Saturday, January 7, 2012

Losing Stomach Fat: Change To Three Healthy Food Habits To Get A Flat Tummy

If you are carrying too much stomach fat you are putting yourself at risk of getting a number of lifestyle diseases. The most obvious one is heart disease and, related to this, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. In addition to this there is the danger of high blood sugar and insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes. The list goes on: arthritis in the joints; back problems. So you have plenty of health reasons to work on losing stomach fat. Then of course, you may not like the way you look, which is a further incentive to get a flat tummy.

There are some things you can do right now to lose your stomach fat. It will not happen overnight but it will happen over time. The important thing is to start. The most important thing you can do is to change to some healthy food habits by replacing the fat storing food in your diet with fat burning food. While the best way to get a flat tummy is to follow a good diet and exercise, you can start by fixing your diet.

   1. Cut down on food with high sugar content. The worst offender is soda and soft drinks. If you are drinking several of these each day you are adding to you stomach fat. When you have one of these drinks, the sugar in them quickly converts to blood sugar. The body has to control this sudden surge by releasing insulin, which is a storage hormone. Any excess energy or calories is stored in you abdomen. This means if you are not burning off the calories they are being stored on you stomach. Start drinking plain water or plain mineral water

   2. The same thing happens when you eat other foods that have a high sugar content - foods like cakes, cookies, candies and chocolates.

   3. Highly refined carbohydrates such as white bread have the same effect as food with high sugar content. The body breaks this down very quickly in the same way as soda. The problem is not only that insulin stores fat but it also stimulates your appetite, so you are looking for more food soon after. You then eat or drink more and so the cycle continues.

   4. Change to whole grain bread. This takes longer for the body to digest so it does not get that sudden surge in blood sugar. Also it has a high fiber content that makes you feel fuller and gives you more energy for longer. This applies to fruit, vegetables, nuts and protein.

These are some simple things you can do to start losing stomach fat now. It does mean changing some of your habits but that is the only way you will change your body shape - get a flat tummy - and protect your health. Start with these three things: replace soda with water; replace white bread with whole grain; replace cookies and cakes with fruit. One more thing - try to eat a little less.

Changing to healthy food habits will help you lose stomach fat. You can find more ideas on how to get a flat tummy by visiting http://www.loseyourstomachfatnow.info William Burnell enjoys the benefits of following a healthy lifestyle and likes to help others to do the same.