"Look at these bellies!" urges "Prevention" magazine in its February 2008 edition. Nichole, Julie, Kathy and Evelyn allegedly lost between 6.5 and 11 inches around their bellies in four weeks, simply by following the flat belly diet. "No situps" required," claim authors Liz Vaccariello, editor-in-chief of "Prevention" and registered dietitian and former "Prevention" nutrition director Cynthia Sass,
The Premise
Vaccariello and Sass believe that MUFAs, an acronym for monounsaturated
fatty acids, offer a silver bullet for attacking belly fat. Olives, avocado, nuts, dark chocolate and olive oil contain MUFAs. These unsaturated fats have a flexible structure, Vaccariello told "The Mirror," which glide through the bloodstream without clogging your arteries. They supposedly fill you up and attack the visceral abdominal fat, which surrounds your internal organs. The flat belly diet adds at least one type of MUFA to each meal.
The Jump Start
The 32-day flat belly diet begins with a four-day jump start designed to flush out excess fluid, thereby relieving bloat and constipation. What the authors call "sassy water," which is composed of water, cucumber, mint, and lemon, is the alleged magic elixir that makes this happen. Dieters consume one glass of sassy water with each low-fat meal. Alcohol, salt, chewing gum, fried foods, excess carbohydrates and carbonated drinks are prohibited. During the four-day jump-start, dieters consume between 1,200 and 1,400 calories.
Typical Recipes
Many of the flat belly diet recipes combine the MUFAs with other foods. Nuts and seeds, for example, top salads, fish or chicken dishes. Olives add taste to pasta sauces and pizza, and olive tapenade on crackers provides an afternoon snack. Oils serve as a stir fry base for chicken or beef. The flat belly diet incorporates eating traditions typical of Mediterranean countries. Instead of adding butter to your bread, take inspiration from the Spaniards and use olive oil.
Critique
The West Virginia Senior Services organization argues that no type of food can zero in on fat reduction from one part of the body. Furthermore, Christine Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., of Georgia State University warns that despite the health benefits of MUFAs, they are still fats, which contain 9 calories per gram. That's more than twice the calories of protein and carbohydrates, which contain 4 calories per gram. Nutritionists at Washington State University in St. Louis warn that there is no scientific basis for the benefits of "sassy water" and advise that weight loss on this diet may be water as opposed to fat.
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