By Mara Miller; Photography by Unsplash

Even healthy foods can make you expand. Eliminate these culprits (just for now!) to flatten out…

Your diet is so good it puts Gwyneth Paltrow in the shade. So why are you oozing out of your shorts? It could be gas. And it could be caused by the very diet you’re so proud of…

Check out this list of healthy bloat-inducers:

Sugar Substitutes

Sensitivity to sugar-alcohol sweeteners such as xylitol, maltitol and sorbitol can bloat you. They’re often found in products labeled “diet” or “light”.

READ MORE: How To ‘Shrink’ Your Tummy In 24 Hours

Frozen Meals and Canned Soups

Many of these products can pack half your RDA of sodium into a single serving. And overdoing the salt can cause you to retain water.

Cruciferous Veggies

The kind of fibre found in broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower tends to stick around in your belly for a while – especially when eaten raw. Oh, hello bloat!

READ MORE: 8 Foods To Eat Tonight To De-Bloat By Tomorrow

Legumes

Oligosaccharides, a type of carb in beans, can be digested only by bacteria in the large intestine, a process that generates gas.

Sparkling Water

Yes, water is your best drink bet when trying to slim down. But air bubbles can swell your middle more than you realise.

READ MORE: 9 Fruits That Can Cause Your Tummy To Bloat

Avocados

Don’t get us wrong – this fruit is packed with good-for-you nutrients, as well as filling monounsaturated fats. But if you’re looking to slim down, you’ll need to watch your intake. Avocados are high in fat and therefor high in kilojoules.

Dried Fruit

“Fresh fruit contains lots of fluid, which fills us up. Dried fruit, on the other hand, is stripped of its water content, concentrating the sugar,” says Sarah Wilson, author of I Quit Sugar. A little perspective? A cup of fresh grapes contains just 250kJ, while a cup of raisins packs a whopping 1922kJ.

Want to kickstart your own weight-loss journey for summer and beyond? These three simple tricks will make weight-loss waaaay more fun, or get our Lean Body Blitz 12-week meal and fitness plan to turbo-charge your slim-down!