So, you are working out regularly and eating healthy but you can’t get rid of that annoying belly fat? Well, there may be ONE “hidden” cause and it has nothing to do with fat or sugar.

To much sugar, fat, carbs - there are many causes of belly fat, but regularly eating ONE specific food can contribute to the problem: Sodium.

A new study has linked obesity and sodium intake so closely that cutting down on salt might be the absolute best way to shed belly fat, fast. For every extra gram of salt you eat in a day (that’s a mere ⅕ of a teaspoon), your risk of obesity climbs by 25 percent, according to a study at Queen Mary University in London. Researchers speculate that sodium alters our metabolism, changing the way in which we absorb fat. American men eat 4,243 mg of sodium a day, about double what experts recommend, while women average about 3,000 mg daily. Most of the salt we eat comes not from our own salt shaker, but from fast foods, restaurants and packaged foods. The best way to reduce your sodium intake: Cook more at home and use herbs instead of salt. If you can’t live without some salt use Sea Salt instead of table salt.

Foods that add the most sodium to our diets:

#1: Table Salt & Baking Soda

#2: Sauces & Salad Dressings (Soy Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Mayonnaise, Ketchup)

#3: Cured Meat & Fish (Bacon, Ham, Salmon)

#4: Cheese (Roquefort, Parmesan, Romano, Feta)

#5: Pickles

#6: Instant Soups

#7: Roasted and Salted Nuts & Seeds

#8: Snacks (Chips, Pretzels)

#9: Fast Foods

#10: Ready-to-Eat Cereals