If you've just arrived, or you'd like a review, check out my posts about sugar addiction and the solution to sugar addiction. I'm following the 7 steps outlined in Potatoes, Not Prozac.

Step 2 is keeping a food journal. In this journal you write:

1. The times you eat/drink
2. What you eat/drink
3. How you feel physically
4. How you feel emotionally

Why even do this? It helps you connect with your body. You will learn what your body needs, how certain foods affect you, that if you do "A," then "B" will happen.

The food journal allows you to see progression over time. As you wean yourself off sugar, you may see healthier food choices, steadier eating times, and more positive emotions. Looking back on the food journal can be an encouragement in that sense. You may be amazed to see how far you've come.

This step is difficult for some. It's challenging to figure out and face what we're feeling. We might feel guilty writing down everything we've eaten. It's actually pretty amazing how much of ourselves we have tied up in food!

But the food journal in this particular program is not about good or bad. There's no judgment involved. You're simply recording information as objectively as possible in order to help you learn connections between what you eat and how you feel.  It's all about learning so you can make positive adjustments that result in improved health.  The journal gives your body a voice.

"Your body doesn't provide a computer printout to tell you what's going on with it, but it gives you clues in the form of symptoms that hint at the bigger picture. These symptoms will be consistent and predictable. You just have to learn to read them." (Potatoes, Not Prozac, p.111)

I think this is an interesting way of using a food journal.  I've never done anything like it before, and I'm curious to give it a try.  I can't say that I'm going to love journaling what I eat or even remember to do it on a regular basis. But that's why I'm going about all this very slowly.

Photo credit: assiewin

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Categories:

Sugar Addiction

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Food Journal, Sugar Addiction