Being able to see well-defined abs is only partially due to muscle definition. With an improper diet, belly fat and water reserves get layered on top of abdominal muscles. If you’re working on your abs and want to show them off on the beach, avoid these four foods.
Added Sugar Foods
Sugar, especially complex carbohydrates, causes your blood glucose level to spike and signals your body to produce insulin. While this hormone lowers your blood sugar level, it also stops your body from using fat as an energy source and directs excess lipids to the fat cells.
Refined Grains
White pasta, bread, and rice are low in fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. They’re not particularly nourishing and have a lot of natural sugars. Store-bought doughs are usually less healthy than what you can make at home. When in doubt, use whole-grain bread or other types of grains (such as barley and oats) as an alternative.
Fried Foods
French fries and fried chicken are some fried foods with high trans-fat content, which can lead to heart disease, increased body fat, and weight gain. It doesn’t help that these foods often contain high levels of salt and sugars as well.
Added Sugar Drinks
Soda and sports drinks are full of sugar and high in calories so it’s best to avoid these all together. Diet sodas are not much better, with some studies suggesting that the artificial sweetener may cause weight gain. Alcohol is also a no-go since it gets processed into sugar and dehydrates you, which might make you want to take more unhealthy drinks.
Nice Abs
Consuming lean protein, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables will provide you with balanced nutrition and give you all the energy you need to exercise. This will also help to reduce unhealthy body fat. Diet alone won’t help you with muscle tone, but it will make your efforts much more visible.
