Many of our unhealthy eating habits can be attributed to not just what we eat but also how we eat it. The idea behind conscious eating is to instill smart eating practices now that will carry you through the rest of your life -- so the way you select, prepare, and enjoy a meal actually makes you healthier.

Reversing unhealthy eating habits is not about following hard-and-fast diet rules. Instead, it's about cultivating a new, conscious approach, one that starts with listening to your body.

Finding your way back to a healthy relationship with food starts when you reconnect with both your body and your emotions. That entails the deep work of learning to recognize and experience your feelings, and the practical work of finding strategies to replace the habit of turning to food for comfort. It also means recognizing and undoing the lessons of a culture that teaches women to mistrust their bodies.

Failure to indulge is a serious violation of Party Law. But, as anyone who's powered through a bowl of guacamole and a pitcher of Champagne punch knows, too much of a good thing can suddenly feel bad. These seven steps will help you keep your reveling in check.

Try these strategies for eating more mindfully, followed by exercises that will re-engage your senses to help you enjoy food more, even while eating less.

Eating too quickly contributes not only to indigestion, but also to consuming far more calories than one needs. And with 34 percent of American adults now obese, we could all benefit from slowing down. Try these strategies to stop being a mealtime speed demon.

Flung open and shut several times a day, the typical fridge serves as our own personal vending machine -- which we gravitate to, like nails to a magnet, when our stomachs start growling. But with most setups, we reach for last night's takeout, perched on the top shelf, instead of the fresh vegetables and fruits, bagged and buried in the crisper drawers. Learn how tweaking your refrigerator setup can help you eat healthier.

Certain food choices work magic for helping you staying balanced; others have the opposite effect. Breaking the cycle means limiting the worst offenders in your diet -- and replacing them with power foods that go the distance, no matter what life throws at you.

We combed the research to find surprisingly simple ways to eat just a little bit less. Stack a few of these tips together and you could really see an impact.

Talk to food psychologists and you'll hear that learning to respond to your body's natural sense of physical hunger, and subsequent feelings of fullness, is a powerful tool for maintaining a healthy weight. But talk to women of all shapes and sizes, and many of them will tell you they fight hunger and, in some cases, fear it. Learn our tips for making peace with your stomach.

Even if you're the healthiest of eaters, a getaway can set off a dietary bender that leaves you feeling greasy, lethargic, and a few pounds heavier by vacation's end. Planning is the name of the game when you're trying to eat right on the road.