Foods that Get Rid of Belly Fat: Resistant Starch and Others

Have you heard? You can whittle away belly fat and we not talking the old “no pain, no gain,” regimen of food restraints and tough exercise routine. You can have your cake and eat it too—you can eat your way to a trimmer you. Impossible? Not so, according to various science-based researches, which will be covered later on in this article but for now—think about this possibility. Liberating, right?

Losing weight is generally perceived as a body image quest—a leaner body profile is more appealing than one whose silhouette involves bulges and jiggly contours. However, it is not the layer of fat (subcutaneous fat) that you can pinch between your fingers that is dangerous (unwelcome as they are). The visceral fats, fats that you cannot see that wrap around internal organs can give rise to many health problems. Think about the organs of your body and you have a general idea where this is going—cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, breast cancer, even dementia. This layer should be whittled away for health reasons. The task may seem daunting but nature has given us categories of food to help us fight belly fat and enjoy the process as well. What a deal!

Monounsaturated Fats (MUFAs)

Pronounced “moo-fahs,” rhymes with loofah (another nature’s gift)—MUFAs are a group of healthy fats.  Long known to be good for the heart, recent researches reveal MUFAs’ fat-fighting capabilities as well.  Scientists at the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Spain found that overweight people put on a monounsaturated fats diet prevented accumulation of belly fat, even without additional exercise. This breakthrough finding has lead to the creation of the popular Flat Belly Diet, where MUFAs are included at every meal.  Proponents Liz Vacariello and Cynthia Sass promise a weight loss of up to 15 pounds in 32 days—“A flat belly is about food & attitude….not a single crunch required.”

A bold claim?  Maybe.   The basis for this diet is based on the fact that MUFAs produce a feeling of satiety, making it easier to stick to a diet plan. MUFAs include a wide selection of foods-- olives, avocados, nuts, beans, seeds, dark chocolate( yea, chocolate lovers), soybean, flaxseeds, and healthy oils like olive and sunflower oils.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

Meat and dairy lovers, here’s some good news.  Both lean meat and dairy products contain CLA, a healthy type of unsaturated fats that helps to shed abdominal fat. How?  Mark Stengler explains in Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies, “CLA helps glucose get into muscle cells more effectively, thus preventing glucose from being converted into fat.”  He further adds that these healthy fats enter the cell membranes of muscle and connective tissue, where the fat is burned for fuel.

The simple truth?  CLA helps you to burn fat.  Choose lean meat such as turkey, chicken, fish and dairy products like yogurt and cream cheese. 

Resistant starch

If you’re a carbohydrate lover like I am, what do you do? Pick resistant starch.  It is a type of dietary fiber naturally found in carbohydrates such as potato, grains and beans that “resist” digestion in the body.  It takes more energy to burn the resistant starch and what’s more --it also have the ability to fill you up, so you are less likely to eat unnecessarily. This translates to weight control, in a very natural way.  Studies also indicate that resistant starch improves sugar control, boosts immunity and may even reduce cancer risk.

Good resistant starch to eat:  Bananas, pasta, potato, chilled rice (cooled resistant starch are better fat-burners) and all kinds of grains.

Anthocyanins

It’s a fancy name for the colorful pigment found in fruits and vegetables—red, yellow, orange, blue, purple, black—enough to rival the colors of the rainbow and powerful enough to burn some serious fats. Now, that‘s not just a supposition.  According to a new study from Japan, the antioxidants found in anthocyanins have “significant potency” against fat cells and could be used for the prevention of weight gain.

Instead of eating store bought snacks with its no-good trans fat and plenty of chemicals, snack on fat-free, anthocyanins-loaded fruits like apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, plums, blueberries and all kinds of berries.  They make tasty treats and help you tide over hunger attacks, limiting your intake of unnecessary calories.

The same goes for colorful vegetables.  Eat an assortment of colorful vegetables—carrots, eggplants, spinach, tomatoes, purple cabbage and more.

And just like beauty contestants always throw in the “world peace” part, weight control cannot do without fiber.  Thankfully, a lot of foods already mentioned contain fiber—beans, fruits, vegetables—and now, a word about fiber.

Fiber

Fiber is essential when targeting belly fat. Why?  Fiber binds itself to other foods and carries calories out your body by slowing down your rate of digestion. A slower rate of digestion means you feel satiated longer, eliminating the need to eat unwanted calories.

Aim for 5 grams of fiber every meal.  Again, the selection is wide, so you can never complain that fiber is boring—all kinds of beans, whole grains like bulgar, quinoa, brown rice, millet, lentils, barley, oats, and tasty treats like edamame.

Never know losing belly fat can be that easy.  And if you want to torture yourself a little by doing some exercise—why not?  Exercise produces a host of health benefits, but that will be anther hub.

Interesting Related Reads:

Anthocyanins: Colors of Health:http://hubpages.com/hub/Anthocyanins--Colors-of-Health

How to Trim Your Waistline: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Trim-the-Waistline-Without-Going-on-a-Diet

Dieting Success is Possible: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Build-Dieting-Success-into-Your-Daily-Life

Fat-Whittling Power of Salsa: http://hubpages.com/hub/Nutritional-Value-of-Salsa--Salsa-Your-Way-to-Health

Resistant Starch: Why You Can Have Your Carbs and Eat it Too: http://angeline-oppenheimer.blogspot.com/