Many people want to have a flat stomach, but it is interesting to know that abdominal fat is the most difficult to deal with. People work out and try to adopt healthy habits, but don’t see results in the mirror. The belly is still there, and it seems that it doesn’t plan to go anywhere.
If this sounds familiar to you, we at Go Keto Guide want you to know more about the foods that stand in the way of the flat belly so many people desire.
1. Sugary Drinks
According to Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett, people who want to erase the extra pounds away, the first thing should eliminate are high-calorie, low-value foods.
Sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda, are one of the unhealthiest foods on the planet. At 150 empty calories per can, soda pop is a particularly bad form of sweet. They are strongly associated with weight gain and can have disastrous health effects when consumed in excess (1, 2, 3, 4).
For many people, drinking soda is an automatic part of lunch or dinner. By simply replacing this with water or iced tea, they can drop hundreds of calories per week from their meal plan.
Even though sugary drinks contain a lot of calories, the brain doesn’t register them like solid food (5). Liquid sugar calories don’t make people feel full, and they won’t eat less food to compensate. Instead, they end up adding these calories on top of their normal intake.
If someone is serious about living a healthier lifestyle, they should consider giving up sugary drinks completely.
BOTTOM LINE: Sugary drinks can negatively affect weight and general health. If a healthy lifestyle is your goal, then giving up soda and similar drinks may have a big impact. We hear this all the time, but it’s still so hard to give up this habit. But those who really want to get rid of abdominal fat, they should stop drinking soft drinks. Even those low-calorie drinks slow down metabolism and stimulate the body to gain fat.
2. White Bread
White bread is highly refined and often contains a lot of added sugar. Refined grains are pure carbohydrates, presenting the body with a sugar rush just like eating sweets. The calories from this rush are bad enough, but when the sugar high fades the body starts to feel hungry again. It is high on the glycemic index and can spike blood sugar levels (6).
One study of 9,267 people found that eating two slices (120 grams) of white bread per day was linked to a 40% greater risk of weight gain and obesity (7). Fortunately, there are many healthy alternatives to conventional wheat bread. One is the Amazing Low Carb Keto Bread, which is probably the healthiest bread on the market.
However, keep in mind that all wheat breads do contain gluten. Some other options include Traditional Healthy Low Carb Keto Bread, Paleo Bread and Grain-free Cashew Sourdough Bread.
BOTTOM LINE: White bread is made from very fine flour, and can raise blood sugar levels and lead to overeating. However, there are many other types of bread out there. We recommend eating whole and wild grains, which release their carbs more slowly.
3. Ice Cream
Ice cream is incredibly delicious, but very unhealthy. It is high in calories, and most types are loaded with sugar.
A small portion of ice cream is fine every now and then, but the problem is that it’s very easy to consume massive amounts in one sitting.
Serve a small portion and put the ice cream away so that you won’t end up eating too much.
BOTTOM LINE: Store-bought ice cream is high in sugar, but there are some low carb alternative out there.
4. Candy bars
Candy bars are extremely unhealthy. They pack a lot of added sugar, added oils and refined flour into a small package.
Candy bars are high in calories and low in nutrients. An average-sized candy bar covered in chocolate can contain around 200–300 calories, and extra-large bars may contain even more (8).
Unfortunately, candy bars are everywhere. They are even strategically placed in stores in order to tempt consumers into buying them impulsively.
If you are craving a snack, eat a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts instead. We also highly recommend checking these 7 Delicious Keto Snacks Recipes To Keep Cravings At Bay.
BOTTOM LINE:Candy bars consist of unhealthy ingredients like sugar, refined flour and added oils. They are high in calories, but not very filling.
5. Pastries, Cookies and Cakes
Pastries, cookies and cakes are packed with unhealthy ingredients like added sugar and refined flour. They may also contain artificial trans fats, which are very harmful and linked to many diseases (9).
Pastries, cookies and cakes are not very satisfying, and its very likely to become hungry very quickly after eating these high-calorie, low-nutrient foods.
When craving something sweet, reach for a piece of dark chocolate instead.
BOTTOM LINE:Pastries, cookies and cakes often contain large amounts of added sugar, refined flour and sometimes trans fat. These foods are high in calories but not very filling.
6. Fast Food
It’s no secret that fast food contains too many calories that may bring various health problems, but if that’s not convincing enough to give up this food, just remember that it’s definitely responsible for the belly that some of us want to get rid of so badly.
Yet eating a single fast-food meal such as a burger, fries and a soft drink, often totals more than 2,000 calories, the recommended calorie intake for an entire day. Not surprisingly, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2014 found that consumption of ready-made meals, including meals from fast food restaurants, increased the risk for obesity. Worse still, fast food is high in bad fats and low in nutrition.
Fast food are usually high in saturated fats, sodium and/or added sugar. According to the American Heart Association, a diet high in saturated fats, sodium and sugar not only increases risk of obesity but also heart disease and stroke.
7. Some Types of Alcohol (Especially Beer)
According to Willett, research shows that an alcoholic drink each day can help reduce the risk of heart disease. However, alcohol presents two problems. Like sweets, it has a high caloric content with little nutritional benefit. Also, drinking alcohol often leads to drinking more alcohol. A single night out drinking can mean taking in thousands of calories you would otherwise have done without.
Alcohol provides more calories than carbs and protein, or about 7 calories per gram. However, the evidence for alcohol and weight gain is not clear (10).
Drinking alcohol in moderation seems to be fine and is actually linked to reduced weight gain. Heavy drinking, on the other hand, is associated with increased weight gain (11, 12).
The type of alcohol also matters. Beer can cause weight gain, but drinking wine in moderation may actually be beneficial (13, 14).
BOTTOM LINE: Some alcoholic drinks are rich in calories, but calories are not the main factor here. Alcohol consumption increases the appetite and confuses the part of the brain that is responsible for the feeling of fullness. So no matter how full someone is, when they go for a bottle of beer they usually accompany it with a snack, don’t they?
8. French Fries and Potato Chips
Whole potatoes are healthy and filling, but french fries and potato chips are not. They are very high in calories, and it’s easy to eat way too many of them.
In observational studies, consuming French fries and potato chips has been linked to weight gain (15, 16).
One study even found that potato chips may contribute to more weight gain per serving than any other food (17).
As much as people love this food, they should give it up as soon as possible. Fried potatoes, just like any other fried foods, work like a sponge that absorbs saturated fats. Believe it or not, but saturated fats can actually affect brain function so that it can’t think clearly about how much weight a person is gaining at the moment. As a result, you can eat up to 30 potatoes without noticing it.
What’s more, baked, roasted or fried potatoes may contain cancer-causing substances called acrylamides. Therefore, it’s best to eat plain, boiled potatoes (18, 19).
BOTTOM LINE:French fries and potato chips are unhealthy and fattening. On the other hand, whole, boiled potatoes are very healthy and help fill you up.
If you want to succeed with keto and experience all of the health and weight loss benefits while eating delicious foods, you have to follow a bulletproof plan.
And while this recipe is helpful and can certainly get you going in the right direction, it’s only a fraction of what you’ll find inside of the Two-Week Keto Challenge and the Keto Recipe Collection.
When you join us, you’ll have access to a comprehensive library of plenty of mouthwatering breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and even snack recipes that will all support you on your keto journey.
Not only that…
Besides sharing my best keto recipes, I’ll also give you an easy to follow done for you meal plan.
And all of it is designed to help you succeed.
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