The 11 Worst Popular Foods That Cause Insta-Belly Fat
Dr Livingood
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Some of the most popular foods that you might be eating almost every day turn into belly fat instantly!
In this blog, I’m going to go over 11 of the worst foods that are widely popular, and some natural remedies to reverse this and trim the fat off of your body.
Even worse than belly fat is visceral fat, which is the fat that builds up around your organs.
If you want to avoid a buildup of visceral fat in your body, stay away from these foods.
1. White Bread
Eating white bread directly deposits fat into the belly and around the organs. If we’re eating refined grains, we’re asking for more belly fat.
If you’re going to have bread, I recommend whole grain bread, because it has been shown to lower visceral fat.
For brands, I recommend Ezekiel, Dave’s Killer Breads, or any other bread that is made from seeds.
2. Diet Soda
We are told that if we want to be healthy, we can just switch from regular to diet soda. Many studies have actually shown an association between the consumption of diet soda and a wider waist circumference.
A study in The Journal of American Geriatric Society found that those who drank diet soda have a higher percentage of belly fat than those who didn’t drink it.
Many researchers feel that diet soda drinkers may overestimate how many calories they’re saving, and then end up overeating and gaining more weight.
Instead of diet soda, I recommend white tea, which can block the formation of new fat cells and help the body break down stored fat.
Apple cider vinegar drinks are also a fantastic choice. Even sparkling water with some lemon has been shown to have some weight loss effects.
3. Fruit Juice
Although fruit juices are packed with vitamin C, most of them contain an average of 36 grams of sugar per cup. 36 grams of sugar is what you would get from eating 4 Krispy Kreme donuts!
Most of the sweetness of the juice comes from fructose, a type of sugar associated with visceral adipose tissue, AKA organ fat.
If you want to drink juice, I recommend infused water or green juices. Ideally, if you have a green juice, make sure it’s low in carbohydrates.
4. Chocolate
There’s a difference between dark and milk chocolate, and it can be found in the waistline.
According to a study published in Heart Health Magazine, eating 3 ½ ounces of dark chocolate can help lower your risk of heart disease.
Dark chocolate can help reduce belly fat, but its counterpart milk chocolate is the real problem. Milk chocolate bars are loaded with sugar and packed with a ton of calories.
An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that the food most associated with weight gain was the chocolate bar.
Luckily, I found a solution to this problem–I made a Livingood Daily Bar that comes in peanut butter and coconut flavors.
They’re made with dark chocolate and sweetened with natural sugar alternatives, so they don’t have excess fats or sugars.
5. Canned Soup
Many canned soup options have a lot of processed salt in them, and while salt itself isn’t a problem, processed salt retains a lot of fluid in your body and makes you gain weight.
Another ingredient in a lot of canned soups is monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is a yeast extract that increases your appetite and hinders your ability to know when you’re full.
MSG is mostly found in Chinese food, which is why buffets are so popular. It can also be found in many chips, including Doritos.
For soup, you’re better off making your own. Make some healthy bone broth, which is fantastic for the gut and doesn’t have any chemicals that make you keep eating.
6. Chips
Harvard researchers found that chips are the worst possible food for your belly. It’s not just that they’re crusted with salt which causes mid-level bloating.
What makes potato chips so bad for your belly is not what they have, it’s what they lack. They lack the ability to make you feel satisfied, so you just keep eating them.
If you like crunching on something, I recommend trying kale chips. They’re really easy to make in a toaster oven. Sprinkle some sea salt on them, and they’re surprisingly delicious!
7. Coffee Add-ins
Coffee itself is not bad for your waistline. In fact, there’s a lot of research showing that it’s actually beneficial for your waistline because it detoxes your liver and helps reduce visceral fat.
But most of the time, frozen coffees are high-calorie drinks packed with sugar and dairy. A 2017 study found that nearly 70% of coffee drinkers had their cup of coffee with caloric add-ins, including sugar and creamers.
Avoiding the sugar and creamer is the key. Coffee is actually the number-one source of antioxidants for most Americans, so we don’t want to avoid it.
If you do drink coffee, make sure you get it in a natural, shade-grown, or organic form. If you drink decaf, get it in a Swiss water processed form.
I like to make proffee, which means I put a scoop of collagen into my coffee for some extra protein in the morning. Instead of creamer, try monk fruit!
If you want to start making your own proffee, you can check out the recipe for it in my video here.
8. Pastries
Your “muffin-top” might literally come from muffins because of what they do to your body. Some people see the label “low-fat” and think it’s a healthier option than a donut.
The truth is, low-fat muffins might as well be a donut. They are treats that are typically loaded with processed flours and high in sugars and sodium.
It’s not that you can never have a muffin, just make a muffin with whole grains, or one that uses flour alternatives.
But you want to stay away from most muffins and pastries if you want to avoid visceral and belly fat.
9. Pretzels
Pretzels may initially seem like a better option than chips, right? Unfortunately, pretzels are just as bad, and they’re loaded with salt.
One study published in The Journal of Nutrition uncovered how salt confuses the biological process that tells you when you’re full. It messes with the ghrelin hormone, which is responsible for making you feel satisfied with the food you eat.
You just end up eating more, which leads to a higher caloric and sugar intake. A lot of pretzels also have rancid oils, which cause weight gain, especially in the belly.
Instead of pretzels, try kale chips, or try snacking on vegetables with hummus or guacamole.
10. Cereal
A lot of cereals are high in sugar and low in protein and fiber. Some even have synthetic vitamins and toxic oils.
These all go straight to the liver and create visceral fat, and soon after eating it, you feel hungry again.
Instead of a bowl of cereal in the morning, try having a smoothie. You can even try incorporating intermittent or rotational fasting and skip breakfast altogether.
You can add some protein powder, coconut oil, or butter to your coffee as a meal replacement in the morning to prevent breaking your fast.
11. French Fries
Any fat covered in bad carbs will make you gain weight. One longitudinal Harvard study found that people who ate fries regularly gained more than 3 pounds of body weight every 4 years.
Over the course of the study, the french fry eaters gained 13 pounds of belly fat from fries alone.
This isn’t to say that you can never have a fry ever again, but if it’s a regular part of your diet, you have to change your lifestyle for your organs’ sake.
Instead of french fries, I recommend air frying or using a toaster oven to cook sweet potatoes. They’re higher in nutrients and lower in sugar content.
Summary
These are 11 foods that will go straight to the belly, and turn into visceral fat. Fat is bad, but fat around your organs is even worse–especially fat around your liver if you’ve never done a detox to clean it.
Over 50% of Americans have fat built up in their liver. If you want to clear your liver out in as little as 14 days, I made a video that covers how to do exactly that, as well as what you should avoid in order to prevent fatty liver.
