Here we are at part 4 and the final part of this series on tracking. This time we're tackling food tracking…. I’ve saved this one for last as I feel like I’m about to walk through a field of land mines here. There are some very strong opinions in the health community about tracking food so let me preface what I say here with this is just one approach. As I’ve said in previous posts on tracking, ‘know thyself'. I’m going to give you options, present some pros and cons and then I’ll give you my ‘go-to’ when it comes to food tracking. Then YOU get to decide, just like my clients do, what kind of food tracking you might want to try for yourself.
Why Track?
Let’s first talk about why you might want to track what you’re eating. There are few reasons:
- You’re having digestive issues or a suspected food sensitivity that you’re looking to find the root of.
- You are trying to manage a health condition that can be modified through lifestyle e.g. Type II diabetes
- You are trying to improve the quality or composition of the food you eat. e.g. less processed and more whole foods, less alcohol and more water, etc.
- You are trying to lose weight or change your body composition.
Whatever your reason, you are likely trying to examine what foods you’re eating and/or how much food you’re eating and there are different food tracking approaches that can be used for each.
How to track
1) Counting calories
Typically calorie counting is used for the purpose of managing weight, either losing it, gaining it, or maintaining it. These days most people who are interested in tracking calories go with a mobile app. There are a ton of them with quite thorough databases that allow you to find whatever food you ate and add it to your log for the day.
CONS: Calorie databases aren’t always very accurate so unless you get into a lot of weighing and measuring, you’re only getting into a ballpark range for the calories you’ve eaten. Additionally, the human body is not a static entity. Hormonal changes, our sleep, our stress, or activity level all impact how we burn the calories we’ve eaten. So just because the math indicates that you should be losing or gaining weight, the reality might be different. This can be frustrating for some.
Most people find calorie counting is not sustainable. They can keep it up for a little while but eventually, they find the process too tedious and stop before they achieve their goal. It can also lead to some unhealthy obsession with food and tracking.
Calorie counting also ignores food quality. If you’re only concerned about your calorie count for the day, you don’t pay attention to whether the food is whole or processed, if you’re getting a colourful variety of fruits and vegetables, or adequate protein and fats, etc. We could lose or gain weight just by eating chocolate bars or popcorn day in and day out but that might not be the best approach for our overall health.
Lastly, calorie counting moves away from paying attention to what our body really needs. By eating when we’re not hungry or not eating when we are, we mask any signals our body sends us. These signals indicate that we need fuel or we have enough fuel on board, but we ignore them because of where we’re at in our calorie count for the day.
2) Counting macros
Like counting calories, those who count macros (grams of fat, carbohydrates, protein) usually have body composition goals in mind or they have a health concern that requires them to ensure they eat enough of one type of macronutrient or very little of another. For example, Type II diabetics may drastically reduce their intake of carbohydrates to improve insulin sensitivity. Those who are working toward body composition changes, in particular gaining lean muscle mass, may focus on getting extra protein into their meals. Endurance athletes may try to reach a certain macronutrient ratio that emphasizes carbohydrates or fats depending on the fuel source that they prefer to use.
Typically if you’re interested in counting macros, you’re doing some weighing and measuring of your food and again leveraging apps to tell you how much carbohydrate, fat and protein you’ve consumed or are about to consume.
PROS: Like counting calories, counting macros works if you’re sticking with it. Type II diabetics have been able to improve their insulin sensitivity by lowering their carbohydrate intake. Bodybuilders have made big gains by following a higher protein diet in conjunction with appropriate exercise. Endurance athletes have found certain macronutrient ratios better fuel their performance.
CONS: Like calorie counting, some find counting macros unsustainable. The weighing and measuring and looking things up in databases can be very tedious. Eating out can be challenging. Many people will start counting macros but quickly give it up in search of something simpler to follow.
Like calorie counting, counting macros does not consider food quality. The high carbohydrate, low-fat, moderate protein eater could sustain life on gummy bears with the odd chicken breast thrown in and hit their macronutrient targets but perhaps not do their health any good. This also isn't helpful if you have food sensitivities that you're trying to get to the bottom of. You really need to know the specifics of what you're eating to figure this out.
Lastly, like counting calories, strictly tracking macros also doesn’t allow you to develop an intuitive sense of your body’s needs. You may be tempted to under or overeat if you’re not paying attention to hunger cues and simply trying to hit your macronutrient ratios.
BOTTOM LINE: Like counting calories, counting macros can be valuable as a short-term strategy to raise your awareness of just how much protein, fat and carbohydrates you’re eating. For women, in particular, protein can be a bit lacking and may need some particular focus. Short-term tracking (7 days will typically do it) will give you a sense of much of your food is coming from fat, carbohydrates and protein and then allow you to make some general adjustments.
3) Tracking Portions
This is another way to track using your hand as your measuring tool. It looks like this:
- A portion of protein is the palm of your hand
- A portion of carbs is a cupped hand
- A portion of vegetables is a fist
- A portion of fat is your thumb
You can then use this guide to track how much you’re eating. Not reaching your goals? You can adjust the number of each of these portions up or down as needed.
PROS: You always have your hand with you so no need to consult a database or a label to figure out calorie counts or macros. In fact, internal research conducted by Precision Nutrition indicates that hand portion tracking is 95% as accurate as weighing and measuring your food but with a whole lot less effort.
CONS: You’re still using an external guide to tell you how much to eat instead of listening to your body so you may still end up with days when you’re eating when your body is telling you that you’re not hungry and days when you’re not eating when your body is telling you ‘Hey, we’re starving in here!’.
You still need to track how many portions of each type of food you ate, though tracking your vegetables will at least make you pay attention to how many of those you’re getting in each day.
It can also be a challenge to track things that are a mixture like stews and soups (but this is often the case for calories and macros too!) and you don't have the detail to get to the bottom of food sensitivities.
BOTTOM LINE: This is a great approach for those that would like a little structure around how much they should be eating but really don’t want to go down the path of counting calories or macros. Often tracking portions is a little more sustainable as it doesn’t take quite as much work. You can track your portions for a few days and then adjust the total number of portions or the ratios of the portions to figure out what works best for you.
4) Habit-based tracking
This approach is quite different. You identify a habit you would like to develop to improve your nutrition and then you track whether or not you performed the habit. Examples might include
- Eat vegetables at most meals
- Eat protein at most meals
- Eat only until 80% full at most meals
- Eat only when sitting at a table (to avoid the mindless snacking).
- Eat with no distractions
- Drink only calorie-free beverages
- Plan meals in advance
- Eat slowly
- Avoid dairy (or whatever food sensitivity you might be investigating)
PROS: For most people, simply gradually implementing basic food habits such as these can drastically change the way they eat and drastically change their body composition if that is one of their goals.
There’s no counting involved, just a simple checkmark to represent that you did the planned habit. This makes this a very doable approach that doesn’t require long-term tracking. Once the habit is established, you simply move on to the next one. This approach is also highly customizable. You pick the habits that reflect the areas that need the most work for you.
These habits also support an intuitive eating approach that supports improvements in food quality by encouraging you to pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues as well as the composition of your meals.
CONS: Changes in body composition can be slower with this approach. It can take time for people to develop these habits, learn to eat more slowly, identify what 80% full feels like, figure out ways to incorporate more vegetables into their diet. Those that are looking for a quick fix, likely won’t find this approach satisfying.
BOTTOM LINE: I’ll divulge my bias here. This is the approach I use with the majority of my clients. It avoids some of the obsessive behaviours that can come from a calorie or macro counting approach, brings a focus on food quality, is easy to implement, highly sustainable and customizable to suit the needs of each person I work with. When you combine this with solid planning as I write about here, you've got a winning combination.
The Real Bottom Line
Still not sure? You might also want to check out this great article from Precision Nutrition on choosing your best food tracking method but what I think it comes down to, as I’ve said in many posts before, ‘know thyself’. If you’re looking for a quick fix, then you might want to go with calorie counting or macros as your food tracking approach. Just really be aware of the long-term here. What is your exit strategy when you reach your goals? Are these temporary goals or do you want to remain there long-term? Are you going to track in detail for life? Do you have a plan to wean off the food tracking?
Recognize that if your current diet is negatively affecting your health, then you need to find sustainable dietary changes, not temporary measures. Going back to how you’re eating now will get you the results you have now. If you want long-term change, there is no going back, so choose wisely.
Need some help figuring out what approach might work best for you? That’s where health coaching can be helpful. A coach will help you to figure out which approach will work best to meet your goals and then help you make it a part of your every day life. Book a free 30-minute consultation here.
