All of us love to gorge our favourite foods and not worry about the nutritional value. We are busy and do not have time to be picky about our food. But, is this the correct approach to have when it comes to something as important as health? After all, the food we consume has a great impact on our health.

When you keep track of the foods you eat, the transition to a healthy diet is a lot easier. Experts such as Authority Health have stated that when you keep track of the food you eat, it can serve as motivation to stick to a healthy diet and make you feel accountable for the foods you consume.

How do I find out the nutritional value of my food?

There are a number of ways but the first point should be your grocery store. Before you buy any item, look at the nutrition facts label. You can find these labels on the back, side or the bottom of the item. The ingredients list will be included, as well.

If you prefer to avoid long queues and the drive to the shopping center, you can shop online. Once you are on the supplier’s website, look for the nutritional information icon. Most suppliers will state the nutritional information on the website.

What should I look out for?

• Fats
• Carbohydrates
• Vitamins
• Calories
• Minerals

The other information that should be stipulated is the number of servings for the product. There are also foods that do not contain labels. Some examples are fruit and vegetables, items from the meat department or the deli, as well as bakery goods.

Since the ingredient information is not available on the items, you can get the information from the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference online. You will be able to obtain highly detailed ingredient information on a vast range of foods.

If you wish to explore an alternative option, there are other sites and apps where you can calculate the nutritional value of your diet. Some of these websites and apps also offer several tools for you to use to keep a track of your daily intake.

The benefits of tracking your food

Dining companions

The purpose of keeping track of your food is to determine your intake of healthy and unhealthy foods. If you are on a diet, you need to be strict with the foods you eat. People who have kept a track of their food discovered that they chose unhealthy foods when dining with a loved one as opposed to eating healthy when they were alone.

Your mood

When you keep track of the nutritional value of your food, you can correlate your list to your moods. People who stuck to the healthy nutrients were not only healthy but proved to be more jubilant than individuals who ate anything at their disposal. Individuals who digested vegetables were more prone to happiness compared to those who opted for takeaways.

Perceptions matching reality

Most of us are under the impression that we eat healthy foods most of the time. We even say things such as “I consume tons of healthy food during the week.” Once we begin to track what we eat, we can compare the reality to our perception and be aware of the truth on a conscious level.

Tracking your habits

Besides being able to accurately identify the nutritional value, you can also determine your habits by keeping track of your foods. You will learn the time of day you eat certain foods, which will enable you to make changes if necessary or pat yourself on the back for sticking to a strict regime.

Understand your sources

By keeping track of the nutritional information, you quickly identify the foods that are making you gain weight or are keeping you slim. This way you can make adjustments to your diet.

Portion control

We are not always able to keep control of the nutritional value as we may be out on a date or without a pen and paper or our mobile phones, which have the nutritional value app. If you have been keeping track of your nutritional value for some time, you will become accustomed to ascertaining the portions you should be eating, even when you are unable to physically track the value.

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