eating habits

It's truth time. We all have at least one unusual eating habit that even though we may find totally delicious, completely horrifies other people. For example, I've been eating potato chips with mustard since I was a little girl — that combination is just so good! Even stranger? I like to pour vinegar on my mashed potatoes, which completely horrifies my family every Thanksgiving. I've also been known to drink red wine vinegar and pickle juice from a cup before. Clearly, I have a thing for vinegar.

Now it's your turn to share. What weird yet wonderful eating habits do you have?

Between work, friends, family, and social commitments, we're lucky if we can manage to get enough sleep, eat balanced meals, and squeeze in enough time for exercise. But did you know that there's a right time to do some of these things? And by right, I mean that there's actually an optimal time to eat, exercise, go grocery shopping, and more to benefit our overall well-being? Get your pencils and pads of paper ready because you may be shocked at some of these results!

1. The best time to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner: You should always eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. About 4.5 hours after that, you should have lunch, and a couple hours after that, dinner. If you delay these times, you're going to be hungry, and the hungrier you are, the more likely you are going to cheat and eat fatty junk food. According to Dr. Oz, the big rule of thumb is that you need to have dinner more than three hours before you go to bed, so that you aren't going to bed with a full stomach.

To find out best times for other daily duties, keep reading

Could cooking at home be costing you? According to market research firm NPD Group, grocery aisle price hikes are predicted to surpass restaurant menu price increases for all of 2011. Although supermarket food prices dropped in 2009, they ended up in 2010 and are currently rising faster than restaurant costs — a factor that's driving more Americans out of the kitchen and back into dining establishments. Why the sudden price jump? Fierce supermarket competition during the economic recession kept grocery prices prohibitively low — but meanwhile, costs for commodities like sugar, corn, and pork continued to build. As a result, many analysts expect a grocery bill bubble to burst and food inflation rates to reach notable highs.That's some scary news for the American pocketbook. Have you noticed a jump in grocery costs — and is it driving you to eat out more?

A new Harris poll has come out with data on Americans and our eating habits, and if the results are to be believed, we are a healthy nation! Over 72 percent of us eat a balanced diet and choose a healthy snack, and almost 80 percent of us eat healthier meals at home than when dining out.

The catch? The researchers aren't buying it. If Americans were actually buying and consuming healthy foods in the rate that they report, then "there would have been huge changes in sales for the various items — evidence of which, we have not seen," the researchers said. In addition, respondents who were obese or morbidly obese made the same healthy-habit claims as those who were not overweight. So, want to know more about what eating habits we may be lying about? Read on.

I'm all about sharing tips on how to pick up healthy habits such as ways to eat more fiber, tips on getting more zzzs, and how to fit in more exercise. You may not realize though that some common everyday choices you make could be contributing to weight gain or poor health, so here are some eating habits you want to avoid.

• A bad breakfast: You know you're not supposed to skip breakfast, but did you know that what you eat in the morning sets the tone for your meals throughout the day? Skip the pastries, energy bars, and sugary juices and enjoy a breakfast that's full of protein, fiber, and healthy carbs such as fruit or whole grain bread.
• Eating on the run: With your busy lifestyle, sometimes you need to grab food when you can. But mindlessly gobbling down food makes our brains feel gypped and unsatisfied, so we end up reaching for more food. Make a point to sit down and enjoy your meals.
• Using a dinner-sized plate for dinner. Traditionally bigger plates are used for dinner entrees, but we tend to feel the need to see our plates full in order to feel like we're getting enough food. In order to eat an appropriate portion for supper, use a smaller salad or dessert plate instead.

Find out what other common unhealthy habits you might be making when you read more