “feel-good” chemical;
• Protection as an antioxidant against free radicals and cancer;
• Absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K)

Cholesterol & Heart Disease

However, because cholesterol and heart disease has been so tightly linked for decades it is easy to understand why the concept that cholesterol is beneficial can be tough for many to grasp. The fear of cholesterol began in the 1940s and 50s when the diet-heart hypothesis began to unfold, and the fear of saturated fat and cholesterol began. This theory was launched by a researcher named Ancel Keys who is said to have linked heart disease with the consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol. However, as it turns out, his research and findings were heavily flawed and remained undisputed for many years, and despite the fact that they have been debunked many times, the concept that saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for you remains one of the biggest nutrition myths of all time.

Although a picture has been painted of cholesterol accumulating in the bloodstream, it is crucial to understand that you don’t have a cholesterol level directly in your blood.  Cholesterol is fat-soluble and our blood is primarily composed of water, in other words, they don’t mix well. In order for cholesterol to be transported around the body in the blood, it has to be carried by special proteins called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins are classified according to their density; two of the most important in cardiovascular disease are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL, known as “bad cholesterol”, carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells of the body, while HDL, known as “good cholesterol”, carries cholesterol from the cells of the body to the liver where it is eliminated as waste.

Consider this analogy, if your bloodstream is like a highway, cholesterol is the passengers on the highway, while the lipoproteins are the vehicles carrying them. It used to be believed that it was the total number of passengers on the highway (i.e. total cholesterol) that was problematic, however, it is now understood that it is the total number of vehicles  (i.e. total LDL vs. HDL) on the highway that is problematic, not the number of passengers. The more vehicles you have on your highway the more prone you are the back-ups and accidents. So, if 200 hundred passengers are traveling in 4 buses, there will be far less traffic and accidents than if 200 passengers were traveling in 200 vehicles.

Our arteries are essentially hollow tubes with a very thin lining and our blood is in constant contact with this lining. Therefore, going back to our analogy, the more vehicles (lipoproteins) there are on the road, the more prone they will be to crashes and running into (damaging) our artery lining. The kicker? Because cholesterol is vital in the creation and protection of cell membranes, when these “crashes” occur, cholesterol arrives at the site of the accident to repair the damage to the lining. So, although cholesterol may be present in the arteries at the “crash” sites, it is a symptom, not the cause.

But, knowing this, it does beg the question, what is causing the damage? To answer that question you need to go to the root, and the root of the cause is inflammation. If cholesterol is nature’s repair substance, you need to look at what is causing the original damage, and the original damage is caused by inflammation. What exactly is causing the inflammation? That can vary from person to person based on diet and lifestyle factors, and include; alcohol, smoking, stress, lack of activity, consumption of trans fats and vegetable oils, consumption of refined carbohydrates, and excess consumption of refined sugar. Of course, there are some people with rare genetic disorders or diseases, but in many cases, inflammation can be managed through diet and lifestyle factors.

So, by following conventional guidelines of opting for low-fat foods, vegetable oils, egg whites, and refined grain products you actually end up doing far more harm than good. Why? Because it is these exact types of foods that contribute to inflammation, which causes more damage. Instead, it is best to focus on a diet of whole foods, and that should include foods that contain cholesterol. It is ideal to consume fresh fruit, fiber-rich vegetables, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, whole grains, whole eggs, seafood, and meat, not to mention managing stress, getting adequate sleep, and staying active. It is these whole foods that are rich in essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and essential lifestyle factors that help to reduce inflammation, as opposed to causing it and then asking cholesterol to come to repair the damage.

The Bottom Line

The reality is, cholesterol is not a demon or the cause of heart disease, it is actually a nutrient that is vital for our health. Not only does it not significantly affect blood levels, but it is no longer considered a “nutrient of concern” when it comes to heart disease. That is not to say that you can eat all of the fat and cholesterol-based foods you possibly can, but at the end of the day, you should be far more concerned about your sugar-laden granola bars than any little old egg yolk.

Feel like you literally can’t live without chocolate? Always need something sweet after a meal? Can’t stop eating sugar once you start? You are not alone. Here are 9 common signs you’re addicted to sugar.

 

Can you really be addicted to sugar?

Let me begin by saying that you cannot be addicted to sugar in the physical sense that you can be addicted to alcohol and other drugs. However, high-sugar foods are hyper-palatable and, for this reason, they are easy to consume in excess. Sugar is rarely consumed in its purest form (i.e. eating straight spoonfuls of sugar), rather, it’s typically consumed in the form of highly-processed foods in conjunction with fat, such as cakes, cookies, and ice cream, which are designed to be hyper-palatable and, therefore, easy to over-consume.

In reality, the objective is not to quit sugar completely, it’s to limit your consumption. While most people are aware of this, many do not realize all the different forms of sugar they are consuming, where it is coming from, and how it is affecting them every single day. In fact, the average Canadian consumes 110 grams of sugar per day, or 26 teaspoons, 51 grams of which are added sugars, which is the equivalent of a pint of ice cream, while governing health organizations suggest limiting your consumption of added sugar to no more than 10%, ideally 5%, of your total daily calorie intake. (1)(2)

Signs You’re “Addicted” to Sugar

Here are 9 signs you really like sugar and what you can do instead.

1. You need something sweet after every meal.

If a meal just doesn’t feel complete without a sweet treat at the end, this is one of the best signs you’re addicted to sugar.  Sugary treats are supposed to be just that; treats, and meant to be consumed from time to time, not every time that you eat. Although it may seem “normal” to end a meal with a sweet treat or dessert, it is not “normal”, it is simply common because a lot of people do it. Although there are some physiological reasons why you may crave sugar after a meal, for many people it is a psychological or a learned habit that they have created over time. So, if you are already thinking about dessert before you finish your dinner, it is time to re-evaluate your love for sugar.

2. You love carbs, all of the carbs.

Sugar comes in many forms, and this is something that people forget. Sugar, or glucose, is our body’s primary source of fuel and is derived from all forms of carbohydrate-based foods. Carbohydrates, specifically refined carbohydrates, are processed into sugar very quickly and easily by the body and can quickly feed your sugar addiction. Items like crackers, granola bars, and bread may seem like a “healthy” choice compared to refined sugar, but if you are someone who already has a problem with sugar they will only perpetuate the cravings. In the end, these forms of refined and processed carbohydrates only disrupt our blood sugar, making our body depend on sugar for fuel, and therefore only feed into further sugar addiction. Instead, swapping things like pasta, bread, crackers and granola bars for items such as rice, potatoes, veggies, and fruit will help to increase your fiber and nutrient intake and slowly balance your blood sugar over time.

3. Your taste buds are dulled to sweet foods.

Our bodies are smart and our taste buds will eventually adapt to whatever we give to them; the more sugar you eat, the more our taste buds become desensitized to the taste of sugar. As you continue to eat sugar, your sugar tolerance will increase, so over time you need more and more sugar to satisfy your taste buds, and naturally sweet foods begin to tasteless and less sweet. So, if you no longer find fruit sweet-tasting, need an extra spoonful of sugar in your coffee, or can’t stand the thought of drinking plain water, it is one of the leading signs that you’re addicted to sugar.

4. You get bloated after meals.

There are many reasons why you may get bloated after eating, but one of the primary reasons is the fermentation of sugar in your digestive tract. Our digestive tract is a delicate ecosystem of bacteria and excess consumption of sugar, in all forms, can disrupt its natural balance. Excess consumption of refined sugars and natural sugars, such as fructose from fruit, is difficult for many people to digest, especially when consumed in excess and can feed the bad bacteria in our guts causing bloating.

5. You experience dramatic dips and spikes in energy during the day.

Sugar consumption directly impacts our blood sugar and our blood sugar directly impacts our energy levels. So, if you feel great at certain points in the day, but have extreme bouts of fatigue at others, it is another one of the signs you’re addicted to sugar. When you eat a large amount of sugar, or a meal rich in carbohydrates, your body reacts by producing insulin to metabolize the sugar in your blood. This high influx of sugar (or energy) gives you a quick boost of energy, followed by a dramatic dip or crash once the sugar has been removed from the bloodstream. This constant disruption in blood sugar will not only leave you feeling tired during the day but cause you to crave more sugar and refined carbohydrates to bring your energy levels back up.

6. You need to eat every 2 or 3 hours.

Ok, I know that you’ve been told that eating every 2-3 hours is ideal as it helps to “boost” metabolism, but not only is that false, but the need to eat every 2-3 hours is a sign that your blood sugar is disrupted. It is important to keep in mind that sugar comes in many forms, not just sweets, and the need to eat every 2-3 hours for energy or to avoid getting hangry is a good sign you are dependent on it. If you find yourself munching on breakfast at 8:00 am, a snack at 10:00 am, lunch at noon, another snack at 2:00 pm, dinner at 6:00 pm, and a late-night snack before bed just to get through the day, it is a very good sign that your insulin is resistant to sugar and you are unable to metabolize fat for energy. So, if you find yourself mindlessly snacking or constantly thinking about the next time that you will be eating, it is actually one of the leading signs you’re dependent on sugar.

7. Once you start eating sugar you can’t stop.

Although this one seems obvious, the inability to stop eating sugar once you start is one of the most common signs you’re addicted to it. The consumption of sugar, especially in excess over time, can really influence the body’s hormones, specifically insulin, leptin, and ghrelin. Insulin is responsible for managing the body’s energy level and need for more sugar, while ghrelin is the hormone responsible for telling the body when it is hungry or not. However, overconsumption of sugar can cause ghrelin to become less sensitive and therefore can lead up to over-consumption of sweets even when we are not hungry. So, the more you consume sugar the less sensitive your insulin and ghrelin become, and the more sugar you need to get that same sugar “high”.

8. You feel irritable when you miss a meal.

Get cranky when you miss a meal? Feel irritable when you don’t have a snack? Get hangry during the day? Believe it or not, the body should be able to go multiple hours without eating without any negative symptoms, but for many people, this may seem almost impossible. Although symptoms can vary slightly from person to person, the irritable feeling you experience when you miss a meal is the body’s dependency on sugar for energy, inability to metabolize fat for fuel, and our brain’s inability to produce our feel-good neurotransmitter because of it.

9. You’ve tried to stop eating sugar, but you can’t.

If you’ve tried to cut it out, but just can’t, it is certainly one of the best signs you might be addicted to sugar. If you tried to cut back but started to go through withdrawal symptoms, it’s only natural to go back to your old ways. Although cutting out sugar cold turkey may work for some, it may be difficult for others, and therefore make it more difficult to quit. However, with the right approach and some well-planned steps, it can be done.

The Bottom Line

It is important to remember that not all sugar comes in the form of sugary treats and desserts, but can also come in the form of crackers, granola bars, sweetened beverages, and any other form of refined carbohydrates. Quitting sugar doesn’t mean that you will never eat sugar again, it simply means that when you do consume it, you will be able to do it under control.