Supersize overload, mindless munching, reckless grazing and eating on the run can undermine your fitness goals. So it's important to become more mindful not only of what we eat, but how we eat it.

We're not talking about following a hard-and-fast diet. What we're suggesting is slowing down, paying attention to portion size and being prepared. Look over our list of desirable food habits and see which ones you can adopt for eating well!

Eating Well Tip—Eat a good breakfast
Two thirds (!) of teenage girls do not eat breakfast on a regular basis. Breakfast, which can upstart metabolism, also helps with weight control, mood and school performance. Blood sugar drops usually overnight, leaving your brain to run on empty until you eat in the morning. Breakfast skippers tend to eat more calories and make poor food choices during the day than do people who don't skip. If you change just one thing about your diet, make it including breakfast each morning.

Eating Well Tip—Dump fast food
Because of school, sports, and work schedules, chances are you're hitting fast food restaurants more often than you're eating at home. A University of Minnesota study found that teens who ate seven or more meals with their family per week had higher grades and were less likely to feel depressed, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or use marijuana than those who ate less than twice a week with their families.

Eating Well Tip—Respect the pyramid
That tiny section at the top of the food pyramid, the one that's supposed to be the least amount of servings, the one with all the high fat and calories, makes up too much of what you eat each day. Whether you're trying to eat yourself out of a bad mood or mindlessly munching while watching TV, your brain is distracted from the fullness message being sent to your stomach.

Soft drinks...liquid candy...empty calories...no nutritional value. Just think before you drink. 'Nuff said.

Eating Well Tip—Slow down for meals
If you're a speed eater, take heed. Mealtime is the perfect time to s-l-o-w down the frenetic pace of the day. Eating too quickly interferes with healthy digestion and encourages overeating. A recent study found that women who ate a meal in 30 minutes ate 10% fewer calories compared to those who wolfed one down in 10!

Eating Well Tip—A week has seven days
Do you watch what you eat carefully from Monday–Friday, then blow it on the weekend? The bad news is that it is possible to undo five days of good food behavior with a weekend free-for-all. Don't be tempted to restrict yourself so severely during the week that the weekend feels like it's your only time to indulge.

We understand how hard it is to break any habit, especially an ingrained bad food habit, so don't feel pressured to overhaul your approach overnight. Start gradually and be gentle with yourself. Commit to three distraction-free meals with your family a week (allow two light snacks too!).

Give yourself a chance to listen to your body. Our systems are designed to know what we need to eat. Tune in to those internal signals and you will find the balance that will support your daily activities. The rewards of paying as much attention to what you put into your body as what you put on your body are far-reaching...and lifelong.