If you’re thinking about putting your family on a diet, whether for the purpose of weight loss or then opting for a healthier lifestyle, keeping a food journal can help you reach your goal.
Getting started: Start your family journal a week or so before you start making a change in the choice of foods. This will give you the opportunity to know your family’s weaknesses and strengths while making their choices of foods.
Make your own rules: How much? What kind? When? Where? You decide what works best for you while jotting down the family food details. You could either divide them into different food groups or take pictures of the foods your family has eaten during the day to track how healthy or unhealthy your choices have been. You can then discuss the choices your family members are making and if they’re really helping everyone’s health.
Assess your family’s goals: One of you might want to lose weight, the other more keen on building up muscle…a food journal will help you see where each individual is falling short of the boost needed to reach their goal.
Have nutrition guidelines: Consult a nutritionist and have certain nutrition rules. At the end of the day you and your family can write down what you ate and check them against the nutrition guidelines that you have for the family. There are free, printable, family food journals with daily slots for five family members to record their daily intake, on the Internet. There are also food journaling apps available, which range from snapping photos to old-fashioned logging.
Menu planning: Be realistic about your meal plans. You may have the best of intentions and not a lot of time. Take a look at your calendar and create a menu plan that will serve your family well. What kinds of healthy foods can you rustle up on busy days? What would you prefer on lazy Sundays? Use your grocery days for chopping and dicing for quick wraps and salads for times you don’t have much time to cook.
Journal the family favourites: Everyone has a favourite dish. Include, at specific intervals, a family favourite. This will help the family members to not feel deprived.