Online Lab: A Day of Food

I guess I should preface this by saying I know I have some bad eating habits. What it comes down to is, I like salt and I like sugar! The day I kept track of my food, my husband had purchased a huge tub of licorice for the youth group. I usually avoid buying things like that because I mindlessly eat candy if it's there, whether I am hungry or not. Unfortunately, I have the fillings to prove it.

Interestingly I did not seem to be over on my sugar that day, the two areas I had a problem in, according to the chart were, protein and of course, salt. I think I could also use more fiber. Below is a list of what I ate that day, October 9th, 2008. I


2 cups coffee with 2% milk

1 banana

1 pouch Chex Mix

3 licorice sticks

1 glass cranberry juice

1 can Progresso hearty tomato soup

1 English muffin with margarine

1 baked breaded chicken breast

2 servings spinach rice with feta cheese

9 small brussel sprouts

1 glass 2% milk

1 cup apple cider

Above is the completed chart. I used http://www.thedailyplate.com/users/myplate/ as the other website was not working for me.

Totals: 2,038 calories, 57g fat, 290mg, cholesterol, 3,335 sodium, 298g carbs, 130g sugar, 25g fiber, 124g protein.

I think I have a fairly well balanced diet. I enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables but I seemed kind of low on this day. I think my salt intake is a problem, so far it has not hurt me but my husband has hypertension and needs to cut down. My husband is also on a high protein diet because of his chemo so the protein intake is appropriate for him, but maybe not for the rest of us.

I would like to eliminate processed foods altogether. We are a family on the go and we eat too many quick meals. I guess I would eliminate the canned soup and make my own, I do grow tomatoes, although it is the end of the season now.

I think this kind of tracking is helpful because it illuminates problem areas. the problem is changing the habit. It is easier said than done.