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Home › Articles › Eating Right › On the Right Track

On the Right Track

The Benefits of Writing Down What Your Family Eats

By Teri Brown

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Molly Kimball, a registered dietitian and sports and lifestyle nutritionist for the Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans, La., believes that while keeping track of our family's dietary input is one of the most positive ways we can impact our family's health, we shouldn't go overboard on how we implement changes. "I think it's important for parents to focus on eating healthfully, yet still realize that their kids are just that – kids," Kimball says. "Some parents get carried away and ban all types of 'junk' foods from the house – so there's not a cookie, chip or ice cream to be found. I've found this often leads to kids viewing foods as 'good' and 'bad' and also leads to kids overindulging in their favorite treats when they're away from home."

Kimball believes that it is oftentimes the parents' good intentions that can create even worse problems for the child by creating an all-or-nothing mentality. "I think it's essential that parents still fit these 'fun' foods in occasionally, not as a reward, but just 'because,'" she says. "So every once in a while, go out for ice cream (not just frozen yogurt!) or share popcorn at the movies."

Just remember to keep track of it!

All Aboard!

Kimball gives the following suggestions to help the busy family track what they eat during the day:

  • Make it fun! You can set up a check-off sheet on the fridge for what each person in the family is aiming for. For instance, Dad may get plenty of veggies already, but he needs more fruit, so that's his goal. It's important for the children get to see the parents participating and making their own efforts to eat healthfully, too.
  • Make it appropriate. If the child needs to lose weight then he doesn't need to shoot for lots of fruit juice or starches (even whole grain). He'd be better off striving to include more veggies, fresh fruits, etc. If a child needs more calcium then his checklist should include more milk, yogurt and calcium-enriched juices.
  • Setting a reward system is great, too, but make sure the rewards are not based on food. Make the reward a special activity. If everyone in the family meets their goal, they all go to an amusement park or hiking.

Keep in Mind...
  • Keeping track of your family's eating habits is a good way to make sure they are eating a healthy diet. The results of such information might surprise you!
  • After you have tracked your family's diet for a week or so, you can take the information and use it to form goals that are specific to each person. Then use tracking to motivate you to meet those goals.
  • Try to engage your children's cooperation by using a food journal, a check-off sheet or a corkboard to keep track of food intake.
  • Remember to enjoy some fun foods once in a while – to delight the child in all of us!


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