Most dieters and fitness fanatics share a common goal: to lose body fat. While strength training and cardiovascular exercise are key to obtaining and keeping a trim waistline, there are also many foods that aid in fat burning as well. Incorporate these foods into your daily diet along with regular exercise to experience optimum fat loss results and get rid of your belly poch.
Lean Protein
Research conducted at CSIRO Human Nutrition in Australia found that a high-protein diet may stimulate belly fat loss. Subjects who were placed on a low-calorie, high-protein diet shed more midsection fat after 12 weeks than subjects who followed low-calorie diets only. Proteins such as turkey, chicken breast and fish are low in calories and saturated fats.
Green Tea
According to a 2009 study published in "The Journal of Nutrition," green tea contains catechins, or natural antioxidant compounds, that help promote fat loss. This study found that green tea consumption, combined with 180 minutes of moderate exercise per week, can help combat fat.
Whole Grains
A 2008 study published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," states that people who consume a low-calorie diet with whole grains, in lieu of refined grains, lost fat particularly around the abdominal area. Those who used a low-calorie diet but continued to eat white flour products did not achieve the same abdominal fat-loss results. Rich sources of whole grains include brown rice, quinoa, millet and whole-grain breads.
Almonds
A 2007 Purdue University study published in the "British Journal of Nutrition" found that almonds are a low-calorie snack that promote satiety and did not cause study subjects to gain excess fat. Almonds are nutrient-dense, contain good fats that keep you healthy and help keep your blood sugar levels stabilized.
References
- "Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease"; High Protein Diets Decrease Total and Abdominal Fat and Improve CVD Risk Profile in Overweight and Obese Men and Women with Elevated Triacylglycerol; P.M. Clifton, et al.; October 2009
- "Journal of Nutrition"; Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults; K.C. Maki, et al.; February 2009
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; The Effects of a Whole Grain-Enriched Hypocaloric Diet on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Men and Women with Metabolic Syndrome; H.I. Katcher, et al.; January 2008
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; Effect of Chronic Consumption of Almonds on Body Weight in Healthy Humans; J Hollis, et al.; September 2007
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