As you probably have figured out, I am not really what you would call a ‘food blogger’.
I don’t take pictures of everything I eat; I instead like to focus on a variety of topics that appeal to me. On average I probably post 1 meal a day and I also enjoy posting healthy baking recipes often too.
As Dr. Phil would say:
“How’s that working for ya?”
I really enjoy blogging and I have especially enjoyed focusing on writing- it is one of my passions!
I like the freedom I have by not taking a picture of everything I eat. I like to be able to just sit down at the table and not have to worry where my camera is. I like to be able to stand at the counter and munch crackers from a box mindlessly (Hey it happens!). Given my history with disordered eating, I really don’t think it would be wise for me to take pictures of everything I eat. Right now I think I have achieved a nice balance in my life.
Yesterday, I read this great article on a new study that was done on the topic of food journaling. Lydia Zepeda and David Deal from the University of Wisconsin-Madison wanted to find out whether taking pictures of one’s food would be more beneficial for weight loss than simply writing it down.
Does taking pictures of one’s food make one more mindful of what they are eating?
Zepeda and Deal asked 43 participants to record what they ate for one week in words and as pictures. This required that participants snapped pictures of their food prior to eating it.
When researchers quizzed the volunteers, they found that photo diaries were found to be the most effective tool.
Taking pictures of one’s food appeared to provide a strong visual reminder of what was consumed, including binges. Snapping a couple shots immediately prior to eating served as a critical evaluation point and made participants mindful of the situation.
In comparison, written food logs are often seen as less effective because they can be written hours later when it is already too late. Many dieters will sit down before bed and write down what they ate. This may not be as effective a strategy as people assume.
The results of the study allude to the possibility of the usefulness of the photo journaling tool. Dietitians are beginning to ask their clients to take pictures of what they eat as it is a much more precise gauge.
My Take:
I can definitely see how taking pictures of one’s meals can result in making better food choices! Images are such a powerful tool. I think this study is a bit similar to the study about participants who eat their meals in front of a mirror. Guess what? They eat less! The mirror serves as a ‘visual’ reminder of what they are putting into their mouth. Other research shows that people eat more in dimly lit rooms. See a pattern here?
I think that photo journaling would be a great tool for dietitians to obtain a better ‘visual’ of what their client is eating! However, it isn’t fool proof, I mean…who really knows if someone is truly photographing everything they eat.
Taking pictures of one’s food can be problematic though. As I indicated above, taking pictures of everything I eat probably wouldn’t be a good idea for myself. For others it is a great tool that keeps them in check and tells them if they are eating enough. It is quite similar to people who have told me that they count calories to make sure that they are getting enough calories in a day. If they don’t count calories, they usually end up eating too little. So I definitely think that like everything in the health world, it can have a positive or negative influence on someone.
I know some food bloggers who have told me that taking pictures of everything they ate made them crazy and obsessed and they had to stop. Conversely, many have no problem with snapping pictures of what they eat and do so without the blink of an eye! It is simply a quick blip during their day that they have become accustomed to.
Taking pictures of one’s food is not going to work for everyone! Many people would find it bothersome. On occasion, when I plan to snap a few shots of a meal it can be annoying! Sometimes I just want to eat!! Eric gets to happily munch away and I have to try my best to take professional looking pictures. Taking pictures of my food can be a real drag! There, I said it!!
I love the freedom of taking pictures when I want to. I guess I am a bit rebellious that way and don’t like to feel that I have to do something. I think if I felt like I had to snap all of my meals it would take some of the joy out of the process for me.
My questions for everyone today are:
- Do you take pictures of what you eat? Why or why not?
- Has taking pictures of what you eat ever caused problems for you?
- Do you think it is a helpful tool for weight loss?
I’m off to bake, bake, bake! Baking madness in the kitchen today! See you tonight for some fun pictures!!!!
The only time I take pics of my food is when I plan on blogging about that particular meal or recipe. I am not a hardcore food blogger that blogs about every thing I eat. Frankly, I feel like no one really cares what the salad I had for lunch looks like. (Not that there is anything wrong with the people who take pics of everything they eat. Whatever floats your boat!) I think if I tried taking pics of all my food every day it’d drive me nuts and take the enjoyment out of blogging.
I think taking pics of your food could be a useful diet/health tool, but just like writing it down it can potentially be dangerous. For some people (especially those with disorder eating habits) this might make them a little obsessive. It’s like counting calories- there are some people who can guess the general range and there are those that count every little calorie, down to a stick of gum. It depends on the person I guess.
I started taking pictures of the food I cook not for a blog but to share with my friends on fbook once we all went our separate ways after college, as I was the “chef” (ha, I use that term very loosely here) of the bunch. I’ve continued that line of thought now that I’ve started adding food pictures to my blog also. Sometimes I share daily eats that I think other people might find interesting, or a favor profile I particularly love (duh, that’s why I eat it, right?) but I don’t do a daily diary, because I do eat a lot of the same things all week and I think that would get dull for readers. I’m not sure how this will effect any weight loss or gain on my part. I think that eating healthy foods in general and trying balance out what I eat with how I am active is my road to a healthier weight and lifestyle, not a number.
Great Hot Topic, Angela! Keep up the amazing blog…I really enjoy all of your content.
I did it for a couple of straight months and it actually put the “fun” back into my blog and made it feel “new” again because it was another way I was able to express some creativity with my passion for health and my journey in weight loss. It created a rock wall of accountability for me beyond just tracking, journalling and talking about it on my blog because it was right THERE to see! After a few months of it however, I had to stop because it was becoming exhausting and not as fun anymore. The moment I started feeling like it was a chore, it defeated the purpose.
I started doing it again just recently and I’m feeling that fun sense again and it’s keeping me on track which is the whole point of the blog to begin with. I know that the day will come again when it’s going to feel like a chore and then I’ll stop.
The way I see it is, if you have a blog you can choose to do whatever you want. If you decide to be a “food blogger” and take pictures of every little thing, post them and talk about them, then great! If you only want to take and post pictures when you think it’s “blog-worthy” and a contribution to your readers in some way, then that’s cool too. I love the freedom of blogging and the loyalty of the readers. Chances are if they are reading your blog and have for a while, they are doing so because of the person writing the content first and foremost. There’s a fine line with blogging – do what you want on your blog, or do what you think people want on your blog.
Yours btw is great and I can’t believe that I just recently stumbled on it! Where was I under a rock?? ;-)
I think it would become such a hassle to photograph EVERYTHING I ate! Make sure the lighting is good… be a nerd and find a good placemat to put underneath it… oops, that shot was blurry, better take another… ugh, just let me eat already :)
Completely unrelated question:
I’ve had so much fun the last couple of weeks going out with friends, attending bachelorette parties, wedding showers, etc. and I actually feel like I am doing a good job of balancing indulging & balanced eating.. so what’s the problem you ask? the comments from family/friends such as “oh, you’re having X ?? you’re eating too healthy… why don’t you just splurge a little? … you always have to pick the healthiest thing on the menu…”
on the one hand it’s kind of a compliment because, yeah, thanks, I do try to give my body what it needs and wants! but it makes me feel uncomfortable also because I don’t really know how to respond to comments like that without sounding defensive.. does that make sense? how do you deal with situations like that?
Interesting study but I’m not that surprised by the results. Taking photos of my food helped me lose 30 lbs over the course of a year and I believe it is going to become the “next big thing” with mainstream dieters.
Lately I have stopped photographing every meal. I go back and forth in wondering if I still need it. On one hand, it is a habit and it definitely makes me hyper-aware of what I’m eating. On the other, I am trying to eat more intuitively and not be a slave to structure. I think I might be growing out of photographing everything and I am happy about that!
Funny you should mention it, but I’m just starting to take pics of my food to put on my blog. I kinda thought it seemed like a lot of trouble, but now I realize that I could use some accountability (especially in my snacks!) I can go overboard on eating healthy snacks, and just today I stopped myself from having multiple granola bars by thinking “I really don’t want to put 6 empty wrappers up on my blog.” :-D
Maybe that’s slightly perverse, but I’m interested to see if it works. I also kind of like the sort of postmodern flavor to it… people taking pictures not for art of posterity but to record food, but the food become beautiful in the recording? Maybe I’m overthinking? :-D
Yes i have a regular health blog and then i have a blog just to journal my food and put photo’s of the food there. I have found it to be a great tool in my weight loss journey!
I’ve only started taking pictures of my food this year. I don’t do it for every meal and I don’t post pictures of all my meals. I started doing it to better illustrate the meals I was eating on my blog.
I don’t think of my blog as a food journal, so it hasn’t caused me any problems. I keep my own record of what I eat every day and that works well for me in maintaining my weight. I could see how taking pictures of everything could work for some people, but could also cause problems for others.
I try to take pictures of my meals, I find that when I do I’m more accountable. When I stop taking pictures of my food I find that’s when I start slowly falling off the wagon.
I also find posting my food photos on my blog is helpful because others can see what I’m eating and how much.
I have a long history of disordered eating, but I don’t think it really peaked until I started taking pics of my food!! I was trying to take pics to make sure I was eating enough and that I was getting variety, but what ended up happening is that I started comparing myself to other bloggers, getting upset and obsessive, and just being more disordered!
I have *never* counted calories (except for a nutrition assignment) which is good. I should never have tried keeping track of everything I ate because it was probably just as bad as counting would have been.
I did the food blog thing for about 3.5 months but it got to be too much. I changed the focus of my blog and I’m much happier.
It’s never bothered me a bit because I like food and get excited to share my creations.
Well, it bothers me a little bit when I have my hands full with a buffet plate and glass of wine and need a third arm for my camera ;)
I take pictures of most the things I eat for my blog, but not everything. I don’t bother with the small snacks or repetitive foods. Honestly, I just love doing it because of the photography aspect. I love putting together a colourful dish, setting it up in the light and taking a million photos from all angles. Yeah, I’m a nerd :P
I agree that I really think it depends on the person. Although I previously struggled with an ED, I don’t feel that photo-journaling and blogging is a negative experience for me. I like to use it as a way to share my passion and interest in healthy foods and living. I actually use it more as a way to FORGET about what I’ve ate. When I had my ED, I used to dwell on my last meal and was constantly thinking about food. Now, I take the picture and forget about it, knowing that I’ll be remembering it later on when I blog about it. It’s actually been a major help in my recovery! I think photo-journaling is wonderful as long as it doesn’t turn into an obsession or used for negative purposes. :)
Mallory,
I can totally relate to what you mentioned about comments towards your healthy food choices.
The worst for me is going to my bf parent’s house for dinner every week. When I ask for more salad, eat lots of fruit or pass up the mashed potatos, its like I broke the law or something! One time when I tried to get away with just having one little scoop of ice cream (the dad always dishes out at least 5 scoops of hagen daaz) everyone looked at me funny. The mom said “oh she’s OBVIOUSLY trying to loose weight!” I blushed
wow that was a bit rant-y wasn’t it? :)
I don’t really know yet how to make people stop commenting other than trying “I’m not that hungry” or “I’m just not a huge fan of hot dogs” or a simple no thanks and smile. I think trying to just not talk about food choices in general, and sort of ignoring comments helps too, instead of trying to justify your choices.
Anyone else have helpful hints? Thanks!
When I first started my blog (which by the way has some super cute pictures on it today) I thought I wanted to take pictures of what I ate because I really enjoy seeing what other people are eating on a daily basis. But I quickly found out it wasn’t for me. A. Most of the stuff I eat is really boring and I knew no one wanted to stare at my rice cake with peanut butter breakfast that I have nearly every day. B. My job made it very difficult to snap pics of my lunch. C. I felt way too self-conscious about what I was eating and not in a good way that was going to motivate me to eat better.
But, to each their own and I am glad some people enjoy doing it because I enjoy checking their pics out!
I’m with you…I only take pics of my interesting meals that I think have value for others and that people would enjoy and learn from. I don’t take pics when I eat out, and no one has to see when I sneak a handful of cereal from the pantry. ;) I like the well-roundedness of my blog with lots of information that’s not all about just what I eat.
HelpMeghanRun.com
I guess it is different for everyone….for ME, it wouldn’t be helpful to take pictures of everything that I eat. I am afraid I would get too obsessive about it. On the other hand, I LOVE to see what others eat everyday! Weird, maybe? ;-)
I have to say, I posted for a few days in a row while I was trying to “eat less crap.” And it definitely helped to know that I was being held accountable.
I think the general concensus that it’s different for everyone is spot on. For me, I use pictures as a way to make me stop and appreciate the food I’m about to eat. It’s also made me realize that mosts foods SHOULD be photogenic, meaning they should be colorful with a lot of different textures and not slimy and dripping with grease. However, I don’t take pictures of everything I eat. If I have half a larabar, I just eat it. People know what a larabar looks like. I just started blogging, so I’m sure my philosophy on this will evolve over time. But for right now I do use it as a semi-food journal, just to make myself more aware and appreciative of what I’m eating.
Great post, thanks for bringing this up!
Interesting post. My blog has been running for a couple of months now and I have been playing around with what I do and don’t photograph. I have found that taking pictures of my dinners makes me far more aware of what I put on the plate e.g. portion sizes, how many veggies, how colourful the plate is etc. I am enjoying it so far but can see that I may not always want to do this.
When I read others blogs I am usually looking for ideas and inspiration. So I try to apply this to my posts too. If I eat the same brekkie everyday for a week I wouln’t post 7 identical pictures, but if I have a new idea I would use a photo to illustrate it. I certainly talk about almost all of my food intake, even if I don’t photograph it.
My blog was originally an eating disorder recovery blog. Over the past couple of months I’ve started putting up photos- NOT of everything I eat but usually 1-2 meals/snacks. In some ways it’s been positive for me (ie, pushing me to branch out new things, making my meals more attractive/photogenic) but even just a couple pictures seems to detract from the original purpose of my blog and it doesn’t feel like my ‘own’ anymore…. I know people read it for the food talk and my recovery involves my relationship with food, but that’s not the whole part and it’s hard for me to stay focused on my recovery/blog when food is so heavily emphasised. It’s been a big ‘issue’ for me the past few days and my posts definitely reflect that- the whole tone of my blog has changed and I don’t even know who/what I’m writing for anymore.