New Year, New Habits: 15 Dietary Mistakes To Avoid If You Want to Lose Weight

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Too Many Processed Foods

Sure, it's practical to simply pop a ready-made meal into the microwave or oven, and there's nothing wrong with resorting to processed foods from time to time. But they shouldn't make up the bulk of your everyday calories. Most of these meals contain a variety of additives such as artificial flavors and flavor enhancers that can have a negative impact on your digestion. The portion sizes often dole out way more calories than we actually need and contain high amounts of carbohydrates, unhealthy fats and sodium. Not to mention, they're usually lacking in dietary fiber, which is important for digestion and feelings of satiety. And your digestion has to work harder to break down processed foods, causing the calories to be stored rather than burned.