We all want to have a flat stomach. We want it fast! We work out hard and try different kinds of diets. Sadly, many people don’t get the results they were hoping for after all the work they put in. One of the reasons could be that some of the food choices they make are sabotaging their efforts. Yes, this includes some ‘healthy’, ‘sugar-free’… ‘diet foods’.
Not only is belly fat the most dangerous kind of fat, it also the most difficult kind to get rid of. If following a strict diet and exercise regimen has done nothing for your waistline, these 10 foods might be the reason.
1 Soda
You’ve probably heard it before, but it’s just so dang hard to give up soda. However, if you’re seriously set on getting rid of belly fat you really do have to kick the habit of drinking pop to the curb. Yes… even if it’s diet soda!
Soda slows down your metabolism and makes your body store more fat. One can of soda contains about 150 empty calories.
Also, whenever you drink something fizzy you take in a good amount of carbon dioxide, which is what gives the drinks their fizz. This gas unsurprisingly will make you gassy and bloated.
If you’re now thinking, fine I’ll just drink juice instead… it’s healthy, you’ll be sadly mistaken. Most store-bought juices have no actual nutritional value or vitamins. They’re just full of sugar and corn syrup.
If you need a replacement for your favorite soda, just go with plain water or some good old home brewed iced tea with no added sugar in it. Doing this will save your body from hundreds of extra calories.
See also: 9 Things That Happen When You Replace All Drinks With Water
2 Alcoholic drinks
Many alcoholic beverages are loaded with calories. However, it’s not just about the caloric content in certain drinks.
Alcohol consumption itself increases your appetite as well as confusing the part of your brain that’s responsible for that ‘full’ feeling in your stomach. So, no matter how full you are, when you go for a bottle of beer you usually grab a snack along with it… don’t you?
Of course there are those special occasions when you can’t help but celebrate with some alcohol. In that case, go for wine or beer and avoid cocktails.
A 4-ounce daiquiri or margarita contains about 7 teaspoons of added sugar. This, plus the fact that alcohol slows down your body’s metabolism, making it even more difficult to burn all those calories, should make you think twice before opting for a fancy mix drink.
See also: Red wine and your gut
3 Foods high in sodium
If you were thinking that sugar was the biggest culprit keeping you from achieving a flat stomach, here’s some bad. Along with sugar, salt should also be limited to small amounts. Especially if you suffer from high blood pressure.
Not only are high sodium foods harmful to your health, they also make your body retain fluids. This results in a puffy belly. In fact most people take over 3400 milligrams of sodium daily. That’s more than twice the recommended 1500 milligrams, according to the American Heart Association.
So avoid sprinkling your food with salt and study the sodium content on food packaging. You’ll be surprised how much sodium many processed foods contain.
4 Chewing gum
This may sound surprising because you’re not actually eating anything. However, that is actually the problem.
When you chew gum your brain and stomach gets signals that prepare them for an incoming meal. This means that gum triggers the overproduction of stomach acid. This, in turn, ends up making you feel hungry.
What’s even worse… researchers at the Ohio University have discovered that not only does chewing gum make you hungry… it makes you hungry for the sugary, high calorie stuff!
The chemical that gives gum it’s minty taste makes healthy fruits and vegetables taste nasty. Ever brush your teeth and then drank some orange juice?