The journey toward a flat tummy is filled with aerobic exercise and abdominal workouts aimed at eliminating fat and toning muscle. However, if you are trying to whittle your waist in just a few short days, you'll need to rely on dietary changes instead of exercise. Eating a proper diet and eliminating foods and beverages that lead to abdominal bloating is absolutely essential for achieving a flat stomach in just two days.
Eat Fiber
Your digestive health is a key factor in achieving a tighter, more toned tummy. After food is consumed, it travels from the stomach through the small and large intestines and ends in the colon. Throughout its travels, the food is mixed with digestive juices and broken down for either absorption or elimination. When food does not digest properly, it remains in your intestines for too long and causes abdominal discomfort and bloating. To avoid these undesirable symptoms, eat plenty of foods high in soluble and insoluble fiber. When fiber is consumed, it helps push digestive contents through the digestive tract at a quicker rate. Foods high in fiber include fresh fruits and vegetables, 100 percent whole grain bread, oats and pasta, and beans.
Trade Water for Soda and Alcohol
Along with fiber, water also helps improve the rate and success of digestion. Since water adds moisture to digestive contents, the contents can pass through the intestines easier. Water also helps eliminate sodium, bacteria and toxins from your body, all of which can cause abdominal bloating. As a general rule, if you are trying to flatten your stomach, avoid the empty calories delivered by alcohol and soda. In particular, the carbonation in soda actually causes gas bubbles to accumulate in your digestive tract. Along with triggering a bloated sensation, these gas bubbles also slow the digestive process.
Adjust Your Diet
When you make your food choices, opt for as many fresh, natural choices as possible. Ditch processed and prepackaged foods for fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds, lean meats and eggs. Avoid foods that are high in salt, as even small amounts of sodium can cause excess bloating in your stomach. Eliminate unhealthy carbohydrates from your diet, such as white bread, white pasta, white rice and starchy potatoes. You should also avoid candy, desserts, fatty meats and fried foods whenever possible.
Battle Bloating
If certain foods or beverages cause abdominal bloating, avoid them if you're trying to achieve a flat tummy. These trigger foods are different for everyone, so you'll have to rely on your own history to determine which foods you need to avoid. For example, people who are lactose-intolerant often become bloated after eating or drinking dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese or ice cream. On the other hand, some people have a difficult time digesting foods made with wheat.
References
- ABC News; Get a Flat Stomach; Stefan Aschan; October 2006
- Mayo Clinic; High Fiber Foods; November 2009
- Womens Ab Workout: 11 Foods to Avoid for a Flat Stomach; January 2011
- Flat-Stomach-Exercises.com: 10 Tummy Flattening Tips
- Women Fitness.net: Stomach Bloating or Abdominal Distension
- Mayo Clinic; Water: How Much Should You Drink Every Day; April 2010
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