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Ah, the dreaded midsection flab. Also known as the muffin top, love handles, flat tire. Whatever you call it, this is an incredibly common place to store extra fat on the human body. But it comes with many caveats–mostly that it’s an early indicator of heart problems down the line.
If you’re carrying around a few extra pounds in your midsection, adopting a healthier diet is imperative, health experts say. The first step is to cut out foods and drinks that are causing you to gain more weight, especially in the middle.
The answer is sugary beverages like soda. Sugar-loaded drinks are at the top of any health care professional's list of thing you must cut out immediately to lose weight. There having been countless studies that have shown a link between high sugar intake and belly flat, also known as "love handles."
In one study, overweight and obese participants who consumed 25% of their daily calories in the form of fructose-sweetened beverages over 10 weeks experienced an increase in belly fat. Yikes!
Some point to the high fructose content of added sugars as the culprit. The best thing you can do is check your labels for their sugar content. Drinks should have low or no sugar content (trust us--you get enough added sugars sneakily from food).
Nutritionists recommend drinking water (sparkling or flat), coffee or tea (watch the flavors, though!), in lieu of sugary sodas.
Hate water? Here are a few nutritionist-approved tips for making it more palatable: Add a squeeze of lemon or lime. Use frozen fruit as your ice cubes. Look for zero sugar flavored waters in sparkling, seltzer or flat.
