But let's go step by step ...
Even though it almost sounds like a fairytale, fat on our bodies doesn’t accumulate by accident. The body is actually a very smart storekeeper. When it gets too much energy, it starts storing it. And the most convenient storage space is the belly. Not because it looks nice and round, but because that’s where the organs are, which the body protects the most.
A study by Harvard University from 2022 showed that in people who often eat processed foods (that means food heavily altered by factories), waist circumference increased on average by 3.4 cm per year, even if they didn’t eat (too) many calories. These numbers are not small. In five years, that’s almost 17 cm!
And if you add everyday stress (which 82% of people experienced during the 2020 pandemic) and lack of movement, you have the perfect recipe for abdominal fat.
1. Chips – the crunchy little enemy that silences your sense of fullness
Chips actually have just one superpower: they fool the brain's centers for satiety. When you eat chips, something similar happens in your body as when a child finds a bag of candy: he can’t stop. Chips are full of salt and oil, which triggers dopamine release in your brain, and dopamine is the substance that gives you a feeling of pleasure (in simple words: you feel good and want more).
When there’s too much dopamine, the brain finds it harder to feel full. This means: you keep eating, even though your body no longer needs food.
What do studies say?
An American study from 2023, which followed 120,000 people, confirmed that chips are the food that increases body weight the most over four years, even more than sugary drinks or processed meat.
People who ate chips at least four times a week gained on average 1.69 kg per year, which, in four years, is more than 6.7 kg. And that’s just the average! The real numbers are much higher, especially if you eat them every day.
Why do we say they stick to your stomach?
The oil in which chips are fried contains hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenated fats are artificially hardened fats that the body finds very hard to break down, so they’re often stored as fat around the belly.
Our grandmothers used to say: if your stomach is bothering you, eat something that comes from the earth, not from a factory.
If you get the urge for chips, try baking thinly sliced potatoes in the oven, lightly salting them, and adding a drop of homemade oil ... That way, you save more than 70% of the oil and your dopamine won’t go wild like it does with industrial chips.
2. Donuts – the round trap that raises sugar faster than an elevator
Donuts are appealing to look at, soft and sweet ... but in your belly, they make a real mess. They’re full of processed carbohydrates which, in bakeries, are stripped of all fiber and nutrients, so they also break down in your body very quickly. When you eat a donut, your blood sugar shoots up in less than 10 minutes. This stressful fluctuation triggers your body to release a lot of insulin, which then moves sugar into your cells ...
But insulin is a very precise storekeeper. Every excess of sugar is stored exactly where you don’t want it: in fat cells around your belly.
What do studies say?
A 2021 study showed that as many as 92% of processed sweets, including donuts, have a high glycemic index, a measurement of how quickly food raises blood sugar. Foods with a high glycemic index cause two bad things:
- they cause rapid hunger (usually within 30-45 minutes),
- rapid fat storage.
That’s like lighting a fire with paper: it burns quickly, goes out quickly, and in the end, you have to look for more wood.
But you can make donuts at home that are very different from industrial ones: bake them in the oven, without oil, using whole grain flour and a little honey. In terms of nutritional value, such donuts are 40% easier on your blood sugar, and the taste is still excellent ...
3. Margarine – the silent trickster that's not as diet as it claims
Margarine comes with one of the biggest marketing illusions of the last 50 years. People often think margarine is healthier than butter because it says light, 0% fat, or diet. But the truth is much more complicated.
Margarine often contains trans fats. Trans fats are artificially altered fats that extend food’s shelf life, but they cause inflammation and fat accumulation in the body. Trans fats are so dangerous that the World Health Organization in 2024 again warned that daily use increases the risk of abdominal fat by as much as 40%.
And one more thing: when people see a product is diet, they usually eat 30-50% more of it because they feel safe. But the body doesn't forget the extra fats and calories. It carefully stores everything around your waist.
In 2025, the European Consumers’ Organization published a report showing that as many as 67% of diet products contain more hidden fats, sugar, or flavor enhancers than consumers realize.
Why do these foods in particular stick to your stomach?
Because they’re a trio of:
- bad fats,
- fast sugars,
- highly processed foods.
All three things have one thing in common: your body doesn’t recognize them as natural food. When the body doesn’t recognize something, it does the simplest thing – it turns the surplus into fat and stores it. And the easiest place to store it is the belly.
If you want your belly to feel better, you can use three ancient methods we’ve been using for centuries:
- Lemon water
In folk medicine they used to say: where it bothers, clean there. Lemon water helps the body gently remove excess salt that accumulates from foods like chips. Drinking 2 to 3 glasses a day reduces water retention by 15–20%, which also means less bloating. - A spoonful of oatmeal before a meal
Oats contain beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is a natural fiber that slows the rise of blood sugar. A 2022 study confirmed beta-glucan reduces the feeling of hunger for up to 4 hours, meaning fewer snacks and less belly fat. - A short 12-minute walk after a meal
This is a trick validated by science today, but our grandmothers already knew it, saying: after lunch, walk a bit so the food can settle. Studies show that 12 minutes of walking after a meal reduces the rise of blood sugar by 22 to 34%.
It’s not about perfection, it’s about small wins
You don’t need to give up chips, donuts, or margarine forever. Just be aware that these are foods that can quietly lead to fat accumulation, especially around your belly. If you enjoy them less frequently, in smaller amounts, or simply replace them with homemade alternatives, your body will feel the difference within a few weeks.
And let us remind you of a simple thought expressed in 2025 by one of the most respected European nutritionists: your belly isn’t stubborn. It just listens to what you give it.
If you give it food it understands, it will be calm. If you give it food that confuses it, the fat will quickly end up where you least want it.
Remember that ...
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