Do you think that having a flat stomach is beyond your reach? Well, think again! There are many ways to achieve the stomach and body of your dreams and one of the best ways is with the use of specific foods. Probably the fastest way to get a flat stomach is with the use of some foods. Yes, there are quite a number of foods that are beneficial for a flat stomach.
While getting a flat stomach will allow you to look and feel better in and out of clothes, carrying around excess belly fat also has many hidden dangers discussed in further detail below.
What are the foods for a flat stomach you ask? Read on for the top 10 best flat belly foods.
Dangers of Belly Fat
Excess body fat in general increases your risk of developing many life threatening diseases. Carrying around that extra stuff around your waist is a major health hazard as it will increase your risk of heart disease by about 16% because belly fat causes vascular inflammation. Other health risks that are increased by excess belly fat include increasing the risk of developing diabetes because belly fat helps to increase insulin resistance where your body fails to recognize and use the insulin produced by your pancreas to convert food into energy which the body needs for day to day activities.
As you can see, decreasing belly fat isn’t just about appearance. It is about your health and your life so the question is do you care? Do you care about health and life? Do you care about your appearance?
Diet AND exercise are important to create a flat stomach and to start you on your way to changing some of what you eat, here are some foods that are great to eat but will also help you create a flatter stomach. These flat belly foods are also easy to incorporate into any lifestyle
- Water
For any healthy lifestyle, increasing water intake is the foundation for producing great results.
Depending on the level of activity and how hot it is outdoors, it is recommended that you drink about 8 to 10 eight ounce glasses of water a day. Make sure you drink pure water throughout the day or other drinks that contain mostly water such as tea or sparkling water with some lemon.
For purposes of a flat stomach, drinking more water helps with digestion which will reduce stomach bloating. Being dehydrated makes the cells in your body hold on to more water which leads to puffiness as well as the dreaded bloated stomach look.
Use a water purifier or drink bottled water if you have concerns about the purity of the water coming out of your taps.
- Green Tea
Green tea is the top food for flat stomach and there is a reason that it is highly popular with those with weight concerns. No other drink contains any of the fat burning properties contained in green tea.
Green tea contains a fat loss anti-oxidant known as Epigallocatechin (EGCG) that also helps with anti-aging.
Drinking green tea also helps with reducing your risk of developing various cancers, helps to protect your heart by lowering your risk of developing heart disease and also helps you relax through a compound found in tea known as theanine. Theanine helps the brain trigger relaxation without leading to drowsiness or loss of clear thinking. Theanine is like caffeine without leading to jitters.
For those with weight concerns, it is important to remember that green tea is not some magic miracle diet pill. The EGCG increases the success of exercises especially stomach exercises.
A study showed that participants who drank green tea daily in combination with some exercise program lost a great deal of belly weight over a 12 week period than those who merely exercised without drinking green tea daily. Green tea has been shown to prolong the action of norepinephrine which is also known as the hormone that accelerates fat burning which you definitely want accelerated after a workout.
As one of the best stomach fat burning foods, it is recommended that you drink at least 3 cups of tea per day combined with some sort of exercise program to get maximum benefits of green tea that you would not otherwise get with exercise alone.
Tips For Drinking Green Tea
- Use tea bags or tea leaves and avoid bottled iced tea which contains more sugars than EGCG.
- Steep the tea for about 3 minutes which will allow the anti-oxidants like EGCG to be released fully.
- The majority of antioxidants found in green tea are usually lost after the first use so avoid using the same tea bag or tea leaves for a second cup.
- Consider adding lemon or lime to increase the absorption of the antioxidants in the tea as they can be lost through the process of digestion.
- Green tea and white tea contain the highest levels of EGCG but oolong tea as well as black tea also contain some of this antioxidant.
- Blueberries
Another of the top foods for flat stomach are blueberries. A recent study showed that anti-oxidants found in blueberries may help to reduce abdominal fat.
Blueberries also contain great amounts of fiber and vitamin C with low calories to make them a great addition to your daily smoothies, cereal, oatmeal or as a snack.
- Eggs
Another best way to get a flat stomach is to consume eggs frequently. Eggs are a fantastic source of protein which is essential for fat burning. A study also showed that individuals who consume an egg for breakfast consumed less calories during the day than those who skipped eggs for breakfast. Less calories per day means a leaner frame.
For the most health benefits from eggs, avoid omelets that feature cheeses with high fat, bacon etc.
Eggs are the most easily digested source of protein so they are a great addition to any diet. To get the best from eggs, select eggs from pastured chickens which contain more omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E than other eggs. Look for the USDA organic seal in order to avoid pesticides and antibiotics. “Free range” and “cage free” designations really mean nothing.
Only consume one egg per day.
- Almonds
Another of the best foods for flat stomach are almonds which are rich in monounsaturated fats which are considered healthy fats that are key for belly fat burning (this is discussed in greater detail below). Almonds are also high in proteins which is essential for fat burning by helping to build lean muscle. More lean muscle leads to less body fat. Almonds also help you feel fuller faster which helps to decrease the amount of calories per day consumed because you will be eating less when you feel fuller faster.
Only eat whole almonds that are in an unsalted, raw state or that are dry roasted. Avoid smoked or salted nuts.
- Lean Meats
Lean meats such as turkey are a great source of protein which allows you to build lean muscle which is necessary to blast away fat and burn calories leading to a leaner physique and flatter stomach.
Research has shown that consuming more proteins can help reduce stomach fat which makes leans meats some of the best foods to burn stomach fat. The protein in lean meat allows the body to burn about 30% of the calories found in leans meat through the digestion process alone.
The best lean meats include turkey, chicken, fish, lean steak, shellfish, Canadian bacon, etc.
Avoid regular bacon, sausage, fatty cuts of steak, etc. Also avoid turkey or chicken sausages which although they sound healthy actually contain 10 to 15 grams of fat and more than 500mg of sodium which is not conducive for a flat stomach as sodium leads to greater water retention which means a bigger belly.
In comparison, skinless and boneless chicken and turkey is the way to go as they contain less that 0.5 grams of fat per ounce and less sodium.
- Whole Grains
Whole grains make your body work more and slower as it works to digest the grains than it would with refined grains and processed foods. Besides fat burning, whole grains are healthier for you than refined grains as they provide fiber as well as various other disease fighting nutrients.
Whole grains are excellent for heart health, reduce the level of inflammation in the body, etc, making them a necessity in any diet.
READ the label! Make sure that the label uses the word “whole” as in whole grain or whole wheat.
Avoid processed carbs such as those found in “white” foods like white rice, white bread, etc. Avoid any label that only says “wheat”. also avoid “multi-grain” products. Their labels usually include the word “enriched”. As mentioned, always look for the word “whole” which means that nutrient rich germ and bran are still intact which is what is needed for fat burning and a healthier body.
- Vegetables
Most people do not like them but they are chockfull of various nutrients that are body needs for healthy functioning and to fight various diseases.
They contain fiber which helps to fill you up quickly and you will feel fuller faster which helps to prevent you from overindulging meaning less calories per day. They are also very rich in vitamins.
The vegetables that pack a punch that you need to be consuming more of include broccoli, spinach, cauliflower and various other green, red, orange and yellow veges. Avoid vegetables that are smothered in cheese, butter or fried (DUH!)
To make them easier to consume consider including vegetables in your smoothies which will be even healthier as you will use more of the vegetables with less discarded when included to make fruit and vegetable smoothies.
- Low Fat Dairy
Unless you are allergic to dairy, low fat dairy is a top food for a flat stomach. Dairy is rich in vitamin D and calcium which help to build and preserve muscle which is necessary for fast fat burning which also helps to increase your metabolism. A study has shown that consuming at least 3 servings of dairy products targets belly fat which is excellent news for those looking for flat belly food.
If dairy causes gas, bloating or an uncomfortable feeling, you may be allergic to dairy.
Calcium found in dairy may be responsible for blocking fat absorption as well as making the body release more fat stores in the abdominals.
Look for fat free or low fat milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. Avoid whole milk, or frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt contains no fat but over compensates for this lack of fat with sugar. Make you own frozen yogurt without sugar by getting a low-fat plain yogurt and adding fresh fruit to it and freezing it. Real fruit contains fiber to help you feel fuller sooner. Fruit also contains less sugar and has many healthful vitamins.
- Hot Peppers
The heat, the kick found in hot peppers comes from a property known as Capsaicin. This property heats up you body which helps to melt calories.
You can eat it raw, dries, cooked or in powdered form. Consider adding hot sauce or cayenne pepper to eggs, meats, soups, etc, to give your body the kick and heat it needs to burn calories and fat.
To ensure ideal results, along with appropriate nutrition you can also use fat burner pills after carrying out the appropriate research and assessing whether the use of these pills is best for you, you can also pair with clean diet and a good exercise plan.