Foods That Burn Belly Fat-1

Belly fat is one of the issues a lot of people are dealing with. Most time it seems as if your desire for flat belly is just going to remain that: a desire and not a reality.

In my last post I showed how the subcutaneous fat covers your belly, and once that fat is burnt off your abs will emerge in its chiseled beauty.

Your abs muscles are there already, it’s just that they are covered by fat and that is what you need to burn off to let your abs muscle emerge.

To burn your belly fat off, you have to be mindful of what you eat. For you to get your flat abs it has to start from what you are eating. You have to embrace your kitchen. You can do all the exercise in this world but if you do not watch what you are eating, those beautiful abs muscles may stay covered in fat. There are foods that are in the business of packing tons of fat in your belly and the more you eat them the more the fat will keep covering your abs.

The good news is that there are also foods that will help to burn off those fat.

Before we dive into these foods, I want you to know that it is not about eating them, it is also about the right combination, timing and quantity. There is no one food that can fight belly fat. Lemon water alone will not burn belly fat Although it has its benefits, but drinking it alone and not changing other food habits will not get you the wash board belly you desire.

Observe these rules:

• Find tasteful and nutritious ways to add these foods to your diet.
•  Aim to eat at least 4 – times daily: your breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are your main meals then add 1 or 2 more as snacks to help you prevent hunger pangs.
• In eating the 4-5 meals, aim for portion control.
• Use a small plate and observe a healthy plate
• Do not eat till you feel like a beached whale. Eat till you feel pleasantly satisfied not button and belt loosening satisfied.
• Do not go for more than 4 hrs without having something to eat or a healthy snack. If you do not eat for 6 hours and then you chow down a big plate of rice, it will nudge your tummy out immediately. The best thing is to eat small, healthy frequent meals and avoid stomach bulge
• Get a food diary and write down what you are eating, what quantity and what time .
• Record your weight and start

You will find 1 day sample belly fat meal plan at the end of this post. It will give you an idea of how to build your own.

Again, none of these foods in isolation will burn belly fat. You have to make It part of your daily meal to get its benefits

Here is Part 1 of the foods that will help you to jump start your flat belly journey.

 

Avocado pear

Avocado is one misunderstood food. People believe that eating it will send your cholesterol level to the highest point. But this is not true. Avocado contains 20 grams of fat but it is the good fat.  What it contains is (MUFA) monounsaturated fat and oleic fat which can reduce belly fat, lower cholesterol and improve your metabolism.

Avocado also contains fiber which helps you feel full for a longer time and delays the feeling of hunger. The fiber also helps in the elimination process. Indigestion and constipation can give you a bloated stomach. Being regular in your bowel movement will remove wastes fast from your body and give you a slimmer belly instantly.

Nut butter

Nuts just like the Avocado are rich in MUFA and protein. This aids in weight and belly fat loss. You can make your own groundnut butter or make a mixture of other nuts like cashew, almond and walnut butter and use them as a spread or take 2 scoops and add to your smoothie for a filling and belly bloat fighting smoothie.

Oats

Oats is one of the best foods to help you keep belly fat away. Oats is good but it is what you put in it that has the power to take it from belly fat burning food to belly fat making food.

Oats is a faithful companion to anyone who wants to lose weight.

When it comes to belly fat, oats is rich in fiber and like I mentioned earlier- fiber = bowel movement= flatter belly instantly. Oats digests slowly and do not raise your blood sugar if you do not add excess sugar to it. The fiber makes you feel full and help in removing fat from your belly. It does this by forming a gel in your belly and binding to fat and expelling them.

To keep your belly flat make oats part of your daily meal. You can grind it into a powder and sprinkle it on your food.

You can add oats for your smoothie. Sweeten your oats by adding milk, banana or dates instead of refined sugar

Water

Drinking water actually helps in weight loss. I get a lot of questions about water. Some people believe that it makes you put on weight. Water does not contain any calorie so how can it make you put on weight?

The only thing it can do is to make your stomach a bit bigger when you drink a lot, but when you relieve yourself, it goes down. Water, especially cold water aids in burning belly fat. Your body has an internal temperature and when you take cold water your body has to work by burning calories to bring it back to its normal temperature.

Drinking water before you eat takes the edge of your hunger and makes you eat less. It also keeps things moving in your bowel.

It is generally recommended that you drink 8 glasses of water  a day. You can take more or less depending on your need and the weather.

Yogurt

Not just any yogurt but yogurts with live active culture. Most yogurts in the shops are just gelatin, sour cream, cornstarch and milk flavor. You have to read the label of the yogurt to make sure you are getting the benefits of yogurt.

A good yogurt contains calcium, protein and probiotic. The calcium in yogurt plays a significant role in weight loss and belly fat loss. Yogurt makes you more regular and reduces bloating

A study by the British Journal of Nutrition found significant reduction in fat loss in both men and women who took probiotics.

This could be as a result of the bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifodobacterium, which have been shown in different studies to have beneficial effect in digestion. In Nigeria, you can get farm fresh and farm pride yogurt. They both have live active culture.

You can add yogurt to your smoothie or add fruits with a dash of cinnamon.

Fish

Fish contain Omega – 3 fatty acids. This has been shown in a lot of studies to have fat burning benefits. It is also a known fact that most foods that contain Omega 3 also contain a lot of protein. The combined effects of the two help in fat loss, satiety and lean muscle mass.

You can get all these benefits by eating fish like, sardine, mackerel etc

Leafy green Vegetables

The benefits of leafy green vegetables for fat loss is well documented. They keep you full and healthy without calorie overload. You can use them in salads, soups and in mixed vegetable stir fry.

Leafy veggies like cabbage, lettuce, pumpkin leaf contain fiber, vitamins and water.

Cucumber

Cucumber contains a lot of water, vitamins and fiber. The water and fiber in cucumber eliminates fat and gives you a longer feeling of fullness. It also reduces your appetite. You can eat cucumber by adding nut butter to eat or using it for your salad or smoothie

Cucumber can also be used as a snack with ground nut or alone. It also has beneficial effect on cholesterol.

Beans

Beans are high in protein and fiber. They help you feel full and help in building lean muscle.

You can use beans in moin-moin a Nigerian delicacy or you can use it in your salad or as a porridge. There are varieties of beans for you to choose from – black beans, pinto beans, soya beans, brown beans and black eyed beans

Ginger

Gingers effect on fat loss can be traced to its thermogenic effect. Ginger increases your temperature. When ginger is added to hot water it stimulates digestion.

Ginger can be added to your smoothie or to your green tea.

Green tea

Green tea is most times overlooked in its ability to help burn belly fat. A study published by Journal of Health Science found that the body utilization of fat as energy both in sedentary and active individuals increased  by taking green  tea and exercise rather than by exercise alone. This means that a combination of exercise at least 3 times in a week and tea are very efficient in burning fat.

Green tea contains caffeine and a compound known as Catechin. Caffeine is a stimulant that has fat burning property and Catechin boosts your metabolism.

Smoothie

Smoothie is a flat belly food. The ingredients must be healthy. I do not recommend going on a smoothie diet for 7 days. This is because there is a tendency for you to gain the weight you lost back when you go back to your normal meal plan. You can make smoothie part of your belly blasting regimen by making one of your main meals a smoothie. You can find the recipes for weight loss smoothie here

Sample 1 day flat belly meal plan

	BREAKFAST	SNACK	LUNCH	SNACK (optional)	DINNER
DAY I	OATS WITH BANANA	I MEDIUM APPLE WITH 1 SCOOP OF NUT BUTTER	VEGETABLE AND CHICKEN STIR FRY	A HANDFUL OF NUTS	VEGETABLE AND EGG SALAD

 

This is a general meal plan. You can get a personalized meal plan by visiting Bellisima fitness gym or by contacting us.

In my next post we will talk about the food you need to avoid or take sparingly for you to burn belly fat.