Break These 5 Bad Eating Habits Today!

From: Town Square Buzz

Habits, good or bad, they are part of our daily behavior. 
And when it comes to eating, these habits can greatly increase the chance of becoming overweight. Below are 5 really bad eating habits that you can change today. Work on them every day until they’ve been replaced with healthier practices!

1. Bad Snacking
Snacks are great between meals to help you get to the next one. But don’t fall victim to buying foods labeled as “snacks” in your grocery store. Foods like crackers, cookies, chips, 100-calorie packs and granola bars won’t satisfy you. In fact, they’ll likely sabotage your nutrition plan, creating a negative effect on your blood sugar, cravings, body fat and energy.
 

Try this. Start each week by preparing snacks ahead of time. Fill several sandwich bags with nuts, raisins, seeds, cut vegetables or fruit.

2. Eating Somewhere Other Than the Table
Studies show families that dine around a table together on a regular basis eat healthier and are less likely to have overweight children.
 

Try This: Set a goal for a number of times you will eat around the table each week. Start small, just once if you need to, and build up your frequency. Over time, it should become a habit most nights of the week.
Focus on how and what you eat. Enjoy the meal fully, without distractions. No phones, computers or televisions allowed.

3. Eating Too Fast
The average person spends less than twenty minutes eating each meal. Eating fast poses a huge problem for your body’s natural hunger and satiety signals. It often leads to overeating.
 

Try This: Eat Slow. Allow yourself at least 30 minutes per meal. Every bite you take should be savored. Put down your fork between bites and chew at least 20-30 times. There is a time and a place where a meal or snack might need to be rushed, but that shouldn’t have to be at every meal.

4. Multitasking While Eating
Do you work through lunch? Fold laundry or pay your bills as you eat dinner? We are a multi-tasking society! We live in a nation of poor nutrition choices, which have played a huge part in our obesity problems. That alone justifies the need for eating to be a solely task in itself.
 

Try This: Take a break! Really practice not doing anything else while eating, unless it includes conversing or engaging with other people around you. Take the time to enjoy your meal. Fewer distractions will allow you to think clearly about your healthy food choices.

5. Poor Planning
You may have every intention of eating healthy, but you have to plan it. Our lifestyles set up a situation of easy-access, unhealthy food choices.
 

Try This: Healthy people meal plan. Plan your dinners a week ahead of time and stick to your plan. This naturally builds a healthy grocery list. Don’t forg