The Flat Belly Diet

In our guide to losing belly fat we touched on the dietary changes that are required to get a flat stomach, i.e. eliminating all junk food, refined carbohydrates, alcohol and late night snacks. Now we shall look in more detail at the foods that can be eaten while losing stomach fat. These three rules are still the key part of the flat belly diet. Generally the type of food which can be consumed on the Flat Belly Diet are low GI foods and foods with high protein and low saturated fat content. It is essential to maintain protein intake during any diet as we require protein to repair and grow muscle tissues and other cells, and it is especially important when exercising.

Flat Belly Diet Rule 1 – No More Junk Food

Junk food by definition is full of everything that is bad for us in excess. Saturated fat, sugar and salt. Just by eliminating junk food from our lives we can make an immediate impact on the way we look and feel. Junk food is generally either comfort food or convenience for most people. So the key to stopping eating junk food is to find alternatives. The best alternatives are natural foods that also contain high sugar content (great for energy) such as fruits and nuts. Some suggestions are given below. It important to remember that junk food covers a wide range of foods, and is not limited to just take away meals such as hamburgers and deep fried chicken, but also includes chocolates, candy, chips (crisps), soft sugar drinks, any deep fried snacks (samosas etc.), pastries, cakes and biscuits. One of Bruce Lee’s diet principals was to avoid all “empty carbs” which covers most junk food.

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Try replacing your usual junk food snacks with some of the following items:

Cherries
Plums
Peaches
Apples
Pears
Dried Apricots
Grapes
Strawberries
Prunes
Peanuts
Cashews
Brazil nuts
Almonds

Flat Belly Diet Rule 2 – Ditch the Booze

This is a tough one for most people, but if you are serious about losing weight, then at least cutting back on alcohol is vital. Many people forget that alcohol is a form of energy, which means each drink adds to your daily calorie intake, which makes losing weight harder. Treat yourself to a few glasses of wine at the weekend, but stay dry during the week, and this will really help to lose weight.

Flat Belly Diet Rule 3 – Avoid Refined Carbohydrates & High GI Food

Refined carbohydrates really fall under the banner of “junk food” in that refined flours are all energy and no nutrition, which is why cakes, biscuits and pastries are all on the disallowed foods list in the Flat Belly Diet. The GI scale of foods is a relatively new way to categorize which foods contain relatively high sugar levels, and this is an effective method to create a weight loss diet. Sugar is one of the biggest causes of weight gain and obesity. Many people automatically think that dietary fat is only the problem, but if this the case, then why have Diet Coke? Coke has not fat to start with, it is all sugar!

The Glyceride Index (GI) is a scale of the speed at which certain foods break down and release glucose into blood. High GI foods release glucose quickly, whereas low GI foods release slow. A slow release of glucose prevent the sugar highs and subsequent crashes, which helps to prevent binge eating and snacking. Generally low GI foods are those with a GI score of less than 55 (search online for lists of GI indexed foods).

Foods allowed in the Flat Belly Diet consist of:

Most fruit and vegetables (except root vegetables, potatoes, watermelon)
Grainy breads
Whole wheat Pasta (do not overcook as this increases its GI score)
Legumes /pulses
Milk
Anything extremely low in carbohydrates – fish, eggs, meat, nuts, oils
Brown rice

One food group that is often overlooked in the west is legumes (pulses). One of the best low carb / low GI foods that also boosts metabolism is a chilli con carne. If made with a variety of legumes, such as kidney beans, black eye beans (aka black-eyed peas), chickpeas and mung beans, with tomato sauce, lean meat (pork or beef) and some chilli peppers, it forms a meal high in protein, low in carbs and very healthy too. Plus the chillies boost metabolism further. For a pure low carb chilli check out this chilli con carne recipe.

Flat Belly Diet Rule 4 – Boost Your Metabolism

Some foods actually give us a metabolic boost, which simply means that they help our bodies to burn energy quicker. The most famous of these is the fiery chilli pepper (which makes a low GI chilli such a good option) but there are many others, including salmon, soups, yoghurt, whey protein, grapefruits and cottage cheese. Making meals based on these foods is a great way to help to flatten the tummy. Simple meals such as scrambled eggs with smoked salmon are great way to lose weight! Check out our 10 Foods for a Fat Burning Diet for more information.

As with any diet, there is more to it than just following a few simple rules. It is still possible to over eat on a healthy diet. Exercise is also still essential for maintaining a fit and healthy body – and it is also the easiest way to flatten the tummy. However, diet is equally important, and regular exercise with a healthy diet aimed at reducing body fat is the best way to get that dream body.

For an alternative flat belly diet, read this book, which is a 4 day crash diet based on the same principals as our diet plan (remember to read the reviews first): Flat Belly Diet, By Liz Vaccariello & Cynthia Sass

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