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What Foods Store Fat?

It is important to eat healthy, nutritious foods to maintain physical and mental health. Foods like whole grains, vegetables and fruit and lean protein help promote health. There are foods that can cause a body to be unhealthy and store extra fat. These foods can make the body store fat in the belly or thigh area, and may cause significant medical problems for individuals with excess body fat.

  1. Saturated Versus Unsaturated Fats

    • Saturated fats are the worst fats for a body to store. This type of fat is made from chemical chains and are harder for the body to break down. Saturated fats are linked to heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. Unsaturated fats come from natural resources and are broken down into mono- and polyunsaturated fats. While better for a body than saturated fat, an individual can still consume too many unsaturated fats and cause increased fat storage.

    Carbohydrates

    • Carbohydrates (or carbs) are stored as fat when the muscles and liver have already had their fill of glycogen. The more carbs a person eats, the more fat he will they store. Refined and processed carbs increase the storage of fat more than simple carbs. Simple carbs are vegetables and fruits, which help to provide fiber to the body, therefore bringing down insulin levels.

    Sugars

    • Candy, desserts and refined carbohydrates all have a form of sugar in them. According to "The Belly Fat Cure," eating sugar and refined carbs affects insulin levels in the body. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and manages blood sugar and fat accumulation. Increased levels of insulin can make a person fat and hinder her ability to lose the fat.

    Alcohol

    • Alcohol is full of sugar and fat, which is stored by the liver and turned into belly fat. Alcohol also slows down the burning of fat. The more a person drinks, the more the fat he is storing, since alcohol slows down the burning of fat. In addition, alcohol is an appetite stimulant, causing a person to eat more. Hard liquor is primarily sugar, as is wine, and beer is full of empty carbohydrates.

    Packaged and Processed Foods

    • Many processed and packaged foods contain sweeteners, salts, artificial flavors, fat, chemicals and trans fat. In the process of creating food that can be stored on grocery and pantry shelves, many of the nutrients in the food are removed. Trans fat is one of the worst culprits for storing fat in the body. Trans fats are bad for the heart because they increase LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and decrease the HDL cholesterol, or the good cholesterol. Many packaged and processed foods also have high amounts of sodium, which increases a body's fat storage because it inflates the fat cells where it is stored.

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