Weird obsession/ compulsion/ habit?

Ok, I have this weird habit and I don't know why. I have to take a picture of my food before I eat it. Usually I use my digital camera but if I'm not at home I'll use my camera phone--if someone notices then I make a joke like "oh, it looks so good I want to take a picture!" Sometimes I delete the picture a few days later but usually I save it on my computer in a photo album file.

Why do I do this? What causes a person to have weird habits/ compulsions like this?

This is only with meals...gum, sucking candy or drinks I don't do this.

Its definately a psychological thing. I cant give a good reason why but I can say I dont think its a bad thing. Weird maybe, but not bad. Unless you have an eating disorder or some sort then I dont see it being so good. But maybe you just have a deep love for food.

you are what you eat ........... maybe you want to record it all

I do not know maybe you like taking pictures because you like food allot.

It sounds like a good habit, to be perfectly honest.
One of the things people are asked to do when starting a new exercise program in order to lose weight is to keep a food journal. They are supposed to document all their meals over a certain length of time. When trying to do this, I realize that I did not pay nearly as close attention as I thought I did to the food I ate throughout the week. It was a difficult routine to keep and seemed like an even more difficult habit to form.
The fact that you are not only able to document your meals but also take the time to snap a picture, shows your habitual attention to what you eat. I say keep practicing this and you will learn more than just eating habits and patterns but also a little something about food preparation.

I've been a psychiatric nurse for 33 years and have honestly never heard of this one before. Offhand I'd say there's nothing incredibly wrong with it. It is a compulsion, but it's not doing you or anyone else any kind of harm. You dont say how long you've been doing this. Actually, you could continue doing this and as long as it doesnt interfere with your everyday life, there's still no harm. If you graduate to printing up the pics and pasting them on a wall, it might be time to get a little help.

Well if you ever get food poisoning you will know what it was, I wouldn't call it bad or have any idea how to brake it. At least its not harmful to anyone!

My question is, would you be able to eat a meal without taking a picture of it beforehand. it doesn't appear to be harming you so I wouldn't worry about it, if it bothers you you can try to wean yourself off of it. If you find that you cannot eat the food unless you have taken it's picture I would see a doctor about it, if only because you may not always be able to take a picture.