Foods To Avoid To Lose Belly Fat

Listen to this article on Spotify, watch it on YouTube, 或者用中文读。

If you’re trying to lose belly fat, are there foods you should avoid?

There are many dietary strategies that help reduce belly fat, as well as reduce fat most anywhere else.

Knowing how they work, however, will help prevent you from inadvertently also avoiding foods that might actually be useful for fat burning, or are unnecessary to avoid.

So with that in mind, let’s get into Part 3, foods to avoid to reduce fat.

I suggest reading Part 1 of this series first if you haven’t, since it lays down basic knowledge about fat metabolism that will help put the information of this article into perspective.

Let’s quickly recall from Part 1 that there isn’t really any natural way to control where our body stores fat. Rather it will choose certain areas, like our belly to store fat, if what you’re eating causes it to generate a lot of fat.

Carbohydrate

Glycemic index

The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar levels. Foods are ranked on a scale from 0 to 100 based on their effect on blood sugar levels.

Foods with a high GI, such as white bread and sugary drinks, are absorbed quickly by the body and can cause blood sugar levels to spike.

In contrast, foods with a low GI, such as whole grains and legumes, are absorbed more slowly and have a less dramatic effect on blood sugar levels.

The glycemic index can be a useful tool for people trying to lose weight, as it can help to identify foods that may cause spikes in blood sugar levels and lead to increased hunger and cravings.

In general, choosing foods with a low GI can help to keep blood sugar levels stable, which can lead to reduced hunger and cravings and potentially aid in weight loss.

However, it’s important to note that the glycemic index is just one factor to consider when it comes to blood sugar. Glycemic load is another factor that needs to be considered.

Types of carbs

There are 3 major types of dietary carbohydrates, which can have different impacts on weight loss:

1. Simple carbohydrates: Simple carbohydrates are sugars that are found naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables, and milk, as well as added sugars that are found in processed foods such as candy, soda, and baked goods. Simple carbohydrates can be absorbed quickly by the body, which can cause blood sugar levels to spike and then crash. This can lead to increased hunger and cravings, which can make it more difficult to lose weight.
2. Complex carbohydrates: Complex carbohydrates are found in starchy foods such as grains, beans, and legumes. They are made up of long chains of sugars that take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates, which can help to keep you feeling full and satisfied. Complex carbohydrates can be a good choice for weight loss, especially when paired with protein and healthy fats.
3. Fiber: Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that is found in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It is not digested by the body and passes largely unchanged through the digestive system. Fiber can help to keep you feeling full and satisfied, and it can also help to promote regular bowel movements. Including plenty of high-fiber foods in a weight loss diet can be beneficial.

Simple vs complex carbs

The two types of carbohydrate with some potential to negatively impact your weight loss if used incorrectly, are simple and complex carbs.

Simple carbs have a higher glycemic index, and are most associated with sugary, sweet tasting foods or drinks.

However, just because something doesn’t taste overly sweet, doesn’t mean it’s low in simple carbohydrates.

Simple carbs can be found in higher amounts, in many types of breads, pastries, pasta, noodles, and vitamin or energy drinks.

Generally, the more refined or processed the carbohydrate is, like you might find in pre-packaged granola bars versus homemade granola, the greater the proportion of simple carbohydrates.

While all simple carbs can be converted easily into fat, in terms of health, consuming different types of simple carbs do appear to make a difference.

For example, the sugar fructose, and the closely related sucrose, appear to create more visceral fat deposits over the sugar glucose. More visceral fat is associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease.

This appears to be mostly a problem in processed foods sweetened by fructose or sucrose, since eating the fresh whole fruits that contain these sugars don’t appear to have any significant effects on visceral fat.

It may have to do with the fact that consuming the whole fruit also consumes other beneficial components, like soluble fibers, which helps to negate the effects of fructose or sucrose.

Complex carbs tend to be found in seeds, beans, whole grains, and vegetables, and have a lower glycemic index.

Fresher, less-processed foods tend to have more complex carbs. For example, fresh oranges will have a lower glycemic index than orange juice. Or fresh roasted peanuts will have a lower glycemic index than peanut butter.

Complex carbs break down into sugar much slower in the bloodstream.

The slower rise in sugar and insulin means it has more time to be burned as fuel in your body throughout the day, and is less likely to be stored as fat right away.

Types of carb to avoid

So how should you implement this? Well it depends what works well for you.

If you have an extraordinary amount of discipline, you can choose to avoid all sources of carbohydrate, and effectively put yourself on a very low carbohydrate diet.

It would likely be one of the more quick and effective ways of reducing fat.

However, if you’re like the rest of us, removing all sources of carbohydrate may be unnecessary.

Removing sources of simple carbohydrates is a good idea, however consuming small amounts of complex carbs, like from fruits or lentils as you might see in the Mediterranean diet, wouldn’t be overly detrimental to your fat loss.

If you do allow yourself small amounts of complex carbs, aim for unprocessed and fresh as much as possible, like having fresh fruits or nuts.

When it’s been heavily processed, like in juices, jams, pastes, or dehydrated and processed snacks, the glycemic index is likely to increase, making the complex carb act more like a simple carb in the body.

Also make sure you’re properly restricting overall calories, since extra calories, even if it’s from complex carbs, will still be stored by the body as fat.

You should also consider increasing your physical activity, since complex carbs still need to be burned away throughout the day, or will eventually end up as fat as well.

Alcohol

The body is also particularly efficient at converting alcohol into fat.

Alcohol can also negatively affect the liver’s ability to metabolize fat properly. This can lead to generated fat being deposited into unusual areas, like within the liver itself.

This is why too much alcohol is often associated with fatty liver and liver damage.

That being said, I’ve noticed from my experience, most patients are more likely to over consume simple carbohydrates, rather than alcohol.

It may have to do with the fact that people can only drink so much alcohol before getting sick, but can easily consume large amounts of carbohydrate without batting an eyelid.

For example, a glass of wine has around 120 kcal, while a single Tim Hortons muffin has around 400 kcal.

From a calorie perspective, 1 muffin would be about 3-4 glasses of wine, and 2 muffins has more calories than the entire bottle of wine.

Of course calories are not the only thing affecting fat deposition, but having a few muffins a day is not uncommon, while most people aren’t consuming over a whole bottle of wine per day… well, maybe some are.

Types of alcohol

The types of alcohol least likely to increase belly fat would be lower carb, less sugary alcohols. Some examples of alcohol and their potential effects on weight are as follows:

• Beer: Beer is a type of alcoholic drink made from grains, such as barley and hops. It is usually high in carbohydrates and calories, and it can contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess.
• Wine: Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes or other fruits. It is relatively low in calories compared to other alcoholic drinks, but it can still contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess.
• Spirits: Spirits are alcoholic drinks that are made from distilled grains, fruits, or vegetables. They are typically high in alcohol content and low in carbohydrates, but they can still contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess.
• Mixed drinks: Mixed drinks are alcoholic beverages that are made by mixing a spirit with a mixer, such as soda or juice. These drinks can be high in calories and sugar, which can contribute to weight gain.

Overall, drier wines and spirits by itself, or low carb beers are some of your better options.

Make sure you take into account the amount you’re consuming. The same volume of wine has more calories than beer. However beer is usually consumed per can, which has more total calories than the standard glass of wine.

Should you avoid alcohol?

So let’s put alcohol into a practical perspective. If you have a fatty liver or have any liver issues, it would probably be a good idea to avoid alcohol altogether.

But if you’re healthy, so long as your intake is mild, like 1-2 glasses of dry wine a week, it shouldn’t be a huge problem.

However if you don’t miss alcohol, I recommend just eliminating it as well.

In our next article of this series, we’ll take a look at what foods you should eat if you’re trying to burn fat.

Learn more about

• What To Eat To Lose Belly Fat – Protein and Fat
• Glycemic index of common foods
• Other foods for weight loss

See also

• 
  The Benefits of Schisandra
  The clinical evidence supporting schisandra’s medicinal benefits is too weak. However, it shines as a nutritious functional food.
• 
  Doctor Reviews: Ancestral Supplements Beef Organs
  Beef organ meats offer minor benefits over beef, but supplements like Ancestral Supplements are not very effective.
• 
  Best Types of Rice for Diabetes
  Brown, red, and black rice are less processed and have a lower glycemic index, making them a better option for diabetics.
• 
  Is Keto Chocolate Any Good?
  Keto chocolate replaces sugar, milk, and thickeners with low-carb alternatives, but having them is unlikely to benefit your weight or health.
• 
  Doctor Reviews: Bee Bread
  Bee bread is fermented bee pollen, and may be quite nutritious, but lacks any researched health benefits in humans.