Let’s be honest, we don’t always have great eating habits. Sometimes all we want is a delicious bag of chips and a glass of ice, cold Coke.
Although we all sometimes skip breakfast and crave junk food, that’s not good for our health and we need to make an effort to stay away from those bad eating habits.
Shelly Marie Redmond, author of Eat Well and Be Fabulous: A Guide for the Modern Day Woman, and Rebecca Mohning of the George Washington University’s Weight Management Center are explaining the unhealthiest eating habits people have and how to avoid them!
1. Eating While Standing
Eating while standing is unhealthy because you’re not paying attention to what or how much are you eating.
“If there is standing involved, we are distracted which leads to eating too quickly and overeating,” says Mohning.
When we eat while standing, our mind doesn’t recognize when we eat and that’s why we end up snacking a few hours later.
According to she-fit.com, our mind does not recognize when we eat on the go or while standing, leading us to snack afterwards.
“Since you don’t have any place to set a plate, or fork and knife, food that is eaten standing up also tends to be more “grab-n-go. “Often, ‘grab-n-go’ foods tend to be higher in calories, like candy bars, or sugar rich drinks” says Redmond.
Also, look for foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as tuna, salmon and walnuts.
2. Skipping Meals
You wake up in the morning, you don’t feel hungry so you’re just going to grab a cup of coffee. This is so wrong because by the time lunch comes, you’ll want to eat anything you see.
“Skipping meals and snacks leads to becoming too hungry which can result in the wrong food choice or eating too much at once. Missing meals also results in missing the opportunity to get in the necessary foods that we need in one day. Eating breakfast can result in eating fewer calories throughout the day than if you did not eat breakfast. Breakfast also helps people to have more energy throughout the day and to think more clearly,” says Mohning.
3. Eating Late
When you’re eating at 2 am, you’re probably too tired to make a healthy food choice, so you’re probably stuffing yourself with bad food.
“Food choices are usually not great in the evening when the person is tired. Late day snacking of extra calories can lead to weight gain over time,” says Mohning.
Since you’re going straight to bed after eating, your body won’t be able to burn all those calories so you might just end up adding some pounds.
If you can’t go to bed without eating, go for something small and healthy, maybe some yogurt or an apple.
4. Eating in Front of The TV
It’s not necessarily eating in front of the TV that is “unhealthy” or bad, but it’s what happens when we eat in front of the TV. Typically, our mind is focused on the TV show, and we tend to eat too much. The hand may go into the pretzel, popcorn, or chipbag one too many times,” says Redmond.
5. Sugary Alcoholic Drinks
This is so unhealthy since it contains lots of sugars and lots of calories.
“This can be a disaster for healthy eating. Other than the obvious of steering clear from sugary mixed drinks, how can you go about drinking alcohol in a more “healthy” way? Portions matte For example, a fourteen-ounce glass of wine for women, or a twenty-ounce glass for men, is one serving size,” says Redmond.