Do you have a spare tire on your belly? You're not the only one who feels this way: According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 54 percent of adults in the United States currently have abdominal obesity, up from 46 percent in 2000. If you fall into this category (male abs are considered overweight if the waistline reaches more than 40 inches), it's time to cut back on these five foods.
Grain that has been refined
Are you unfamiliar with the term "refined grain"? White rice, white bread, and standard white pasta all contain this component. Whole wheat, brown rice, and quinoa are all healthier than refined grains. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University discovered that persons who ate whole grains in addition to a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and protein lost more weight in the abdomen area than those who ate only refined grains.
Products made from potatoes
The weight changes of more than 120,000 men and women were tracked for up to 20 years in a research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The subjects were followed up on every four years, and on average, they gained 3.35 pounds each time, totaling nearly 17 pounds by the end of the study. What foods are linked to the most weight gain? Potato chips and potatoes, to be precise.
Meats that have been red and processed
People who ate more red and processed meat gained weight, too, according to the same 20-year study—about one pound every four years. Researchers worked with more than 370,000 people in another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and discovered that persons who ate the equivalent of a small steak a day gained around five pounds in five years.
Frosting
Those special-occasion cupcakes your coworker bakes? No, you shouldn't consume them. Despite the fact that the FDA has declared war on trans fats, store-bought frosting still contains a significant amount of the substance.How dangerous are trans fats? Wake Forest University researchers fed two groups of monkeys two different diets: one with trans fats and the other with unsaturated fats.
The results showed that those who consumed trans fats gained 7.2 percent of their body weight over six years, whereas those who did not gained only 1.8 percent. Trans fats were responsible for not only adding new fat to the belly, but also for transferring fat from other places to the belly. Other foods to look for trans fat in include pre-made baked products, snack snacks, and frozen pizzas.
Soda (diet)
It's easy to be tricked by the zero-calorie label, yet many people believe that beverages manufactured with sugar alternatives contribute to weight gain. Diet Coke drinkers developed nearly three times the amount of belly fat as non-drinkers over the course of nine years, according to a new study released this month.
Although that study only looked at persons aged 65 and over, consider the following: Mice ingesting water laced with artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose) developed insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, two conditions linked to weight gain.
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