Relying on fast food. Eating when we're upset. Bingeing until we're full. When it comes to bad eating habits, Americans sure have a lot of them. Fortunately, these no-good behaviors could be doing a number on our waistline and our health. Read on for a list of the five worst eating habits of all time-how many are you guilty of?
Eating in front of the T.V. Combining the acts of dining and watching television has become as American as apple pie, so it's no wonder that two-thirds of us are overweight. Studies have shown that if you distract yourself with T.V. while you eat, you're likely to consume 40 percent more than you normally would, often because you're paying more attention to what's on the screen than how many calories you're packing away. So it's high time to reinstate another iconic American image: the family gathered around the dinner table with the television nowhere in sight.
Using food as an emotional pacifier. Whether it's out of boredom, sadness, or anger, we all reach for some comfort food from time to time to make ourselves feel better. The problem is, the foods that often provide comfort are usually high in fat and calories. What's more, a study published in the October 2007 issue of Obesity found that those of us who are a little too reliant on food as a mood booster can experience quite a challenge when it comes to losing weight. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) advise emotional eaters to recognize triggers, try their best to pick healthy snacks, and recognize when they're really hungry.
Relying on external rather than internal cues. A survey of 133 Paris residents and 145 Chicago residents conducted by the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab revealed that while the French often stop eating when they feel full, Americans depend on visual cues such as a clean plate-which may explain why the French are less likely to suffer from obesity. Cornell researchers also found that the bigger the plate, the higher the amount of calories consumed, sometimes by as much as 28 percent. The best ways to counteract this mindset is to eat more slowly and familiarize yourself with proper portion sizes.
Favoring fast food. Sure, it's quick, cheap, and familiar, but fast food can also destroy your diet: Anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of the calories contained in fast food comes from fat; a single meal can impart an average of 1,000 calories and more than one-third of the daily allowance of sodium; and a daily diet of fast food can lead to deficiencies in vital vitamins and minerals. Many nutritionists agree that home-cooking is the best way to go, since you can control how your meal is prepared, the ingredients that go into it, and the portions that are doled out. But if you must indulge in fast food, do so infrequently (no more than once a month) and smartly: Forgo the high-calorie condiments, the supersize soft drinks, and the three-patty burgers smothered in bacon, cheese, and mayonnaise.
Excluding fat from your diet to shed pounds. According to a Best Foods survey conducted in 2005, Americans are woefully misinformed about dietary fat, with just 55 percent of participants passing the Facts About Fat test that the company designed. So to review: Not all fats are bad. The good ones-monounsaturated fat found in nuts, avocados, and olive oil; polyunsaturated fat contained in margarine, mayonnaise, seeds, and corn oil; and omega-3 fatty acids from fish and flax seed-help our bodies absorb essential nutrients. Though you should keep your fat consumption in check, it's more important to focus on the amount of calories you take in each day, especially if weight loss is your goal. And experts agree that if a product is labeled "fat-free," then you're more inclined to eat a greater quantity of that food, which might contain extra calories and other fillers to make up for the absence of fat.
