Bye, Bye Big Belly And Hello Trim Tummy With These 6 Healthy Food Choices

I wish there really was a food that you could eat and an instantly flat belly would appear. Since there is no such thing here are some healthy food choices that may help speed up the process.

Say Bye, Bye Belly With These Healthy Food Choices

**Avocados-When scientists did a study and fed people diets with either carbohydrates or monounsaturated fatty acids (nuts, olives and avocados), they discovered that those on the carbohydrate diet were more likely to have an accumulation of abdominal body fat while the
monounsaturated fatty acids group decreased abdominal body fat, even without exercise. Foods like nuts, Avocados and olives that are filled with monounsaturated fatty acids actually decrease belly fat! I love avocados on a sandwich, in salsa and salad. I don't know about you but I am picking up some avocados at the store this week.

Yogurt- According to a study by Danish researchers, volunteers were fed four different meals, they found that the group eating the medium- high calcium meals had "17-19 percent lower levels of fat in their blood than those taking calcium supplements or eating low-calcium meals. Previous research from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, found that obese adults who ate a high-dairy diet (1200 to 1300 mg calcium/day lost 60 percent more weight and nearly three times as much belly fat as dieters eating the same number of calories with less calcium." I think string cheese, cottage cheese and skim milk are also great choices. I would like to add that if possible go organic on the dairy and eat the plain yogurt topped with berries so you are cutting down on your sugar intake.

**Nuts-I love nuts and find them to be a great way to feel full, get my fatty acids, fiber, protein and they are a great snack to take with you! All of these seem to help control appetite and promote weight loss, especially in the abdominal area.

**Veggies-Vegetables are packed full of fiber and fiber is great for belly flattening because it fills you up with less calories. "It also helps keep the flow of sugar into your bloodstream slow and steady, so less insulin is released (insulin promotes the storage of body fat). Researchers have found that women who skimp on green and yellow veggies tend to have larger middles"

**Whole Grains-Switching from white bread and white pasta to whole grain varieties may help you fight fat. "A Pennsylvania State University study of 50 obese volunteers found that after 12 weeks, those who ate whole grains lost more belly fat and lowered their C-reactive protein (a sign of inflammation linked to heart disease) by 38 percent." Keep in mind that you are still going to have sugar in the whole grain variety which can still raise your insulin levels and signal your body to store fat so moderation is key on this one.

Need I even say the next one?

**Water-of course, of course, of course! A team of German researchers estimated that by consuming six cups of water daily it is possible to raise a resting metabolism by about 50 calories a day (that is enough to lose 5 lbs a year). Water is also great for making you feel full.

By adding exercise to this list of healthy and delicious foods you can be well on your way to a flat tummy in no time. I do really wish I could find a list that would say something like, have some chocolate for a flat stomach or cookies will thin you out in no time. Oh well, these are terrific foods for a terrific you and the chocolate and cookies can be had in moderation too!

Source for this article is Good Houskeeping magazine July 2008

P.S. My blog is in the spotlight at Healthy Moms. Click on the icon on the top right or here to check out my interview and visit their fun site! Click here .





36 comments:

  1. This is so cool for me to read right now as I am working on trimming my waist and tummy. Ya know what can happen after having one baby, well after having four over 18 year period things seem to take a little longer to get back to "normal." Everything on your list I like and I generally eat on a regular basis--I'm on the right track...yeah! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Heidi, I love everything on your list! Nuts do make a delicious healthy snack! And I always choose water!

    ReplyDelete
  3. There was a news item recently about water. The head of a nursing home introduced a 'water club' to encourage her elderly residents to drink around 10 small glasses of water per day (around one each hour). The results were astonishing - the incidence of falls (broken bones, etc) were dramatically reduced; general health was improved immensely; memory improved; general wellbeing - and everyone said that they felt at least 10 years younger. It was implied that many people suffer from dehydration without even knowing it. So perhaps water is a major key to our health much more than we realise.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The thing about healthy food is that usually healthy food is more expensive compared to processed foods... :(

    ReplyDelete
  5. I find it amazing that so many people avoid water like the plague. It's essential to the body!

    ReplyDelete
  6. hello yiu have a very nice blog . plz refer to my blogf for more health related tips
    http://www.wellnessprogramblog.com

    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  7. Whoo hoo for avocados! I love them and eat them all the time. Being practically a vegetarian and allergic to wheat & dairy, I can't do the whole grains & such, but there are some wonderful substitues that are very good for you inside and out.
    Thanks for this great post!
    ☼ Rocki
    p.s. dark chocolate rocks & is good for you... in moderation of course

    ReplyDelete
  8. Since you list nuts, I wonder if almonds also fits into this category?

    We get almond butter and organic jelly instead of peanut butter and jelly full of sugar. This makes for healthier snacks and sandwiches (on whole wheat bread, of course.)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love the Orangutans...she is so cute!

    Great info Heidi...thanks for sharing.

    Unfortunately I can't eat whole wheat, most dairy, and many fruits so I'm looking for healthy alternatives...

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't know how these Pix of me with my Beer Gut + Nuts hanging out keep showing up on the Internet!!

    ;))

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hmm i need to mix some of those nuts in get it lol. Avocado is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  12. here in the philippines avocado is made into a dessert. diced avocados with milk sugar and shaved ice is yummy! avocado ice cream is superb too. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh very informative blog and post...Have a nice day.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'll try to be good and eat more healthy. These foods are all so good. Thanks for the reminder.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Heidi - nice list and no doubt the veggies, water and nuts are all time healthy winners!

    The thing about the yogurt though is one has to look for one low in saturated fat. Many yogurts today contain high amounts of saturated fat as well as even trans fats - which obviously do not equate to health.
    But I like your addition of it being organic too - that is really important as well.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Read your interview. A small question. Peanuts are okay to eat and stay slim? Also, wanted some suggestions on healthy eating habits. I work a long time and my meal times get screwed up. Wondered if you could help out. Thanks a lot! Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love yogurt, I eat it everyday. I also throw nuts into a salad, so my hubby gets it to :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. WOW! I think I can handle this list! Everything on it is something I like, so now I just need to make sure I have it on hand. :-D

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi there, was at Mommy's little corner noticed your very attractive pic and never the one to resist a beautiful lady's pic, I mosey over.

    Re your being health conscious, allow me to add my 12 cents here...
    On how to keep trim, have a slam the back of a bus kind of figure or a body to die for, though I wouldn't,....for men I mean, when seeing a woman while driving, ha ha...

    One of the best is taking up ballroom dancing, and if you want to know the meaning of sweat, try the Latin or Argentina Tango. You'll be able to spell the word 'sweat' backwards, ha ha.
    You not only can wow friends, relatives, in-laws and out-laws at a party with your Tango talents, but have you seen those ballroom competitions?
    The women have slam the back of a Hummer bodies!

    Drink Chinese Green tea, five cups a day...check it out...it doesn't make you romantic, but it sure does clean your systems, and keep ailments away. Not too sure about PMS though.

    Look for, 'Lung Ching, Dragon Well Chinese Green tea'. One of the best. Legend has it that long ago only the Chinese Emperors drink it, and the tea leaves gathered only by virgins...hey, I'm not making this up, check it out...and these virgins use gold scissors!! I would have run off with the scissors!
    And what virgins have to do with tea leaves, search me. Something funny going on if you ask me.

    There's another one called, "Temple of Heaven" (nothing to do with Indiana Jones!), "special gunpowder'.
    Wait,.... don't take cover, hit the deck! Some Englishmen, after losing your old Boston tea party long ago (hey, see, I remember my history!)...went to China and noticed these particular brand of tea leafs folded look like gunpowder, and thats how the name stuck, knowing the Chinese's love of imitating things, ha ha.

    But not to worry, you won't explode...I'm still around, and alternate between both, my wife too. The tea I mean.

    Take up swimming...but not too often then you might have a body like whats his name...that Arnie fellow, Governor of California..?

    And finally...take Bee Pollen, preferably with Royal Jelly...not the ones made by the Queen of England...by bees.
    Scientists from your country to Europe, Russia and China have found, that it does help slow down aging...check it out again, I kid you not,..take one tablet a day, and you will within two weeks feel some difference, not like a giggly 16 year old, but more fit to chase after your kids, outrun them, ha ha.

    Incidentally my wife is 62, looks 50, still have a slam the back of a Harley Screaming Eagle body, ha ha. She has been taking Bee Pollen 30 years (me too!)...I read some Hollywood actresses take it too. Maybe Sophia Loren? She sure is gorgeous!

    Okay, before you think I'm competing for the Republican elections...I'll vamoose...but allow me to say, re your profile pic, if you were to hold a bouquet of a dozen red roses infront of your mirror, you'll see 13.
    You stay easy and have a nice day. Lee.

    ReplyDelete
  20. thank you for the comment :)
    I am just finishing up a challenge where different etsians featured each other.
    I have one more then I'm going to move on to others that I've bought from, have been especially wonderful on site and so forth :).
    You have a really lovely blog btw!

    ReplyDelete
  21. It's so hard for me to drink water when I'm not thirsty. Any suggestions? I can make herbal tea or drink flavored water, but straight water is tough when I'm not thirsty. Exercise makes me drink more water, but if I'm not exercising, it's tough to drink the h20.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I also eat everything on your list and I have a flat tummy I just need to keep up on the tone/tight ab thing...I've been slackin on the crunches! :(

    And I am going to pass on the award you so awesomely gave me...I've been slackin there too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi Heidi!
    Thanks for the nice comment on my recent post =) I think I am undergoing a lot of stress and a bad case of "homesickness" right now *sigh*

    I love this article. I will take a print of this for sure. I managed to lose a little flab here and there on the tummy area but I'm willing to let go of more! hahaha...nice one!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great post. I definitely need to eat more of the things on your list! I've been exercising every day including over 360 ab crunches but I need to eat more 'trim tummy foods'.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Here I am again logging in around 5pm when I am very hungry - and all those foods sounds so good - you are now the evil blogger

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great post--it made me hungry. Being a vegetarian, like yourself, I am always searching for healthy alternatives; and they also help your trim belly flab? Can't go wrong. Keep up the great work.

    peace,
    mike
    livelife365

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Heidi,
    I got me some yogurt today and I am drinking more water now. I enjoy all your tips and excellent information you share with us. Thanks also for all of your hard work, you put into your awesome blog! Wishing everybody happiness and health for a longer life. Take care! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for visit and great comment :)

    Great post. Many people think that they are fattening foods when they are not and I can prove that as I eat everything on your list (except yogurt) every day and I am only one size larger than I was as a trim teenager which isn't bad now I am 63.

    ReplyDelete
  29. all good advice!

    A fabulous way that I've found to reduce bloating is to cut all wheat (and gluten) out of my diet. My energy levels increased hundred-fold also. Double bonus!

    xx
    Anita

    ReplyDelete
  30. I'll try the avocado this week, I am really on diet need to flatten my tummy a bit coz it looks like I am 5 months pregnant... hehehe.... :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Heidi,Thanks for the comment on my post on Gandhi and religion. I've been a vegetarian for 39 years and though my diet is real important exercise is the key to everything. If I don't exercise I'm living proof that a vegi isn't starving to death.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thanks for sharing your post. Eating nuts daily had up to 60% fewer heart attacks than those who ate nuts less than once per month. Buy Nuts Online

    ReplyDelete
  33. Great info! Plain yogurt with fruit - and stevia (a plant ... has no calories and no blood sugar effect) added for sweetness, is delicious! Stevia is super-sweet, so it only takes a little bit. Its available at health food stores.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Great post Heidi. I totally agree with you on the wholegrains. I find that my stomach looks and feels a lot less bloated by eating brown bread as opposed to eating white.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Wow, it is nice to hear that nuts & vegs help to reduce big belley. So, I wanna to move to vegs and have nuts often......great, (You know I have a big belly, I really hate to have it)
    -Lawrence

    ReplyDelete
  36. Those are great food choices. Thanks for posting them. I was led to believe avocados were actually big on fat but I guess not!

    ReplyDelete

Fat, Fat I Ain't Down With That! Easy Tips To Revive Your Metabolism!

 I get a little lazy in winter since generally the swimsuit is many months away however this year I am determined to not let the holidays an...