Posted on 12 January 202318 January 2023 by Alla Bohdan

The top 10 bad food habits and how to break them

The 10 top bad food habits and mistakes

Too many sugary treats!
Barely eating during the day but eating a lot in the evening
Hidden sugar consumption
Over-eating “diet” or “low fat” foods
Consuming too much artificial sweetener
Drinking extra calories
Not drinking enough water
Avoiding fat
Too little protein
Not eating your veges

Bad Food Habit #1: Too many sugary treats!

Jam on your toast, a muffin for morning tea, lollies or soft drink post-lunch, choccy after dinner, a teaspoon of sweetener in your tea… phew, that’s a lot of immune-crushing, nutrient-leaching, wrinkle-creating SUGAR! This addictive little beastie is your body’s worst enemy. Recent studies show that at least 40% of the sugar we put in our bodies is immediately stored as fat. Therefore, lay off the white stuff to see immediate results. The good news? After only five days of eliminating sugar your body stops craving it almost entirely, so suffer through those first few days, and you’ll be a new person.

Bad Food Habit #2: Barely eating during the day but eating a lot in the evening

Barely eating during the day and eating a lot in the evening is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Our metabolism is fired up during the day, ready to help with energy needs. The body needs to transport more energy to muscles and organs during the day when they are needed more, however at night the metabolism lowers and this energy is stored instead (yep, you guessed it, as fat). Eating this way will also affect sleep for you because your body has to work to digest food as you’re resting. So, if either weight loss, or better sleep and more energy are essential to you, it’s best to eat during the day and restrict eating a few hours (ideally 2-3) before going to bed.

Bad Food Habit #3: Hidden sugar consumption

Usually, when someone thinks of consuming sugar, they think of adding sugar to coffee, drinking soda, or eating lollies and chocolate. However, avoidable sugar is in a lot of other everyday items, such as gum, sauces (like tomato sauce and sweet chilli sauce), jams, salad dressing, fruit juices, cereal, energy and breakfast bars, low-fat milk, packaged foods, dried fruit, ‘health’ treats and so much more. If you are eating any of these items or other packaged foods with more than one ingredient, make sure you check the sugar content. As a guide, if per 100g an item has 15g or more of sugar, that’s pretty high. If it contains around 10g, that’s not too bad. If it has less than 5g, that’s pretty great!

Bad Food Habit #4: Over-eating “diet” or “low fat” foods

Just because a product is meant for dieting or has the words “diet” or “low fat” on the label, doesn’t mean it’s a great food to eat, or that over-consumption of it is OK. Remember, these are still packaged, fake foods and are not likely to have much nutrition. Neither are they likely to truly satisfy you. Research shows that if a product is advertised as “low calorie”, “diet”, or “low fat”, consumers are likely to eat up to three times as much as they would the regular version. If you enjoy these things occasionally, great, but if you regularly eat low fat/diet foods, kick them to the curb. The full-fat version is better for you and won’t leave you craving more.

Bad Food Habit #5: Consuming too much artificial sweetener

OK so Coke’s off limits, but your daily Coke Zero is OK, right? It has no calories, and it sorts out that post-lunch sugar craving, so you figure it must be a better option than chocolate, or that sweet cup of tea? Actually, no. Artificial sweeteners can interfere with your metabolism and hormones and will only fuel your carb cravings. Recent studies have found that artificial sweeteners can lead to weight gain! So put that nasty sugar-free treat down and if you’re looking for a sweet drink, grab a freshly squeezed veggie juice with beetroot, which is a sweet veggie and also helps with liver detoxification.

Bad Food Habit #6: Drinking extra calories

When we eat a big meal, our body knows it’s being fed, and we eat less at the next meal. But that doesn’t happen when we drink high-calorie beverages, which are estimated to add about 235 extra (empty) calories a day to our diets, at a bare minimum! Our bodies don’t seem to register liquid calories the way they do solid calories. So even after guzzling a jumbo-size soda at the movies, we don’t eat less when it’s time to eat again. Coffee, fruit drinks, sodas, energy drinks and alcohol are some of the biggest calorie traps. Alcohol is actually doubly so because drinking relaxes our willpower. Have a few cocktails and suddenly having that slice of cheesecake seems like a pretty good idea. If you must have coffee, drink it black with a dash of honey. Really can’t give up soft drink? Instead of your afternoon coke, choose soda water and add just a bit of fruit juice for all the fizz and less of the nasties. Love alcohol? Choose red wine and sip on one glass (slowly) all night, sipping on water in between mouthfuls.

Bad Food Habit #7: Not drinking enough water

If you aren’t drinking at least 1.5L of water each day (and ideally more than 2L), it’s likely your body is super dehydrated, leading to poor performance, less mental clarity and mixed appetite signals, let alone tired skin. The next time you feel hungry, try taking a big, long drink of water and you may even find that’s all your body was craving. The hormones in our intestines, which tell us we’re hungry, are very similar to the hormones that let us know we’re thirsty, so humans are not very good at distinguishing hunger from thirst. This is why we typically reach for food when we should be drinking up instead – hunger pangs can sometimes be your body screaming for a little extra H2O. Also, when we’re not well hydrated, our metabolism drags because water is a crucial part of the calorie burning process, as well as the detoxification process. So, you’ll burn more calories and feel fresher too!

Bad Food Habit #8: Avoiding fat

You believe fat will make you fat, so you shun it in every form. Science and countless studies have proven that good fats are our friend, but many people still see it as public enemy number one in their battle to stay lean. Good fats lower cholesterol, aid vitamin absorption, assist digestion, boost your immune system, help to shift stubborn fat from the body and regulate the metabolism. And since the body will start to call on fat once its carbohydrate stores are empty, dietary fat gains new importance. Know the difference between the fats that are right for you (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and omega-3s) and the ones that can harm your health (some saturated and all trans fats). Include good fats by adding them to the naturally low-fat foods you already eat – use olive oil on top of your salad greens, eat avocado with mustard as a snack, smear almond or other nut butter on apples or celery stalks, and stir-fry your veggies in rapeseed oil and eat oily fish. Note that some oils turn into trans-fat when you cook with them (e.g., olive oil) so best to add them after you cook or use oils like grapeseed or coconut oil.

Bad Food Habit #9: Too little protein

When we crave foods, we always seem to crave carbohydrate-rich foods, rather than their high protein counterparts but if you want to be successful with weight loss, you must take in enough protein. Protein is the nutrient that is going to help maintain your lean body mass and keep your metabolism humming along. Great sources of protein are fish, beef, lamb, chicken or turkey breast, eggs, nuts, as well as some organic dairy products like full-fat yoghurt, or cottage cheese.

Bad Food Habit #10: Not eating your veges

If you’re not eating veggies with most of your meals per day, you’re in trouble! Make sure you’re getting a variety of colourful veg in every single day. We mean it! Veges at breakfast might sound like a stretch, but its easy to add veges to a smoothie mix, and when reducing grains & starches, a vege-filled omelette or frittata makes for the perfect nourishing start to the day. Healthy vege and lean protein is the ultimate combo!

Ready to break those bad-food habits?

Set up a food diary for a week. All you need to do is to note down everything you eat each day and how you feel after eating it. Once you’ve been keeping a food diary for a week it’s time to bring those pages out and read them. This objective view of your unconscious eating habits might come as a surprise, but with knowledge comes power to identify problem areas and make changes.

Remember if you’re trying to lose weight your goal should be to reach a healthy, comfortable size and maintain it, not drastic weight loss. This requires systematic lifestyle changes, so make sure you apply your newfound knowledge not just now, but ongoing.

By Chief Nutrition

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22 reviews for Chief Collagen Protein Bar

Rated 5 out of 5

Jacinta – 23 August 2020

Melt in your mouth goodness

Seriously tasty protein bars! Hit the spot as a great snack or even dessert. Just the right size to not feel sick or over powered. I had to order multiples of the mixed sample box cause I couldn’t decide which one was my fave 🙂
Rated 5 out of 5

Mary-Ann Voutos – 1 September 2020

Bars are the best ever!

Chief collagen bars are the best tasting bar on the market. Clean, top quality natural ingredients, low in sugar and keto friendly. Always feel great after eating one. All the flavours are equally delicious, although the Lemom is an absolute favourite.Highly recommend you try one. Hard to stop at 1!
Rated 5 out of 5

Nicholas Pandelakis – 6 December 2020

Best Protein Bars

Almost all protein fall short of what they actually say. Chief collagen protein bars deliver exactlyon nutritional value and taste.
Rated 4 out of 5

Nguhi Wamwangi – 19 September 2021

Collagen Bar Sampler

Loved the bars, very dense and filling which was good for me. Loved the Lemon tart most, thanks !
Rated 4 out of 5

Daria – 28 September 2021

Better than expected

Delicious and my new go to when I need a sweet hit. Keeps the hungers at bay and does the job!!
Rated 5 out of 5

Emily – 24 October 2021

Keto kickstart

I started keto in a week I was time poor and stressed but thank goodness I had a mixed box of these guys which saw me through the busy and kick started my weight loss program.
Rated 4 out of 5

Kylie Dalla Costa – 3 November 2021

Great flavors and texture!

Not overly sweet but a really nice treat!
Rated 5 out of 5

Sally Collins – 10 November 2021

Great product.

Great ingredients list. Beautiful packaging. Delicious. The only bars I spend my money on.
Rated 5 out of 5

Linda Morrison – 11 November 2021

Truly surprised!

I’ve bought many many different health, protein, diet bars whatever you want to call them over too many years to admit. I was sceptical of course but these bars are very different & not like a protein bar or a cereal bar but I really love them. They are my go to once sometimes twice a day now instead of a biscuit. Love them & I definitely need to order more now!
Rated 5 out of 5

Brett Meldrum – 5 December 2021

Get on them!!

Love the collagen bars, lemon tart is my favourite, I’ve been suffering from tendinitis in my elbows for years and these bars really help!! Highly recommended
Rated 5 out of 5

Karen – 30 January 2022

Great!

I really like the flavour of all the various flavours. I love that they are Keto, nutricious and have no hidden nasties,very good!
Rated 5 out of 5

Rachel – 31 January 2022

Great tasting bars

Great tasting, almost like eating cookies. Clean ingredients mean that the kids can eat them too!!!
Rated 5 out of 5

Barbara Elkins – 24 March 2022

Delicious & filling

I love these for a meal on the run. I eat one slowly savouring every bite and it keeps me going for hours. I regularly do fasting and these fit nicely into my regime. My least favourite is the peanut flavour but its still quite nice my favourite is the lemon one & I wouldn’t mind a cheesy one.
Rated 5 out of 5

Rachel Hayes – 28 March 2022

Mixed box review

I thoroughly enjoy the collagen bars. Love knowing that they’re made with so few ingredients. Taste great, perfect snack (or breaky on the run)
Rated 5 out of 5

Juan Carlos Ascencio-Lane – 28 March 2022

Mixed Box Bar

This has been an amazing addition to my staples in the cupboard. I was pleasantly surprised to find they were nice to eat and with great flavour. They definitely keep hunger away
Rated 5 out of 5

Tania P. – 30 March 2022

Yum

These are my favourite protein bars. They’re like a shortbread biscuit. Love all the flavours.
Rated 5 out of 5

Amelia Lee – 5 April 2022

Delicious and filling

I’ve been avoiding grains and refined sugars, which makes it hard to find a muesli bar! I love these collagen bars – they’re tasty, filling and I like the crumbly texture. I keep getting the mixed box because I can’t choose a favorite flavor.
Rated 5 out of 5

Steven – 8 April 2022

Great tasting

Very good, nice to eat almost like your cheating !!
Rated 5 out of 5

karen Anthony – 16 April 2022

Great healthy snack !

I really love the collagen bars , they are my mid morning snack with my coffee. Great thing is I know they are healthy as well as delicious.
Rated 5 out of 5

Tania Tully – 22 May 2022

Worth Trying

I thought I’d give some other flavors a try. Peanut butter is still my favorite but I was pleasantly surprised by lemon tart. I would not have ordered that on its own normally, but now that I’ve tasted it, I will for certain. Yummy!
Rated 5 out of 5

Stephen Daw – 22 July 2022

Bushwalking snack

The starter pack was great for walking and hikes so had to purchase more. Nice flavors in the mixed box.
Rated 5 out of 5

Susanne Vijsma – 16 August 2022

Perfect snack

Have tasted all of the Collagen bars and can’t decide which one is best, because they’re all delicious. The flavours are not particularly strong, but I think that’s because they’re not very sweet, which is good. Texture is soft & slightly crumbly, not chewy, but doesn’t fall apart. Very satisfying, sometimes half a bar is enough.
Rated 5 out of 5

Carol (verified owner) – 29 March 2023

these bars are a great snack, couldnt decide what flavour as they are all yummy. Hard to only have 1 a day
Rated 5 out of 5

HNR (verified owner) – 24 May 2023

Favourite with the whole family, these bars are the best!

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The top 10 bad food habits and how to break them

The 10 top bad food habits and mistakes

Bad Food Habit #1: Too many sugary treats!

Bad Food Habit #2: Barely eating during the day but eating a lot in the evening

Bad Food Habit #3: Hidden sugar consumption

Bad Food Habit #4: Over-eating “diet” or “low fat” foods

Bad Food Habit #5: Consuming too much artificial sweetener

Bad Food Habit #6: Drinking extra calories

Bad Food Habit #7: Not drinking enough water

Bad Food Habit #8: Avoiding fat

Bad Food Habit #9: Too little protein

Bad Food Habit #10: Not eating your veges

Ready to break those bad-food habits?

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