Own up to what you eat
Posted by kathryn in Nutrition
Do you know what you eat? I mean, do you really know what you eat?
We often have a picture in our heads of how we eat. While you may think you eat wholegrain toast, lots of salads, regular stir fries, plenty of fruit and minimal take-away, this may be different from what you actually eat.
If you kept a Food Diary for a week, what would you find? It may be that salads, stir fries and fruit are not the backbone of your diet. Instead it’s mid-morning biscuits; vegetable free pasta and take-aways.
We sometimes think we eat really well. We concentrate on the things we did right, whilst “forgetting” the treats and rushed meals. When you write it all down, there is nowhere to hide and the reality can look quite different.
However, if you’re going to improve what you eat and be healthier – then it really helps to know what you’re doing now. Being aware of what your habits are and why, is a key to change.
As Jill Dupleix says in Lighten Up:
Don’t play the blame game. Being grown up means you can’t blame anyone but yourself for what you choose to eat.
Own up to those meat pies, chips and chocolate bars. You put them in your mouth, you ate them. And if these are the foods you are eating every day, then they are your diet. Not the salad you ate last Wednesday, or the vegetable stir fry you cooked on the weekend.
It’s harsh. It’s difficult. It may mean admitting your diet is not very good – but the first step to change is owning up to what you are eating.
Would you be surprised if you kept a food diary?
Photograph by Chotda