Bad eating habits are a major cause of digestive problems such as acid indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn, constipation.

Most of the time we do not realize that we have these habits. Only when we have some problem or when someone points them out, a doctor or a family member, we become aware of these unhealthy habits.

It is possible to change these habits and get into healthy eating habits and improve digestive health when we become aware of them.

Just see if you have any of them and if you can change them to good eating habits.

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Where do we learn these bad eating habits?

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Some of these habits come from the childhood, from parents or other family members while others are learnt after you grow up.

You may learn them from social contacts, friends etc.

You may also start and follow some habits because of your lifestyle, because these habits make things convenient. For example, the time you eat, the kind of food you choose eat etc.

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What are the bad eating habits?

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Overeating - you may be eating more than you need as a habit as you are used to finish what is on the plate.

Eating without hunger - you may have a meal or a snack just because it is time to eat even though you are not hungry. May be a friend is forcing you to eat or you are tempted to eat because it is your favorite item.

Eating because you are emotionally upset - some foods make you feel better when you are upset. It doesn’t really change the situation but it makes you feel better momentarily. You are likely to choose wrong foods or overeat in such a situation.

Starving - if you starve yourself thinking that you need to diet, you may be doing more harm to your digestion and body by depriving the required nutrition.

Skipping meals - if you are in the habit of skipping meals, especially breakfast, you may eat more at other meals or have unhealthy snacks in between meals. Skipping breakfast can also make you feel tired faster as you go through your day.

Choosing wrong kind of food - you may be choosing fatty, sugar laden foods and drinks.

All the above things can be considered as unhealthy eating habits. You may have only one or two of them but they can cause problems with your digestion. If you have any of them, be aware of them and try to change to good eating habits.

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