Weight gain usually develops from consuming more calories--energy derived from food--than those burned through normal physical activity and exercise. Excess body weight accumulates on various parts of a person's body and varies based on gender, age, lifestyle and genetic factors. According to Harvard Medical School, added abdominal, or visceral, fat is most common during mid-life. Such weight gain may be reversed through through lifestyle changes, such as consuming certain foods.
Fruits And Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables provide valuable vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which help support a strong immune system. In addition, fruits and vegetables are associated with weight loss. According to the Centers for Disease Control c and Prevention, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may promote weight reduction due to the foods' dense amounts of nutrients and fiber and low calorie and fat content. Since fruits and vegetables are fiber and water-rich, they provide greater satiation, or fullness, than low-fiber foods. This attribute can help support hunger management and prevent overeating that commonly contributes to excess weight gain and belly fat. Though additional research is needed to determine the specific relationship between weight loss and fruits and vegetables, a positive correlation is apparent. HMS recommends plentiful fruit and vegetable intake as a significant dietary step toward reducing belly fat.
Whole Grains
Whole grains are nutrient-rich carbohydrate sources associated with positive cardiovascular health, overall wellness and healthy weight management. According to research conducted at Penn State University in February 2008, men and women with metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by abdominal obesity, lose more belly fat when replacing refined carbohydrates with whole grains, than adults with the same condition who do not. Examples of nutrient-rich whole grains include whole wheat, oats, bulgur, long grain brown rice, wild rice, spelt and popcorn. Foods based upon these grains, such as whole grain bread, oatmeal, cold cereals and pasta also offer valuable resources of nutrients and benefits that may enhance belly fat reduction. When selecting these foods, a whole grain should be listed as a primary--first listed--ingredient on food packaging.
Polyunsaturated Fats
Saturated fats and trans fats, such as those found in fatty red meat, whole milk, deep-fried foods and processed snack foods, are associated with unhealthy cholesterol levels, weight gain and bodily inflammation. HMS suggests replacing these fats with polyunsaturated fats as an effective means of reducing belly fat. Polyunsaturated fats are found in nuts, seeds, avocados, cold-water fish and vegetable oils, such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive and sunflower oil. The American Heart Association recommends that 25 percent to 35 percent of a person's daily calories, preferably in the form of unsaturated fats. People wishing to reduce belly fat may benefit most by reducing fat intake to roughly 25 percent, or one-quarter, of their daily calories.
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