While going on a diet can help you lose weight and improve your wellbeing in a general way, there are some foods that specifically target your belly fat. So, which foods can help your tummy wellness?
1. Avocadoes: Before we get onto belly fat, there are numerous health and beauty benefits to eating avocadoes. Not only does this fruit have some pretty stellar anti-ageing properties; its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties will keep you free of fungal and bacterial infections too. When it comes to your tummy area, the key factor in avocadoes is Lecithin. This important amino acid helps to balance your weight, improve your memory, protect you from liver diseases, prevent your chances of heart attacks and strokes and offer you overall health benefits. Avocadoes are absolutely packed with lecithin, so add them to your salad to help you shake off that stubborn belly fat!
2. Apples: If you struggle with belly fat, apples should be your go-to wonder fruits. According to a study carried out by Brazilian researchers, women who ate three or more apples a day lost more weight compared to those who didn’t. Why? The main reason why apples help to aid weight loss is that they contain an abundance of pectin. This natural compound not only helps you to lose weight but, as an added bonus, can reduce your risk of colon cancer. Moreover, apples contain a hearty amount of antioxidants and vitamin C, helping to keep your skin free of wrinkles. Finally, apples are high in a bunch of other healthy nutrients, including dietary fibre, flavanoids, phytosterol and beta-carotene.
3. Watermelons: If you’re over the age of 30 and have stubborn belly fat, it’s likely that you have a high amount of plaque deposits in your arteries. However, at the University of Kentucky, an interesting study revealed that watermelons had a unique effect on these deposits; lowering them by altering the blood lipids. The researchers found that drinking two glasses of watermelon juice every day for eight weeks reduces body weight without altering muscle mass, and this weight is lost mostly around the belly. Moreover, the good thing about watermelon is that it has a high content of water, a low amount of calories and helps you to feel full quickly, all of which create a perfect storm for weight loss.
4. Bananas: Just like apples, bananas have multiple benefits to your wellness. As well as offering you a high amount of dietary fibre, bananas give your body an instant jolt of energy, which is essential for helping you to carry out a regular workout routine. As we’ve already seen with the pectin content of apples, the pectin found in bananas helps you to lose weight and protect you against cancer. Bananas work to fill up your stomach with healthy fibre, improve your digestion and give you very few calories. Plus, bananas are just plain good for you, offering a rich supply of calcium, magnesium, Vitamins A, C, E, B6 and potassium.
5. Tomatoes: In your average large tomato, there are just 33 calories, which is a great start for any weight loss success. However, tomatoes also contain a compound called as 9-oxo-ODA that reduces lipids in your blood and helps to control your belly fat, as well as fighting all chronic diseases that are obesity related. Moreover, tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant known as lycopene which helps to reduce your wrinkles, fight cancer and lower your cholesterol levels. Not only can you add tomatoes to your salad, you can also cook a tomato-based sauce for your pasta to enjoy the health benefits of this powerful compound.