When I sit down with a nutrition client, the first thing I evaluate is their food log. The food log gives me access to an important piece of the fitness puzzle. I examine things like handwriting, number of meals recorded, how many days the client forgot to log food, and so much more. What? You thought I care about what they eat? I do, but the FIRST thing I look for is if this client is actually aware of what they are putting in their body, both food and drink. A common remission I see is clients who don’t record what they drink. This is usually due to embarrassment of consuming drinks daily after they get off of work. Those “few beers” or “just a glass of wine” are usually a little bit more volume and often than the client even knows, but without WRITING IT DOWN we can never put the problem in front of us to change.
Just to give you an idea, this is what a one day food log from yours truly:
6am-Wake-Up
7am-12oz Cold Brew Coffee (black)
7:30am-RX Oats with 1/4 Cup Whole Lactose Free Milk, 1 Tbsp skippy peanut butter, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
10:30am-workout
11:45am-smoothie (1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/4 cup cranberry juice, 1/2 scoop protein egg white powder, 1 scoop colleen protein)
12:15pm-4 whole eggs (pastured), 2 strips thick cut bacon (nitrate/nitrite free), 1/3 cup lactose free cheese, 1/2 cup onion/peppers mix), 16oz. water
3pm-8oz. Sliced Turkey Breast (nitrate/nitrite free), 1.5 cups trader joe’s cassava chips, 16oz. Pellegrino soda water, 1/4 cup white rice, 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
6pm-12oz Grass-fed Skirt Steak, 2 Cups White Rice, 2 TBSP Peter Lugar Steak Sauce, 16oz. Pellegrino Soda Water
Don’t worry about what I am eating, look more at the detail and clarity of the actual food log. What it tells you is that I am aware of everything that I put into my body. That is why logging food is so critical to making nutritional changes. We can’t measure what we can’t change. Up your food log game, and see your body composition change accordingly.
Need help with YOUR food logging? Book a free assessment today, and let’s get started on the path to a better diet.