Banish belly fat for good. Red meat – you may have totally good intentions of trying to boost your protein intake and keep your diet low-carb, but if you’re getting your protein from the wrong sources, it could actually backfire and cause you to gain belly fat. Try to stick to lean proteins like fish, chicken, and turkey, and stay away from fatty cuts of red meat. Sugar – sugar has plenty of negative effects on your body, so it’s really no surprise that it’s also been linked to excess belly fat. Avoiding sugar forever is obviously going to be difficult, but try to limit the amount you consume on a daily basis, and watch out for sugar in unexpected places, like yogurt, juices, and coffee drinks. Packaged foods – you probably know that packaged, processed foods are bad for you because of the high amounts of sodium and sugar they contain, but there’s another reason to avoid them: They often contain added trans fats. Trans fats help extend the shelf life of foods, but they also cause inflammation and excess belly fat. Refined carbs – you don’t have to go low-carb to be healthy, but you do have to choose the right carbs. Refined carbs that are low in fibre and nutritional value have been shown to increase belly fat, while high-fibre whole grains can actually reduce it. Cheese – there’s no love greater than our love for all things cheesy, but because it can contain saturated fat, eating too much of it can definitely show up in the place you least want it to: your stomach. But since a life without cheese is just not one worth living, eat it in moderation and offset cravings with healthy fats found in salmon, oil, and walnuts. Milk & dairy – whether or not you were born lactose intolerant, as we age, many people begin to have difficulty digesting the lactose in dairy products, which can then upset our digestion, aggravate our stomachs, and cause chronic gas and bloating. In addition, full-fat dairy products can also lead to belly fat, when eaten in excess.