We have to admit, college hasn’t really groomed us for the big, bad world. If anything, we are messier and more confused than ever. Now we even know we suck at adulthood. We’d give up all of this to go back to being those 5-year-olds watching cartoons and yellowing our fingers with Cheetos.

As hard as it is to digest, the fact of the matter is that we’ve grown up now, and well in our 20s we need to act like it. There are a few changes we need to make in our eating habits too. Here’s a checklist for ya all, of things you need to stop doing right away:

1. Replacing Breakfast with a Cuppa

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Photo By Sabhyata Badhwar

Yes, caffeine is probably our best friend that leads us through college, through grad school, through interviews, but it cannot last us through the rest of the life. There are times you’ll need to make decisions not influenced by caffeine.

2. Procrastinating When It Comes to Doing Dishes

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Life’s hard as it is. As someone in her 20s, I get it. So, isn’t wise to not complicate the complications any more?

3. Skipping Meals

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Skipping meals is not a healthy habit. It is a cardinal sin. I repeat, cardinal sin. FYI, it does not help you lose weight. In fact, you ultimately end up eating more in the next meal.

4. Eating With a Phone in Hand

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This basically implies undermining the importance of concentrated, mindful eating. For once on the dinner table, just leave that phone. Any and every call can wait. Mindful eating is eating with intention and attention. Eating on the go and with a time crunch has probably spoiled the concept for you, but you gotta mend your ways now.

5. Binge/Mindless Eating

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There was something uber cool about Netflix and binge watching Friends and movies. Past tense. Binge eating, for all we know, could be a possible disorder. This is serious.

6. Midnight Snacking

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We all know pulling all-nighters isn’t the long-term remedy for our troubles. Add snacking to the equation and it is bound to get worse. Midnight munching is glamorous and so hip, everyone wants to claim they ate Maggi at midnight. You might want to rethink this decision owing to the wisdom that supposedly adds up in years.

7. Not Drinking Enough Water

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Photo By Sabhyata Badhwar

This is another sin we commit on a regular basis. Most of the days our intake is less than the prescribed 7-8 glasses, the worst part being late or non-existent realisation of the fact.

8. Intake of Fried Food in Excess

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Yeah, yeah, the joke where you pretend to hear Extra Fries instead of Exercise is all in good humor. Until it no longer is. Let’s try the healthier alternatives to your favorite junk foods.

9. Wolfing Down the Meal

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Glutton is a great title to have, but not if you’re trying to grow up. Eating fast results in taking in too many calories before you realize you’ve eaten enough. Moreover, who would want to choke on their own premature shit, right?

10. Order Takeout Instead of Cook

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Cooking intimidates us all, especially when we are just learning. Let you in on a secret: cooking is cathartic, therapeutic even. The reason you should cook instead of ordering is because cooking gives you some time to yourself. Your 20s are tumultous, you need some time each day to unclutter your mind. Cooking can fill the interstice well.

11. Keeping Company with Soda Drinks

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Soft drinks mostly consist of filtered water and refined sugars. They also cause diabetes, obesity, dental caries and erosion, Kidney and Liver damage, heartburn. Need I expound further?

#SpoonTip: Here is why you need to give up soda for good!

12. Processed Food Over Fresh Food

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Every time you eat processed foods, knowing well what the issue is, you’re making a choice. Just saying.

13. Salt Overdose

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This implies two things. First, you need to start keeping a watch on what you’re eating. And second, you need to control and rectify your salt intake, if needed.

14. Indulging Over the Weekend

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Getting drunk in college was different than getting drunk when you have a full-time job. The fourth phase of drinking in your 20s comes at this time (according to the article right here). This is when despite complaining about a severe hangover, you’ll need to work at the office desk. Over-indulgence, it turns out, won’t look a glamorous option in the long run.

15. Stuffing Fast Foods on the Go

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When in a hurry, do not make the mistake of taking your burger/fries/pizza slice along to eat on your way to work. This advice is in consonance with the earlier points of cooking more and ordering less.

16. Sugar-coated Breakfast

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Photo By Paavani Jain

Your sugary breakfast cereal, chocolate syrup-laden pancakes and sprinkled donuts sound good as long as they don’t become a regular feature. Fruits in the morning is a much preferable option, to keep you going through the tough day ahead.

17. Having No Proper Meal

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Photo By Kritika Narula

As a college student, you’ve become used to just running and eating, skipping meals, and all those sins we talked about. As you realise the importance of having proper meals, promise to yourself that you will have at least one meal in an entire day, which’d be proper, with a glass of juice/wine to accompany it, and ending with desserts. You’ll cherish and savour at least one meal this way.