Reducing belly fat is good for your health as well as appearance. An excess of fat in the stomach may be an indication of visceral fat, fat that is deep inside, surrounding the body's organs. According to the Mayo Clinic article "Belly Fat in Women: How to Keep It Off," too much belly fat increases your risk of heart disease, cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure and hormone imbalance in men and women. Effectively reducing belly fat requires consistently eating healthy foods and exercising daily.
Eat MUFAs
According to the July 2007 "Journal for Diabetes Care" article, "Monounsaturated Fat--Rich Diet Prevents Central Body Fat Distribution," eating monounsaturated fatty acids, MUFAs, will decrease belly fat. Eat foods that are high in MUFAs, such as olives, oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and dark chocolate, in small quantities with every meal for belly fat-burning benefits.
Walk
In her USA Today article "Belly Full of Danger," author Nanci Hellmich recommends aiming for 30 to 45 minutes of brisk walking five days a week to get belly fat-burning benefits from physical activity. The exercise should be intense enough that you feel your heart rate increase and you break a sweat, but you should be able to converse.
Drink Water
Water has numerous and diverse functions in the body, including the transportation of nutrients, oxygen and waste products in and out of the body's cells. In the Idea Fit article "The Wonders of Water," Len Kravitz, Ph.D. claims water is responsible for the metabolic reactions involved in energy production in the body. Water helps keep your body functioning properly, which helps keep your metabolism high so your body can burn energy from fat. Aim for eight 8-oz glasses of water per day.
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