# So what are the 4 things \[you can never eat to get a flat abdomen?\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204 "2011-07-07T17:07:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/21 "2011-07-07T20:32:24Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I bet beer or sodas, just because of the carbonation. Mmm, beer. Why would carbonation give you a big stomach? ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/22 "2011-07-07T20:36:32Z")
> [@isaiahrobinson](#): > > For instance [this](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7562840.stm) is supposedly Michael Phelps’ diet during training, which works out to about 9,000 calories a day: Finally! Evidence to back up my long-time belief that it’s good for me to eat chocolate chip pancakes and fried egg sandwiches. I knew one day I would be vindicated by science. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/23 "2011-07-07T21:15:34Z")
So, the banana — it’s really just a banana? Damn it! ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/24 "2011-07-08T03:04:33Z")
There are lots of foods I can’t eat if I want a flat stomach (the bowel is easily irritated). I have no fat on my belly but I can get horrendously bloated. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/25 "2011-07-09T02:02:47Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > i want a banana wrapped in bacon and drizzled with fudge sauce. > > _looks innocent_ what? why is everyone looking at me? Plantain wrapped in bacon and baked is an excellent appetizer. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/26 "2011-07-09T03:40:20Z")
> [@isaiahrobinson](#): > > I haven’t clicked on them; by the sounds of things they never actually tell you what the 4 foods are. I’ve seen diet articles that make similar claims about what foods you can never eat though: usually the foods are things like pasta or white rice. I think I saw bananas listed on one of them. The reason they give is always something to do with blood sugar, and there might well be something to it, although obviously “foods you can _never_ eat!” is hyperbole. For instance [this](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7562840.stm) is supposedly Michael Phelps’ diet during training, which works out to about 9,000 calories a day: Uh, I heard that diet plan of his is totally false and he denies it. I’m trying to find the interview with him where he denied that, but I haven’t so far. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/27 "2011-07-09T05:08:59Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > i want a banana wrapped in bacon and drizzled with fudge sauce. > > _looks innocent_ what? why is everyone looking at me? Thanks a lot - guess what I’m hungry for now? Is the banana wrapped in bacon and drizzled with fudge sauce on vanilla ice cream, by any chance? ---
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/28 "2011-07-09T06:24:05Z")
I clicked on one of the ads today because of this thread. As stated upthread, it’s just a bait and switch. The ad linked to a fake news article about HCG. There was no mention of an old tip, a food you should never eat, 4 foods you should never eat, or anything like that. The fake news article was exactly like the one in the article bup linked to. It contained links where you could order HCG. It’s depressing that so many people fall for scams like this. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/29 "2011-07-09T10:51:02Z")
Key to a flat stomach: Step 1 - Assume a flat stomach… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/30 "2011-07-09T12:37:22Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Key to a flat stomach: Step 1 - Assume a flat stomach… Got any spherical chickens? ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/31 "2011-07-09T19:15:28Z")
I only put up with you jokers to get the targeted ads… I kid, browsers that show ads have design flaws in my book. ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/32 "2011-07-09T19:48:43Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Uh, I heard that diet plan of his is totally false and he denies it. I’m trying to find the interview with him where he denied that, but I haven’t so far. I have no idea if it’s true but it was reported word-for-word on the BBC, Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal. In any case the point is certainly valid - I know serious rowers who devour greasy fried breakfasts with entire bowls of pasta for breakfast and still have six packs. When you’re doing intense, professional-level physical training for hours and hours every day you can pretty much eat what you want, so it’s not true that there’s certain foods you can “never” eat if you want a flat stomach. But obviously it’s not many of us that are doing 8 hours of Olympian training every day! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/33 "2011-07-10T18:45:21Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > The FTC says [the “1 Tip for a Tiny Belly” ads](http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ubiquitous-tiny-belly-online-ad-part-of-scheme-government-says/2011/06/27/gIQAbI6Q1H_story.html) are fraudulent. And, prominently featured on that news page are two ads, “Collect 59 dividend checks per month…click here to get these 8 tricks for daily income.” So now even the news stories about fraudulent ads lead to more fraudulent ads, but apparently one trick wasn’t enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204.md?page=1)