Food Journals

Studies show that dieters who keep a food journal lose more weight. They lose as much as twice as much weight and are more likely to keep that weight off. A journal may also help you ensure you’re eating a balanced diet, pinpoint foods which may be causing symptoms of allergies or insensitivities or show how what you eat is affecting your mood.

A journal can be as simple as just writing down what you eat during the day. It can be more complex including time of day, how you are feeling, what you are doing, and if you are with anyone at the time.

Write down everything you eat. Don’t forget condiments, the oil you add to the pan when cooking, the small handful of a snack, or things you may be just “tasting”. If eating out at a chain restaurant you may be able to find nutritional information on their website for your meal. When you first get started you may wish to measure to make sure you are accurate in your report of what you’re eating.

There are many websites and programs available to help you if you decide you’d like something more high tech than a pen and pad of paper. A couple of free sites are sparkpeople.com and fitday.com. Just enter what you’ve eaten during the day to be able to analyze different factors such as amount of carbohydrates or whether or not you’re getting enough calcium. You can also track your exercise, weight, or other measurements.

Does this sound like a lot of work? It’s not once you get used to it and you can even set a drop down list of your favorites or things you eat often. I don’t expect most people will want to do this every day but it is a good way now and then to check in and see what you are really consuming. You might be surprised.

Cranberry Apricot Chocolate Chip Cookies

Please don’t think I’m cruel for posting a cookie recipe during diet season. If you are denying yourself your favorite foods, rather than eating reasonable amounts of them you’re likely to feel deprived and give up and gain all the weight back. Enjoy the things you love, just in moderation.

These cookies have less fat and are made with whole wheat flour and dried fruit to make them better for you. However they are still cookies, made with butter and sugar, and as such their consumption should be limited.

Want to make your favorite cookie healthier? You can replace up to ½ of the fat in the recipe with ½ as much applesauce and turn the oven down 25 degree cooler than in the original recipe. For example, if your recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, instead use ½ cup butter plus ¼ cup applesauce and 400 degrees rather than 425 degrees. You may also replace ½ of the all purpose flour in a recipe with a whole grain flour with little change in taste.

Afraid you’ll eat the whole batch? Scoop cookies onto a lined cookie sheet and place in freezer. When they are frozen, remove from cookie sheet and put in an airtight container or zip top freezer bag. This way you can pull out as many as you wish to bake. Pull cookies out of the freezer and bake as usual.

Cranberry Apricot Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 40 small cookies

1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons applesauce, unsweetened
1 large egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup dried apricot
Spray oil


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, applesauce, orange juice, and vanilla extract.

In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet mixture and mix until smooth.

Stir in chocolate chips, dried fruit, and nuts (optional). Feel free to use your favorite dried fruits.

Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls (use a cookie scoop for even distribution) onto baking sheets sprayed with oil. Wet fingers and gently flatten cookies.

Bake until slightly brown around edges but not set in center, about 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Nutritional Analysis: 59 Calories; 2g Fat; 1g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 31mg Sodium.

Serving size Vs. Portion Size

Are you eating what you think you should but still not losing weight? You can eat too much even if what you are eating is good for you. Food packaging can be confusing (if not deceiving). On a box of pasta, I have found “1 serving, 1/4 of box” listed in cooking directions but on the nutritional label “servings per container - 7”.

Although the terms serving and portion are often used interchangeably they are in fact very different and this is where much of the confusion lies. A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat (or that is served to you). A serving is the amount that experts recommend you eat. It is a standardized way of measuring food.

Portions have grown over the years. Packages dictate what is a “serving” for the nutrition label (although the word portion should be used here). They tell us what one might typically eat. Portion sizes of packaged food and food prepared at restaurants and at home have increased in the last 20 years (as well as waistlines).

So go ahead and get out your measuring cups and scales. You’re likely to be surprised at what a serving truly looks like. If you’re trying to eat less, use a smaller plate or divide your restaurant meal in half before you begin eating.

Serving sizes:

Grains:

Bread 1 ounce, 1 small slice, ½ bagel, ½ bun
½ cup cooked rice, pasta, oats, cold cereal
Fruits and vegetables:
½ cup raw, canned, frozen fruit
¼ cup dried fruit
1 cup raw vegetables
½ cup cooked vegetables
6 ounces fruit or vegetable juice

Meat (or alternatives):

3 ounces cooked beef, poultry, fish, tofu
½ cup cooked beans
2 tablespoons or 1 ounce nuts, seeds, or nut butters

Dairy:

1 ounce cheese (thin slice or a pair of dice sized chunk)
1 cup milk or yogurt

Fat and oils:

1 teaspoon butter, margarine, oil (about size of 1 die)