A flat belly helps you feel more confident in a swimsuit and indicates good health. People with large waists are more likely to store fat around their internal organs, which puts them at a higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke, reports Nanci Hellmich in a February 2003 article in USA Today. Obtaining a flat belly does not require you to perform hundreds of crunches a day; it takes other hard work.
Specific Foods Can Help
Including certain foods as part of a healthy, portion-controlled diet can help reduce belly fat. Eat five servings a day of low fat dairy to lose belly fat, according to a 2009 study from Curtin University. Lean proteins like chicken breast and egg whites decrease your intake of belly fat-inducing-saturated fat found in fatty cuts of meat and palm oil. Do not avoid all fats, however. Monounsaturated fats found in plant oils, olives and nuts provide you with your daily fat needs, without causing accumulation at the gut. Choose whole grains over refined grains to keep your stomach slim, reports lead researcher Heather Katcher in a 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Avoid Certain Foods
Certain foods promote a bigger belly. Trans fats, such as those found in processed snack foods and fast food, may actually make you gain weight in the belly even if you follow an overall low calorie diet, suggests a 2007 study in the journal Obesity. Some foods may not make you gain weight in the belly, they just make you look like you have. Notorious gas-producers like cabbage and beans may cause you to bloat and obscure an otherwise flat tummy. Carbonated beverages and gum-chewing encourage you to swallow air---also contributing to a distended belly.
Exercise More
Strengthening your abs will help your athletic performance and daily functioning, but it will not flatten out a tummy that is covered with a layer of fat. In the Journal of Applied Physiology from July 2005, lead researcher Chris A. Slentz found that cardiovascular exercise exceeding American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines helped people lose belly fat. Participants in the Duke University study who exercised moderately---about 30 minutes per day, five times per week---did not gain any additional belly fat like sedentary participants. But, it took exercising equivalent to 20 miles of jogging per week to obtain a flatter stomach.
References
- USA Today: Belly Full of Danger
- Journal of Applied Physiology: Inactivity, Exercise and Visceral Fat.
- Obesity: Trans Fats Diet Induces Abdominal Obesity
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: The Effects of a Whole Grains Enriched Hypocaloric Diet
- Curtin News: Higher Dairy Intake Can Help Fight Obesity
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