If you’re trying to achieve a flat stomach, you need to take care of your wellness with a healthy, low-calorie diet and plenty of exercise. However, if you want to get there a little bit faster, there are some special foods you can try. These foods are great for your wellbeing, relieve water retention, stave off cravings, boost your metabolism and keep you feeling fuller for longer – need we say more?
1. Almonds: Almonds have an extremely high fibre content, meaning they prevent you from getting hungry. If you’re worried about the relatively high number of calories, fear not; in 2007, researchers at PurdueUniversity found that almonds themselves do not contribute to belly fat in spite of their calorie content. Plus, as an added bonus, almonds are packed full of skin-boosting vitamin E and protein, so swap out your usual mid-morning snack for a handful and see if it makes a difference.
2. Leafy Greens: Including a portion of leafy green vegetables at every meal is the quickest way to flatten a stubborn stomach. Whether you opt for kale, spinach or romaine lettuce, leafy greens are all full of fibre and extremely low in calories. Moreover, the vital vitamins and minerals that leafy green vegetables offer can help to ease your water retention without causing the bloating and discomfort that some other vegetables might. While we’re discussing all things green and leafy, kelp or seaweed is prized for its high levels of iodine which helps to create the thyroid hormones in your body. These regulate your metabolic rate – the rate in which your body burns fat – so make a welcome addition to any diet.
3. Oats: It’s hard to believe that something has filling as oats can help you to lose weight, but the slow-release, natural energy that oats provide keeps you feeling fuller for longer and can even lower your cholesterol. Eat a portion of oats in the morning for breakfast as part of a low-calorie diet and you’ll give your body the all-day energy it needs.
4. Olive Oil: The reason why olive oil can help you to lose weight is that it contains polyunsaturated fats which can stave off hunger pains. Moreover, there’s a naturally-occurring chemical called oleic acid in olive oil that aids the breakdown of excess fats in the body.
5. Beans: You’ll find a whole host of nutrients in each tiny bean – including healthy protein and fibre – as well as a low number of calories and plenty of slow-release energy. All of this combined helps you to feel full, and the protein in particular helps to firm up your muscles and keep you toned. To get more beans into your diet, swap beef chilli for bean chilli and burgers for burritos.
6. Peppermint: If you’re looking to slim down your stomach, it makes sense to start including peppermint in your diet. Peppermint is known for its potent healing and calming digestive properties, so try to drink three cups of peppermint tea a day. As well as helping to flatten your tummy, peppermint also helps to clear your skin, so pick up a box from your local supermarket (organic if possible).
7. Green Tea: While everyone loves a cup of good old-fashioned English breakfast brew, changing things up can help to tone your tummy. If you swap to green tea, you can help your body to flush out excess fluids, which, in turn, calms the bloating around the stomach caused by water retention. Moreover, green tea has been shown to speed up your metabolism, which helps your body to burn even more excess fat.
Comments are closed.