Top 10 Foods To Shift Belly Fat

With waistlines on the increase across the globe many people are starting the fight to lose weight and most people want to lose their belly fat as a priority. But without the right nutrition no amount of exercise will shift this so try including these 10 food types in your diet to increase the chance of getting rid of stubborn belly fat.

Citrus Fruits

Most citrus fruits such as oranges and limes contain huge amounts of vitamin C. A lot of the time fat is stored in the belly region when you are stressed or feeling unwell. So boosting the bodies intake of vitamin c will lower the risk of catching cols or viruses meaning you are less likely to store fat in this area. Also foods high in vitamin C help to produce a chemical called carnitine which is essential in making the body burn fats as a fuel.

Avocadoes

The avocado is a great fruit to include in your diet and its easy to add it to salads or meals without too much trouble.

If you add this to your diet 2 or 3 times a week the body will have enough essential fats to allow the easy break down of fats when exercising. The main fat found is oleic acid which is also linked to decreasing the levels of bad cholesterol and thus lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Nuts and Seeds

Similar to avocado nuts and seeds contain a huge amount of the essential fatty acids need to keep the body functioning. Also they are high in protein, protein is essential to allow the body to recover after exercise to give you a bigger chance of exercising more often. But protein has been shown to actually aid in the body metabolising fat quickly to avoid it being stored.

Take a probiotic

probiotics are naturally occurring bacteria that are essential to keep the guy healthy. If your gut isn't healthy and functioning correctly then nutrients and foods cannot be broken down and absorbed into the blood stream effectively. This slows your metabolism down and increases the chance of strong excess fat that cant be digested properly. Also, if our gut is unhealthy this can slow down nervous impulses which will slow cognitive function, lower mood and generally give a feeling of un-wellness. Which will lead you to not want to exercise and thus not burn off the calories you need to.

See Also: The Superfood That Boosts Your Weight Loss

Whole grains

The metabolism is one of the highest bodily functions for burning calories.

Whole grains take twice as long and burns twice as many calories as processed foods. Examples of good whole grains are brown rice and oats. As well as this they are high in fibre which will also help to keep digestion regular and working effectively to avoid the risk of storing excess fat.

More Food Choices To Help You Get Rid Of Belly Fat

Lean Meat

The protein in foods is quite hard for the body to break down and metabolise so when you eat lean meat the protein in the foods is called a thermo genic - meaning it increases the metabolic rate. In actual fact you burn 30% of the calories that the foods contain just to digest it when its high in protein so quite often a high protein diet cancels out a lot of the calories.

The calorie burn on a 300 calorie steak would be 90 calories just to digest it!

Green Tea

Green tea has quite recently been associated with increasing weight loss. It is actually found in most fat loss supplements or diet shakes that are on the market to help people lose weight but why? In a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition they found that the elements within green tea drinks increased energy expenditure by 4% allowing more calories to be burnt and thus shifting and burning fat from stubborn areas like the belly. Other studies have also linked green tea with increasing fat oxidation (fat burn) by as much as 17%. So try drinking a cup or two a day.

Hot Peppers

Peppers and chilli's may taste hot but they have the same effect in the digestive system. There increase the temperature in our digestive tract which stimulates and increased metabolic rate. And as seen earlier the higher the metabolic rate the more calories are being burned while digesting food. Adding peppers to a meal is really easy, chop some up in a salad or put some into a hot meal like spaghetti bolognese to increase the calorie burn.

Low Fat Dairy

Dairy products receive a lot of bad press because they are very high in fat. Cheeses in particular are packed with fat but they do have some benefits if you pick the low fat options that all supermarkets offer, for example 1% fat milk is a great alternative for hot drinks and cereals.

The more muscle your body has the more calories it burns when exercising - this is why lifting weights burns huge amounts of calories compared to cardio.

See Also: Bbq Foods You Should Choose If You Want To Lose Weight

Oily Fish

You really should be eating at least 1 piece of fish per week and good choices are mackerel, haddock or salmon as they are oily. This means they are full of the healthy fats that are body needs to keep our gut functioning and metabolising food efficiently. Fish can be high in calories so be careful with portion sizes but it is also full of protein so will increase the recovery between exercise. Change one evening meal to a fish based meal a week and you will see changes in the fat burn and hopefully shift that belly fat.  

If you are looking to cut the amount of fat in your belly region try adjusting your diet slightly to include some of the foods above and you will start to see great changes and quite quickly.