- You Finish Your Meal Before Anyone Else
If you are the first one done eating at the dinner table, you are probably eating mindlessly and are not savoring your meal in healthy ways. Chowing down your meal within a few minutes can lead to indigestion and seconds, which can lead to your becoming overweight.
Instead, you should eat more slowly, taking part in whatever conversation is going on around the table. Your hormonal signal to turn off eating takes about 20 minutes so if you finish much sooner than that, you will feel hungry even when you have taken in enough food, which typically results in eating more food than you really need.
- You Eat Food That Has Been Created In A Factory
Instead of cooking with fresh ingredients, you might be choosing to eat pre-processed foods, which are high in preservatives and are usually high in salt and/or carbs. Take the time to cook a meal with fresh ingredients, which are healthier foods. Find a nice selection of home-prepared meals you can put into your own personal cookbook. When you cook for yourself, you know exactly what has gone into making any particular meal and you have the piece of mind that comes with knowing what you put into your body.
- You Shop In The Center Part Of The Grocery Store The Most
If you find yourself going up and down the center aisles of the market, where canned and processed foods reside and less or no time in the periphery of the store that holds fresh produce, meat and dairy you are eating foods that are high in preservatives, salt and sugar and NOT real whole food. Remember, food that does not need refrigeration is usually processed . Spend more time in the produce section of the grocery store because this leads to eating healthier fruits and vegetables instead of eating unhealthy, processed foods.
- You Eat Right Out Of The Box Or Carton
If you find yourself eating potato chips right out of the bag or ice cream out of the carton, you are probably not eating the right portions of food and will have a tendency to eat more food than you had originally intended to eat. This is a sure fire way to obesity. Instead, portion out your foods onto a plate or bowl so that you stop when that portion is gone and save the rest for another meal.
- You Eat From The Drive Thru Regularly
Unless you are ordering a salad every time, which most of us don’t, eating from a drive thru regularly is not conducive to good nutrition. Most drive thru restaurants offer fast food, which is greasy, packed with carbs and lacks any real nutrients. Consider whole food, which is food typically made up of one ingredient and unprocessed. Fresh fish, chicken, fruits, and vegetables, are whole foods and they are not offered at the drive thru.
- You Eat In Front Of The TV
When you find yourself drawn toward eating in front of the television, it means you are probably eating mindlessly and not directing your attention to how much you are eating or to the signals your body gives off when you are full. This leads to overeating and obesity. Sit down to your meals and listen to soothing music or to nothing at all. That way you can focus on your meal and not on something else.
- You Eat A Narrow Variety Of Food
If you just eat the same limited amount of food each day, you stand a good chance of missing some key nutrients in your diet. Fill your menu with different foods so that you can be sure to get the nutrients you need. Colorful plates are healthy, filled with many colors of vegetables and select fruits for dessert to get key nutrients from plant foods. Look at the USDA’s Food Groups Chart and make sure to choose low carb foods from each group daily, this is the easiest way to ensure you are eating a well-balanced diet.
- You Eat To Appease Emotions
Emotional eating or overeating is always unhealthy. Mainly this takes place when people are bored, lonely, tired, upset, stressed, or angry. It always occurs when one is not truly hungry, but is trying to use food to cover up emotions and the food or foods of choice is always junk food. As cocaine, or other illicit drugs junk food stimulates pleasure centers in the brain because it is loaded with sugar, carbs or factory created flavoring that holds no nutritional value.
Emotional overeating can be a serious problem that can lead to obesity, depression, guilt, and anxiety over the eating itself. This is one of the most serious unhealthy eating habits and plenty of help is available to address the problem.
- You Eat In Secret
If you are hiding food, or eating meals in secret so that your spouse, friends or family do not see you, something is wrong. It could be that you have a negative association with your eating habits that you want to keep secret or you have some guilt or shame attached to eating. In this case, it is important to identify and deal with the issue, a therapist can help.
Eating healthy is not really so hard if you follow the tips noted above. Healthy eating means eating mindfully and choosing foods that are best for your body.
** LC Foods wants to remind you to always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or lifestyle change. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website.