Read my News-Press column: Nutrition Notes: Online data aids health effort

Posted January 27th, 2010 by Elaine Hastings, RD - Nutrition Expert and filed in The News-Press Column

With the recent launch of Get Fit Lee, a local health initiative challenging Lee County residents to collectively lose one million pounds of body fat, the concept of tracking your meals, exercise and medical information online or through a food diary can benefit participants or anyone needing nutritional and fitness support and guidance.

How it works

Most programs offer a quick view, summarizing your latest meal and caloric intake, calories burned and medical information. Online meal planning offers thousands of pre-built meal plans. Look for programs developed by registered dietitians that utilize a large database including popular brand-name and restaurant foods. In addition, many programs allow you to create your own plan according to your taste and needs.

For example, the wellness page on virtualdietitians.com, an online tracking system, provides a quick view, summarizing your latest meal and caloric intake, calories burned and medical information. Daily tips and inspirational messages help you along the way.

The meal planning and tracking page will give you thousands of meal plans developed by registered dietitians.

The large database includes brand-name and ethnic foods and fast food restaurants.

If you prefer, you can use physician-recommended programs or create your own plan according to your taste and needs.

With online nutritional tracking programs, you have the ability to:

• Access information from a large database of foods including recipes, ethnic foods and fast food chains.

• Calculate exercise duration to burn excess calories.

• Monitor your health on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

• Upload data directly from your glucometer, an at-home blood sugar monitoring device.

• Monitor the effect that foods and exercises have on your health.

• Work with your dietitian, nutritionist, educator or personal trainer online in real-time.

• Benefit from knowing your information is 100 percent private and secure.

• Create shopping lists.

• Customize your meal plans.

• Get access to thousands of pre-built meal plans.

• Get nutritional facts on your recipes calculated for you. 

• View and print detailed reports in table or multiple graphic formats (blood glucose, blood pressure, pump entries, weight, height, caloric intake and expenditure)

• Log your progress in an online journal.

Whether you choose an online resource for tracking nutrition and exercise or you simply use a pen and paper, keeping track of what you eat is important, including calories and portion sizes, number of calories burned and emotions or feelings.

Food journaling is one of the most successful tools for people trying to lose weight. In fact, a recent study found that dieters who tracked their food intake lost twice as much as those who did not track their food.

By logging when and how much you eat, along with your physical activity, you can better monitor your eating habits and nutritional deficiencies, control binge eating and connect eating to emotions.

In general, you can hold yourself accountable for your fitness and nutrition.

Whether you track your progress online, participate in the Get Fit Lee or another fitness program, making small lifestyle changes can have a significant impact on your health.