How to Fight Belly Fat with These Four Foods

Let’s be honest; if you want to lose weight, chances are that you want to lose it in the belly area. Very few of us will look in the mirror and say “I love it when all my other body parts look trim, but I wish my belly was bigger and fatter” (except for maybe one female character in Pulp Fiction who did want a pot belly – but Bruce Willis wasn’t keen on the idea if memory serves). So what foods can help you to target belly fat specifically?

Firstly, when your sweet tooth starts tingling, and you find yourself in the confectionery aisle (how did that happen?!) try dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is closer to chocolate’s purest form, which, although it may be surprising, can actually help you lose weight. According to a study carried in 2005, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, participants who ate dark chocolate were more sensitive to insulin and less resistant to it compared with the study volunteers who ate equal quantities of white chocolate.

If you’re after something a little more tart, go for tart cherries. A study from the University of Michigan, carried out in 2007, fed rats small quantities of tart cherry powder. The results revealed that the rats lost 17% of their belly fat in as few as three months. Another study, this time from 2009 and published in the journal Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, showed that vinegar may be the way to go for a tart fat buster. The results showed that people who consumed an acetic acid compound found in vinegar along with fatty food developed less body fat than those who didn’t consume the acetic compound.

Finally, you’re probably already aware of the health benefits of green tea. This is the beverage of choice for many wellness enthusiasts, as green tea is rich in phyotchemicals and antioxidants, but the fact that green tea may also aid in weight loss puts it at the top of the list for just about everyone else. According to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Nutrition, the catechins in green tea may speed up your body’s metabolic rate and promote fat loss, especially in the abdomen.