Your 6 Worst Unhealthy Eating Habits


By Carol J. Dunlop, CPT for DietsInReview.com

Most people are creatures of habit. You buy the same foods from the same stores and eat the same recipes day in and day out. Unhealthy habits are the same, you learned the behavior and now you do it over and over without even thinking about it. Unhealthy eating habits are even worse, because they can put you on the fast track to obesity and potentially being diagnosed with several diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease or diabetes. If you are guilty of any of the unhealthy eating habits below, it's time to make some changes.

1. Skipping Breakfast

There is no doubt this one ranks as the number one unhealthy eating habit. Breakfast is the first meal that your body has after working all night to repair muscle tissue, burn fat and nourish your cells. Not eating breakfast causes you to be lethargic, unfocused and edgy during those critical first hours of the day. Plus, you tend to overeat at the next meal.

The Fix: Plan for quick-fix breakfasts like this 5-Minute Breakfast Crumble or oatmeal with fresh fruit.

2. Starving Yourself

Dieters have it all wrong. In order to burn calories, you have to eat calories, which come from food. Not eating causes your body to store calories instead of burn them because your body thinks that its starving and tries to hold on to every bit of nourishment so that it can survive.

The Fix: Cut calories, don't eliminate them. Calculate your average daily calorie consumption and then cut that by 500 calories each day.

3. Mindless Eating

Eating while you work, snacking while you prepare the kids' lunches, or eating while watching TV are all examples of mindless eating. You're not conscious of what or even how much you are actually ingesting, which can lead to overeating and weight gain.

The Fix: Just like meals, plan for your snacks. You can pre-portion almonds, pistachios, or walnuts; Have healthy granola bars like Kashi at hand; Or keep fresh fruit readily available.

4. Drinking Your Calories

Do you have juice with your breakfast, soda with lunch, and sweet tea with dinner? You probably didn't realize it, but you're drinking 1000 calories or more in addition to your daily intake of food. What about those in-between-meal sodas, energy drinks and café lattes? The calories really add up. In addition, you're pumping more sugar and carbs into your body than it can handle so it stores all those "extra" calories as fat.

The Fix: Break your soda habit (that goes for diet, too!) and replace it with water. There are a lot of ways to add flavor to your water that make the transition easier.

5. Eating Too Much

Just as not eating enough can be harmful to your system; eating too much can be just as unhealthy. Eating more than your body requires causes it to work overtime to digest all that food. What it can't use it stores as fat.

The Fix: Listen to your hunger cues, which are more easily heard when you eat slowly. When you start to feel full, you're usually already past the point of healthy satisfaction.

6. Not Drinking Enough Water

Your body is mostly water and uses water for all metabolic functions, including calorie burning. Not drinking enough water puts a real strain on your system. Water is also a natural diuretic and helps to cleanse and carry waste products from your cells out of your body.

The Fix: Get a fancy bottle, something to flavor it with, or even fancy ice cubes. Do whatever it takes to make yourself more likely to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Assess your diet, and goals, and really asking yourself if these are the things standing in your way. They really do require some simple changes and when you make them you'll see the difference on the scale.

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