WATCHING what you eat really does help, at least if you do it through a camera lens. That鈥檚 the conclusion of a study of dieters鈥� eating habits comparing the effect of written food diaries with taking a snapshot of each meal.
Food diaries track food consumption during weight loss programmes, but now taking a snapshot of each meal is replacing the laborious task of writing down everything you eat. To see if photos might also prompt healthier eating, and David Deal at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told 43 people to record what they ate for one week in words and as pictures.
When they quizzed the volunteers, photo diaries seemed to be the most effective. Not only did they provide powerful visual documentation of snack binges, they also triggered critical evaluation at just the right time 鈥� before the food was eaten (International Journal of Consumer Studies, ). 鈥淚 had to think more carefully about what I was going to eat because I had to take a picture of it,鈥� was a typical response.
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In contrast, written diaries are often completed long after the meal and do not create as powerful a reminder of the quantity and quality of the food that was eaten.
鈥淣utritionists see diaries as recording tools. Now they should explore the role of photo diaries as intervention tools,鈥� says Zepeda.
