Decreasing the amount of belly fat you have and reducing your waist size through eating nutritious food and performing regular exercise are important parts of staying healthy. A well-balanced diet offers you the opportunity to eat from a variety of food groups, lose or maintain your weight and choose foods that may help you lose extra abdominal fat.
Benefits
Designing a food plan that contains foods that may help you decrease your abdominal area can help you reduce your risk of developing some of the diseases associated with a larger abdominal measurement. Losing excess abdominal fat and reducing your waist-to-hip ratio can lower your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Calorie Awareness
When losing belly fat and overall body weight, analyze the number of calories you are currently eating. A reduced calorie diet plan such as one found at MyPyramid.gov is a sensible, safe plan. As you eat less food, your body burns excess fat, which translates to losing pounds. Because it is not possible to lose weight in a specific body region, when you lose weight, you will lose weight from your abdominal region and other parts of your body. Set a weight loss goal of 1 to 2 lbs. per week. Eat a set number of calories as determined by an online calorie calculator (see "Resources"), or reduce your caloric intake by between 500 to 1,000 calories per day.
Balanced Carbohydrates
A diet plan that involves eating the right amounts and types of carbohydrates can help you reduce the amount of abdominal fat you carry, according to a 2009 study published in the "Journal of Nutrition." As shown in the study, carbohydrates in the form of cereal fibers and whole-grains such as oats, barley and wheat were more effective at reducing abdominal fat than just increasing the amount of fiber in the participant's diet. Incorporate high-fiber cereals and oats into your breakfast menu, and choose whole-wheat breads or nutty, brown rice over white bread or rices for other meals.
Fat Choices
Plan on reducing or eliminating the amount of saturated and trans fats in your diet and eating small amounts of healthy fat to help reduce the amount of belly fat you carry. Keep your servings moderate due to their concentrated caloric content. Seeds, canola and olive oil, peanut butter and avocados contain monounsaturated fats, while you can find polyunsaturated fats in fish, nuts and some seeds. Research published in the July 2007 issues of "Diabetes Care" indicate that a diet rich in monounsaturated fats helped prevent "central fat redistribution."
Balanced Variety
Eat an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and only low-fat cheeses and fat-free milk. An overall healthy eating plan can help you reduce belly fat. Divide your calorie and nutrient intake between your meals to give your body a constant supply of healthy calories.
Considerations
When following a food plan to reduce your belly fat, understand that eating only certain foods or simply performing crunches will not cause your waist measurement to drop. The best way to reduce your waist measurement is by combining both strategies.
References
- HelpGuide: Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet and Sticking to It
- Rush University: Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator
- MedlinePlus: Tips for Losing Weight
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Steps to a Healthier Weight
- Journal of Nutrition: Whole-Grain Intake and Cereal Fiber Are Associated with Lower Abdominal Adiposity in Older Adults
- Diabetes Care: Monounsaturated Fat--Rich Diet Prevents Central Body Fat Distribution and Decreases Postprandial Adiponectin Expression Induced by a Carbohydrate-Rich Diet in Insulin-Resistant Subjects
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