Eight Delicious Foods That Help Fight Belly Fat
NEW YORK — In the battle of the bulge, belly fat is an especially tough opponent. But there are actually a number of foods that are great for your taste buds and your waistline. They help you fight belly fat. And you may find this hard to believe, but they’re so delicious, you probably already eat them!
On “The Early Show,” Self magazine Editor in Chief Lucy Danziger not only named the foods Self highlights, she discussed some things Self says you can do without being noticed that can also help, and the opposite – things Self says you may do that can sabotage your efforts.
Belly Fat-Fighting Foods
1. Avocados
Merely half of one avocado contains 10 grams of healthy mono-saturated fats, which stop the blood sugar spikes that tell your body to store fat around your midsection.
Not only do healthy fats in avocado help thwart belly bloat, they also help our bodies better absorb carotenoids, cancer-fighting compounds found in colorful fruits and veggies like tomatoes, carrots, spinach and winter squash. In fact, people who ate salads with avocado had 15 times higher absorption of carotenoids, a study from The Ohio State University at Columbus found.
2. Bananas
The fruit packs 422 milligrams of potassium, a mineral that can help limit the amount of belly swelling sodium in your body.
3. Yogurt
A cup encourages the growth of good bacteria in your gut, throwing out other bugs that can cause bloating.
4. Berries
5. Chocolate Skim Milk
6. Green Tea
8. Whole Grains
Porridge With A Protein Boost
Instead of reaching for sugary cereals, opt for oatmeal. According to the Whole Grains Council, oats increase your appetite control hormones so you resist the urge to snack, and reduce your blood pressure, cholesterol and your risk of diabetes. Add some protein to your oats by mixing in a scoop of protein powder once they’ve cooled. A protein-rich breakfast reduces your levels of the hormone ghrelin, which can make you feel hungry soon after eating, notes Heather Leidy, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri. Try whey, casein, hemp or soy protein powder.
Foods That Burn Belly Fat Fast: Eat Your Way Into A Flatter Sexier Midsection
Abs are made in the kitchen. How many times have you heard or seen this quote while looking for ways on how to lose belly fat fast? Without a proper healthy and balanced diet, you will not achieve those Instagramable abs that you crave so much. But what foods should you consume? In this article we will be looking into 32 foods that burn belly fat fast.
Combining a good workout routine with a healthy diet is the fastest way to lose belly fat. While you may be aware of the bestworkouts to get rid of belly fat, figuring out the best foods for weight loss, especially belly fat loss can be a little tricky. Listed below are the best 32 foods that could help to burn belly fat fast.
You May Like: What To Take To Relieve Stomach Pain
Focus On The Way Your Clothes Fit More Than Reading A Scale
As you add muscle mass and lose fat, the reading on your bathroom scale maynot change much, but your pants will be looser. Thats a better mark ofprogress. Measured around, your waistline should be less than 35 inches ifyoure a woman or less than 40 inches if youre a man to reduce heart anddiabetes risks.
Grapefruit Is The Best Food To Help Reduce Abdominal Fat

Made famous by the old-school grapefruit diet, the humble grapefruit has been theorized to be a fat-burning fruit that can help you get a flat tummy simply by including it in your daily life.
While no clinical data confirm that eating grapefruit will literally burn off your belly fat to the point that you will be blessed with a svelte physique within days, some studies show that eating this fruit may naturally support your weight loss goals, and in turn, help reduce your abdominal fat.
Grapefruits are a source of nutrients that help support weight loss, including satiating fiber. And data published in the Journal of Medicinal Food shows that eating half of a fresh grapefruit before meals is linked to significant weight loss.
According to observational data published in Food and Nutrition Research, body weight, waist circumference, and BMI were lower among female grapefruit consumers compared to grapefruit non-consumers.
And when evaluating the effects of eating specific varieties of grapefruit on weight, data from a small study shows that eating one-half of a Rio Red grapefruit before each meal for 6 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in waist circumference.
Can eating grapefruit burn abdominal fat? While animal data suggests that consuming naringenin, a flavonoid present in citrus foods like grapefruit, can reduce fat mass, more clinical trials conducted on humans are needed for us to make that claim with confidence.
Recommended Reading: Does Acid Reflux Cause Stomach Pain
How Do I Create A Healthy Calorie Deficit And Lose Stomach Fat
Weight loss, once you get your head around it, is actually a pretty simple formula. According to Windas, making sure your body is using more energy than you are consuming is the the simplest way to lose weight.
This is called a calorie deficit.
A healthy calorie deficit will allow you to acquire enough calories to keep the body healthy, Windas shares. Shed recommend a deficit of 500 calories daily. That means women who consume the NHS guideline of 2000 calories a day to maintain their weight would want to consume 1500 calories a day to be in a deficit, she explains.
Dont dip any lower or youll struggle with focus, lacking energy levels and risk malnutrition, she warns.
Best Breakfast For Weight Loss Tips
Theres no doubt eating breakfast will help you lose more weight.
This 12-week study found those who ate their biggest meal for breakfast lost more weight and belly fat than those who ate a large dinner.
The group eating a large breakfast ended up losing 2.5 times more weight and 4.6 inches than the group eating a bigger dinner.
The big breakfast eaters also ended up lowering their cholesterol, raising their good cholesterol, improving insulin sensitivity and felt less hunger afterward.
Most people who skip breakfast end up eating more throughout the day.
Non-breakfast eaters tend to snack more and eat bigger dinners. This results in more unnecessary calories flooding into your body.
You can also use intermittent fasting for weight loss and still get results eating a big breakfast.
This study in The Journal of Nutrition found those who ate breakfast ended up changing their bodies in ways that help protect against type 2 diabetes.
Make sure you eat your big breakfast when you break your fast.
Even better, workout right before you break your fast then your big breakfast will be better utilized by your muscles for recovery.
Don’t Miss: How To Heal Inflammation In Stomach
High Protein Breakfast Foods For Weight Loss
1. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a great breakfast option that is rich in fibre, which keeps you fuller for longer, thereby preventing hunger pangs and binge-eating. Oatmeal is also a slow-release carbohydrate. Eating this about three hours before exercise is known to burn more calories. Oatmeal is a favoured breakfast food by people all around the globe.
2. Eggs
Eggs are the most common breakfast options that you can bring into use for your breakfast. Lose weight with a boiled egg, poached egg or steamed eggs. Both egg white and egg yolks both are said to come loaded with lots of protein in them. Eggs are healthy for consumption all year round.
3. Moong dal chilla
A moong dal chilla is pure protein, and you can spruce it up with paneer and greens for added nutrition. Moreover, moong dal chilla is low in calories which will help you lose weight effectively. It is said that this chilla is lighter and more nutritious than besan ka chilla. Pair it with a glassful of buttermilk and stay energised for the rest of the day. This desi breakfast option is easy-to-make, quick and delicious too!
4. Poha
Protein Rich Breakfast: One bowl of cooked poha has around 250 calories
5. Daliya
6. Sprouts
High protein legumes yield high protein sprouts therefore pick lentils and kidney beans to ensure that you eat enough sprouts for the day. Sprouts are one of the best foods to meet your daily protein requirements.
Eat More Healthy Fats
When youre trying to burn belly fat, dietary fat is not the enemy. While it may seem counterintuitive, eating healthy fats can increase satiety, which mitigates the risk of future weight gain. It also makes weight loss easier because you will be less tempted to overeat. Try adding fatty foods to your diet such as fatty tuna, salmon, almonds, olive oil, and whole milk.
At the same time, you should make a conscious effort to limit your consumption of unhealthy fats. Do not consume processed food that includes trans fats. Eat foods with saturated fat in extreme moderation. The best foods to eat include only monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat unless the food is natural. For instance, a cup of milk has 1.5 grams of saturated fat, but this occurs naturally.
You May Like: How Can I Get Rid Of Bloating In My Stomach
How Protein Helps In Losing Weight
Protein Rich Diet For Weight Loss: Protein reduces appetite and hunger
Try Curbing Carbs Instead Of Fats
When Johns Hopkins researchers compared the effects on the heart of losingweight through a low-carbohydrate diet versus a low-fat diet for sixmonthseach containing the same amount of caloriesthose on a low-carb dietlost an average of 10 pounds more than those on a low-fat diet28.9 poundsversus 18.7 pounds. An extra benefit of the low-carb diet is that itproduced a higher quality of weight loss, Stewart says. With weight loss,fat is reduced, but there is also often a loss of lean tissue ,which is not desirable. On both diets, there was a loss of about 2 to 3pounds of good lean tissue along with the fat, which means that the fatloss percentage was much higher on the low-carb diet.
Read Also: What Do You Take When Your Stomach Hurts
What Is Belly Fat
Before getting into the 7-day meal plan, its good to know that there are two types of belly fat, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat.
Subcutaneous fat is the fat that sits right under the skin. Its the one that causes the unwanted excess belly that often protrudes and flops over your jeans. It is the first place you notice fat gain.
The other type, which is the most harmful is visceral fat.
It surrounds your internal organs in the abdominal cavity .
Your body can also store fat in your butt, hips, and thighs. This can give your body a pear shape.
Before starting a weight loss journey, knowing your body composition will also help with monitoring.
Besides knowing your Basal metabolic rate, measuring parts of your body to track your progress is an additional tool to understand your progress.
Calculating your Body Mass Index , waist to hip ratio, waist circumference.
Your body mass index is an average weight category based on your height and weight. Will determine if you fall in the lower BMI underweight category or the higher BMI obese category.
Waist-to-hip ratio, by using a tape measure and measuring the waist right over the belly button, then also measuring the hip at the widest point with the tape measure.
According to the World Health Organization , a result above 0.90 for men and above 0.85 for women can be determined to be abdominal obesity.
Abdominal fat can be reduced through an overall fat loss.
Keep in mind that long-term fat loss needs a change in behavior.
How Can I Reduce My Tummy In 7 Days

Additionally, check out these tips for how to burn belly fat in less than a week . Include aerobic exercises in your daily routine. Reduce refined carbs. Add fatty fish to your diet. Start the day with a high protein breakfast. Drink enough water. Reduce your salt intake. Consume soluble fiber.
You May Like: How Do You Relieve Stomach Pain
Ways To Lose Belly Fat And Live A Healthier Life
Maintaining a trim midsection does more than make you look greatit canhelp you live longer. Larger waistlines are linked to a higher risk ofheart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Losing weight, especially bellyfat, also improvesblood vesselfunctioning and also improves sleep quality.
Its impossible to target belly fat specifically when you diet. But losing weight overall will help shrink your waistline more importantly, it will help reduce the dangerous layer of visceral fat, a type of fat within the abdominal cavity that you cant see but that heightens health risks, says Kerry Stewart, Ed.D. , director of Clinical and Research Physiology at Johns Hopkins.
Heres how to whittle down where it matters most.
The #1 Best Breakfast Habit To Shrink Belly Fat
Youve most likely heard experts say that you should eat a healthy breakfast if youre trying to lose weight. But what does this mean, specifically? With all of the different advice out there on eating healthy, choosing the best breakfast food for weight loss can become an overwhelming process.
In order to learn more about healthy breakfast, we asked Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD at Balance One Supplements, what she thinks is the best breakfast habit you can have in order to lose fat around your abdominal area. Her response? Add more protein!
Read on to learn how eating enough protein in the morning can help you meet your weight loss goals. And for more healthy eating tips, dont miss Eating Habits to Lose Abdominal Fat As You Age, Say Dietitians.
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Cellulite On Stomach
A Good Exercise Program Contains:
- Interval training
- Strength training/resistance training
- Ab muscles exercises
Building your workout plan to include all four will improve your metabolism, increase the number of calories your burn daily and you will lose fat in all areas of the body.
You want a healthy protein intake, high fiber foods, and an appropriate amount of calories for your body to get rid of that extra fat.
Lets go over what you should eat when trying to lose stomach fat.
Eat Plenty Of Protein
The easiest change you can make to your diet to lose belly fat is to eat enough protein. There are several reasons for this. Increasing your protein intake increases satiety. In most cases, if youre not hungry, you wont eat. Therefore, increasing satiety can result in effortless weight loss.
Moreover, eating enough protein throughout the day ensures you maintain your metabolically active mass even when you eat at a calorie deficit. If you push your muscles to failure through resistance training, you can even build muscle while burning belly fat by eating enough protein. Bio-available protein sources include legumes, dairy products, game meat, eggs, and lean seafood.
Don’t Miss: How To Burn Fat Off Your Stomach
Add Vinegar To Your Diet
If youre trying to lose weight, vinegar is an excellent addition to your diet. Whether white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, vinegar is one of the most versatile condiments regarding health benefits. One study found that a mere 15 to 30 ml of vinegar daily reduced body weight, belly fat and waist circumference over a three-month period.
According to one study, adding vinegar to your diet will reduce your daily caloric intake by 275 calories. Considering there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, you can lose over half a pound of fat per week with this one simple change. To increase your metabolism and satiety, try adding white vinegar to refreshing, hydrating salads and tangy barbecue sauces.
Weight Loss: Four Foods To Eat At Breakfast To Blast Belly Fat
- Vanessa Chalmers, Digital Health Reporter
- 10:55 ET, Dec 7 2021
MANY of us are guilty of throwing a croissant or muffin in our mouths as we rush out the house in the morning.
But if you want to shift some belly fat, youll have to take more notice of your breakfast choices.
It turns out having a healthy breakfast can set you up to make good food choices throughout the day.
One study of more than 1,300 Swiss people showed participants who ate a healthy breakfast of yoghurt, fruit and nuts had less stomach fat than those who ate cereal or toast with spread.
The researchers said it was partly explained by their healthier diet during the rest of the day.
But its important to note that adding in one new kind of food to your diet will not cause belly fat to melt away.
You cant hope that some berries for breakfast will slim your waistline if youre still having a takeaway every night.
Fat loss is a combination of eating healthier and exercising more, in its core principles, and that goes for the stomach area too.
But there are some key dietary habits that will help with belly fat loss – upping your intake of protein and fibre while making sure you dont go overboard on the carbs or sugar.
Read on to see how you can incorporate this into your breakfast every day…
Also Check: Is Stomach Virus Going Around