To effectively shrink your stomach and lose that excess fat you will need to combine a healthy diet with daily exercise, according to the American Council on Exercise. Diets that promote abdominal fat loss will help decrease your overall body fat percentage, but since there is no such thing as spot reduction may not target your stomach. Eating a low-calorie, low in saturated fat diet and doing 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise daily will help you drop overall body fat and shrink your stomach.
Cut Back on Saturated Fat
Saturated fatty acids and trans fats raise cholesterol levels and increase weight gain, according to The American Heart Association. Diets that focus on cutting these fats out of your daily nutrition claim that reducing the amount of bad fat coming into the body will promote healthier body functions and reduce belly fat. You should avoid bad fats and replace them with healthy good fats that promote proper digestion, body function and may help lower your cholesterol. These diets recommend small quantities of good fats daily, eating too many good fats will increase your overall calorie intake and cause weight gain.
Avoid White Food
Many belly fat specific diets promote avoiding white foods, which they claim to be overly processed and high in sugar and raise your insulin level to increase fat storage in the stomach. Switching white foods to whole grain foods provides your body with more nutrient dense, lower-calorie carbohydrates. White foods such as sugar, white flour, white bread, pastries and bagels are nutrient poor and usually have a higher calorie content. MayoClinic.com suggests replacing these foods with whole grain breads, whole grain cereals, oatmeal, brown and wild rice, whole grain pastas and flaxseeds.
Eat Fresh Foods
Eating fresh, whole foods that are not processed provide your body with more vitamins and minerals with less calories to keep it functioning properly. Diets that recommend eating fresh foods claim that your metabolism increases when eating more nourishing foods and helps your body burn fat from your waistline. Tosca Reno, author of "The Eat Clean Diet" suggests eating lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and essential fatty acids for a flat belly and body. These diets recommend eating lean proteins such as chicken, turkey, lean beef, fish and tofu and complex carbs such as wild and brown rice, steel-cut oatmeal, whole grain breads and pastas. Fresh fruit, vegetables and essential fatty acids should also be a part of your daily nutrition on this type of diet plan.
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