In order to reduce body fat, you should steer clear of a number of foods. Two categories of foods, in particular, can have a particularly adverse effect on body fat: most white foods and foods high in sugar — especially fructose. White-colored foods are often high in the carbohydrates starch and sugar. Carbohydrates are an essential component of a healthy diet, but many people are not active enough to burn off the excessive amounts of these nutrients they consume. When carbohydrates go unused, the body converts them to fat and they are stored in various locations — particularly the abs– for later energy use.
White-colored foods typically also have a high glycemic index — a measure of a particular food’s effect on blood sugar levels. High-glycemic foods are quickly digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, causing a sudden rise in blood glucose levels. This surge of blood glucose causes a quick burst of energy, but is followed shortly after by a crash. High-glycemic foods can leave you feeling hungry shortly after eating — craving another blood glucose rush.
White Breads and Refined Grains
White bread, and other foods made from white flour, are high in carbohydrates, particularly the simple sugar glucose — and have among the highest glycemic indexes of any foods available. Refined white flour also undergoes a milling process that removes the bran and germ from the wheat grain. These two layers of the seed hold much of the grain’s vitamins, minerals and fiber. You need to consume more white bread, and thus more calories, to obtain the same amount of nutrition as whole grain products. Though fiber is technically also a carbohydrate, the body does not digest it, and it therefore does not cause the rise in blood sugar of other carbohydrates.
Potatoes are high in the carbohydrate starch. Starch is exclusively found in plant foods, and is composed of hundreds molecules of glucose. Carbohydrates are ultimately converted to glucose in the bloodstream, thus starch is dissolved very quickly, causing a sudden and drastic rise in blood glucose levels. Like potatoes, white rice is also high in starch. Instead of white rice and potatoes, eat brown rice, barley and other non-starchy whole grains.
When most carbohydrates are digested, they are converted to glucose in the bloodstream. The body then secretes insulin to help cells absorb the sugar to be used for energy. Fructose, however, is processed more slowly in the liver than other sugars. The liver cannot convert excess amounts of fructose into usable energy quickly, so it converts it to fat. High amounts of circulating fat in the bloodstream can suppress hormones that regulate appetite, leaving you feeling hungry for more calories. Excess fat also contributes to insulin resistance — a condition in which the body has difficulty using glucose for energy. The body, then, releases more insulin into the bloodstream. High levels of insulin can contribute to excess fat storage and a difficulty accessing fat stores for energy.