Do foods high in sodium make you fat?

Yes! Sodium bloats you out and forces you to retain water. Even if you lose weight, your belly might still look chunky if you're eating high sodium foods.

Try to stay away from processed foods (anything in a can, frozen ready-to-eat meals and fast food).

The average person should get about 2500mg of sodium a day. As a test, try reducing that to 1500mg for one week and see how your stomach looks on day 7.

If you cook with stock, get the reduced sodium brand and try to use less salt overall in your cooking. If you're finding it hard to get the levels down, drink a LOT more water to help counteract.