Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog: Food Network's Healthy Eats: Healthy Recipes, Weight Loss Tips & Nutrition Information

Don’t you wish there were 25 hours in a day so you can get more of your “to do” list done? This is the mentality of many Americans as they rush to balance work and home life. As a result, we end up having terrible eating habits by shoving food down our throats without taking time to enjoy it. Here are some of the worst eating habits we see every day.

#1: Eating in front of a screen
How many times do you try to get your work done during your lunch hour and eat in front of your computer? You end up mindlessly eating and not even realizing how much you ate. This tends to cause folks to overeat. Even worse, these eating habits are mimicked by our kids. Think about it, do your kids like to eat in front of the TV at night or while they are doing homework?

Solve it: Walk away from the screen, clear your mind and enjoy your food.

#2: Walking and chomping
I’ve seen this talented move hundreds of times, especially while walking in New York City. The typical walk-and-eat meal is pizza. C’mon, that’s no way to enjoy the best pizza in the world!

Solve it: Find a lovely park or bench to sit down and enjoy your meal and the gorgeous outdoors.

#3: Skipping meals
Some folks find themselves too busy to eat. They rush out of the house in the morning, have meetings all afternoon and before you turn around, it’s dinner time! Studies show that skipping meals tends to lead to overeating at the next meal. You’ll also find that your energy levels are not at their peak since you’re not properly fueled throughout the day.

Solve it: Better planning will do the trick. Have a quick breakfast available at your fingertips and tote easy-to-munch on snacks for when you’re in a pinch.

#4: Gulping on meal replacements in place of real food
Healthy folks don’t need to down meal replacements regularly. Besides being not-so-tasty, these man-made concoctions don’t have everything you truly get from real food. Whole foods contain phytonutrients which are plant chemicals that can help fight or prevent disease—most of which don’t go into liquid meal replacements.

Solve it: Keep the liquid supplements for a real emergency. Brown bag a quick and easy lunch in the morning instead.

#5: Forgetting to drink
Proper hydration can help keep energy levels up through the day. Many folks get so busy at work that they forget to sip on water or other liquids. They end up fatigued, with a headache, and just overall cranky.

Solve it: Keep a closed water bottle near you at all times. Bored of water? Check out some fun ways to flavor it up.

TELL US: Which terrible eating habits are you guilty of?