Flat Stomach: 14 Foods You Should Stop Eating
Having a flat stomach is far beyond just doing excercise, most work-out efforts won’t make much difference if you keep eating the wrong set of food. If you truly want flat stomach, avoid these 13 foods.
Cheese
A study done in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a diet rich in medium-chain triglycerides, as opposed to long-chain triglycerides, diminished overall abdominal fat. Long-chain triglycerides are present in dairy products. This isn’t to say that dairy is completely off limits, as healthy options like skim milk supply the body with protein and calcium. Cheese, on the other hand, is dense in calories and saturated fat. If you’re aiming for a slimmer midsection, do as the French: Stay away from processed melted cheese and eat small portions of additive-free fromage instead.
Too Much Carbs
When you eat too many carbs, your body stores them up in the form of fat for you to use as energy later. Quite simply, if you cut down on the carbs that you eat, your body will start to use the stores of fat around your belly and this will, eventually, lead to a flatter stomach.
Processed Meats
There is no doubt about the fact that meat is a healthy part of our diet, it supplies your body with large amounts of protein for maintained energy levels and new muscle cell production. However, processed meats that are high in saturated fat (yes, that includes bacon), aren’t your healthy lifestyle friends. Instead, look to plant proteins or lean meats like grilled chicken and fish to fulfill your daily quota.
Soft Drinks
Soft drinks are part of our daily routine but that doesn’t mean they’re healthy. Giving up soft drink is a little bit hard. But if you really want to get rid of abdominal fat, you should stop drinking soft drinks. Even those low-calorie drinks slow down your metabolism and stimulate your body to gain fat.
Diet Foods
Although certain meals and shakes packaged as diet-friendly may be low in calories and fat, they’re usually extremely high in sodium and preservatives. Don’t be fooled by low-calorie diet bars either, you’ll be hungry again in no time, thanks to their lack of natural nutrition. It’s better to snack on foods rich in vitamins and minerals. They’ll keep you full longer and your hair, skin, and mood will be improved over time.
Chewing gum
You may not have realized this, but chewing gum can make your belly look bigger. It’s got nothing to do with calories. It’s that, when you chew gum, you swallow a lot of air and that air can get trapped in your stomach and it will make you bloated.
Fried foods
Another tip on how to get a flat stomach is to avoid fried, greasy food; it takes longer for you to digest and it can make you feel bloated. To lose weight, you need to eat only the healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, which are found in products like avocado or olive oil. Be especially wary of fast food that has been fried, because that will often have been cooked in the cheaper, unhealthy, types of oil.
Bread
This is probably weird for some people but the truth is refined carbohydrates like bread are another food that should be limited in a healthy diet. One study found that diets rich in “dense acellular carbohydrates” promote inflammation and weight gain. Try to replace your go-to morning bagel with something healthier—think protein and fruit. You might even notice a difference in your energy levels throughout the day. That’s not to say bread is always off limits (it’s one of our greatest joys, after all). Instead, reach for whole-grain options, which have more nutritional value and will keep you feeling full longer.
Candy and soda
Swap soda for water, and candy for fruit, and you will soon find that you will be able to lose weight from your stomach quickly. Soda and candy contain no nutritional value at all, just loads and loads of empty calories. Even diet soda has been proven to make people gain weight, because it increases your craving for sweet foods.
Alcoholic drinks
This is a very important tip we should be very careful of. It is true that, in moderation, alcohol can help you avoid heart disease, but just like candy, alcoholic drinks contain a lot of useless calories, especially if you drink them mixed with things like Coke. The other problem with alcohol is that it reduces your willpower, so you will be likely to drink far more than you intended and you may eat unhealthy food at the same time as well.
Fruit juice
When you are trying to get a flatter stomach, you need to think about what you drink, as well as what you eat. One of the surprising beverages that you might need to cut down is fruit juice, because that too contains a lot of calories. The problem with fruit juice is that it seems so healthy and natural and you might think that drinking it all day long would be fine, but you should really limit yourself to just one glass of fruit juice a day.
Salt
Another good tip on how to get a flat stomach is to stop adding salt to your food and avoid processed food that contains a lot of it, because salt will make you retain water and that will cause bloating of the stomach. Most food has plenty of salt in it already, so you shouldn’t really need to add more at mealtimes.
Soda
Soda is sweetened with artificial sugars and high fructose corn syrup. According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, consuming large amounts of fructose results in increased intra-abdominal fat. Even reaching for diet soda won’t make a difference. Steer clear of the sugary drink completely, and reach for fruit-infused waters instead. They’re much more hydrating and just as yummy.
Potatoes
According to Willett, a single baked potato has nearly the identical effect on your body as eating a tablespoon of pure sugar. Like refined grains, these tubers are loaded with empty calories. Also like refined grains, when the sugar high fades, it leaves you hungry and craving more food.