Arnold Schwarzenegger once famously said, “if it jiggles, it’s fat,” and most women would admit that nothing can be more jiggly than belly fat 😛 Statistics reveal that getting rid of extra flab around the belly is one of the primary initial reasons why women want to lose weight. To fit into clothes better, to improve one’s appearance, flattening out the belly pooch is considered ideal. Doing several sets of crunches and sipping copious amounts of detox teas will not give you flat belly – losing overall weight, avoiding empty calories, getting into a calorie deficit, eating nutritious food, being physically active will trim down the waistline. But there are a few foods that you should give up when trying to lose tummy fat. In this post, we have listed down four such food items that need to be chucked out of your diet right now.

1. Sugar: Belly fat is also called stubborn fat because even with strict dieting and exercise, it stays put! Excessive sugar intake is one major reason behind building up of that kind of stubborn fat. When you consume sugar, it enters into the bloodstream, and triggers the release of insulin. This hormone clears out excess glucose from the blood and facilitates the conversion of glucose to fat, which is then stored away in body cells for later use. Sugar also raises inflammation in the body, which makes it extremely difficult to melt away fat. The first step to lose weight, flatten the belly, and to get healthy in general is to give up refined sugar and eliminate added sugar from processed foods such as cookies, biscuits, pastries, muffins, breakfast cereals, etc. Just make sure to read ingredients list to avoid added sugar from reaching into your daily diet.
2. Transfat: Transfat is one ingredient health experts around the world are asking us to stay away from. Food with transfat content is harmful for your health because it increases the amount of bad cholesterol, raising the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Transfat is banned in many countries due to its harmful effects. And if you are trying to lose belly fat, avoid transfat like a plague because it has the ability to mobilize fat from other areas of the body towards the belly area! Transfat is commonly found in French fries, pastries, pizza, crackers, cookies, biscuits, and baked foods, not to mention in fast food. Also read: “15 Transfat Food Items you should Avoid to Lose Weight Effectively.”
3. Foods That Cause Inflammation: Experts say there’s a direct link between chronic inflammation and belly fat. Doctors have found that persistent inflammation can also increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and even depression. When the body experiences inflammation and stress, the preferred storage site for fat is around the belly region. Food with refined carbs, refined oil, fried food, sugar, margarine have been found to raise inflammation in the body whereas green leafy vegetables, nuts, olive oil, healthy fats from fish like tuna and salmon, and even tomatoes can lower inflammation.
4. Sweetened Beverages: Sports drinks, packaged fruit juices, soft drinks, colas, etc., can have insane amount of sugar and research says people who consume them on a daily basis have stubborn belly fat. High in sugar, empty calories, these raise blood sugar rapidly, spike insulin release, and promotes fat storage in the body, including the belly area. Eliminating sweetened beverages and sugary drinks is the easiest way to cut down excess calories and get into a calorie deficit to lose weight and belly fat.

Summing up, the most effective way to lose weight is to follow a nutritious diet program such as the Rati Beauty diet. Download the Rati Beauty app for more details.

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