Belly fat is more than a nuisance that makes your clothes feel tight. It is seriously harmful. Abdominal fat Referred to as visceral fat - a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions
Many health organizations use body mass index (BMI) to classify weight and predict metabolic disease risk.
However, this is misleading, as people with more belly fat are at increased risk even if they look thinner (2Trusted Source). Although it can be difficult to lose fat from this area, there are many things that you can do to reduce excess abdominal fat.
Here are 20 effective tips for reducing abdominal fat supported by scientific studies.
1. Focus on making low-calorie choices
When it comes to losing belly fat, diet quality is just as important as quantity.
A diet high in saturated fats increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while diets high in refined carbohydrates are linked to weight gain.
The good news is that most of the healthy foods you can choose to eat are also low in calories. They include:
avocados
fruits
veggies
nuts
dark chocolate
nuts and seeds
pulses
healthy oils
2. Eat more fiber
Eating more fiber can help increase the number of calories you burn by breaking down complex carbohydrates and absorbing them through the digestive system.
Fiber helps the body absorb the nutrients it needs, which can help avoid nutrient deficiencies, such as iron deficiency anemia.
Eating more fiber also helps you feel fuller for longer, and cut your appetite.
Some of the best foods to eat to get enough fiber include:
whole grain foods, like oats
crackers and breads
fruit
vegetables
nuts
milk
Oats
One of the best sources of fiber is oats. As well as making a great breakfast cereal, oats have been shown to help reduce belly fat by burning belly fat through the release of lactic acid during exercise.
This means that when you exercise, you are naturally burning extra fat to lose belly fat.
Some evidence suggests that oats may also help with weight loss and fat loss during prolonged physical activity.
Oats contain soluble fiber, which can help the body absorb more nutrients.
Sugar-free oats also contain soluble fiber, which can help the body absorb more nutrients, and can prevent constipation by increasing the muscles’ water retention.
These qualities may help to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and to prevent obesity and overweight, as they can reduce abdominal fat.
Fiber and weight loss
Fiber helps you feel fuller for longer, and may also help reduce the number of calories you take in during each meal.
Research suggests that eating a high-fiber diet may help people maintain a healthy weight.
The addition of dietary fiber to your diet can also boost your weight loss efforts.
Eating fewer carbs can reduce the amount of sugar consumed, which means that some people may eat fewer calories in the long term.
3. Cut back on alcohol
Alcohol is a type of food, and it can also increase the body’s appetite.
For most people, drinking just one glass of wine every day would increase their risk of becoming overweight.
The majority of alcoholic drinks contain carbohydrates, and alcohol can cause an increase in blood sugar, and cause a decrease in appetite.
Unfortunately, drinking alcohol tends to lead to weight gain.
Just one serving of red wine can contain as many calories as two doughnuts, and nearly twice as many as a cola.
Alcohol is also a type of sugar, so the weight gain that alcohol causes can be felt long after drinking stops.
Red wine is often the most damaging to the liver. Consuming too much alcohol can cause a condition called fatty liver disease.
Red wine is often the most damaging to the liver. Consuming too much alcohol can cause a condition called fatty liver disease.
This disease causes fat to accumulate in the liver, and can cause serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, and liver failure.
To reduce the risk of liver disease and improve liver function, try switching to low-calorie wines and spirits, and decreasing the amount of alcohol you consume each week .
4. Move more
Being active can not only make you feel happier, but it can also burn calories and help prevent obesity. Regular moderate exercise can help to boost the amount of fat cells in the body. This means that burning more fat can help you feel fuller, which may help to decrease the amount of energy you consume. Exercising is also one of the best things you can do to improve your mood, which can improve your overall well-being.
5. Cut back on sugar
Sugar is one of the most easily added foods to your diet. However, added sugar is one of the most damaging foods to the body.
This means that regularly eating or drinking sugary foods can increase your risk of becoming overweight or obese.
Research suggests that as little as 2.3 teaspoons of sugar each day may contribute to an increase in belly fat, and this amount is above the limit that many experts consider healthy.
Added sugar is a type of carbohydrate, and the body converts it into glucose, which fuels the brain and body.
Glucose is also responsible for triggering the feeling of hunger, which may contribute to the chronic hunger you may feel when eating sugary foods.
Reducing your intake of added sugar is one of the best things you can do to manage your weight.
Sugar makes you hungry, so eating sugary foods makes you eat more calories. Cutting back on sugary foods will make it easier to lose weight.
Sugar makes you hungry, so eating sugary foods makes you eat more calories. Cutting back on sugary foods will make it easier to lose weight.
To stop yourself from reaching for sugary foods, try avoiding snacks containing added sugar. These include fizzy drinks, biscuits, and confectionery, which are high in refined sugars .
Instead, swap these for fresh fruit and plain-sugar-free spread. Fruit is a natural source of naturally occurring sugar, but it also contains fibre, which slows down the digestion of sugary foods.
6. Limit your intake of alcohol
Alcohol can impact the body in a number of different ways.
First and foremost, it can cause a spike in your blood sugar, which makes it harder to keep your weight under control.
This increase in blood sugar may increase your appetite, and also cause you to overeat.
Alcohol can also interfere with your body’s hormone systems, and disrupt your sleep. This can increase your appetite, and make it harder to lose weight.
Last, but not least, alcohol can damage the liver, which plays an important role in metabolizing fat and carbohydrates.
If you are a moderate drinker, you can choose to drink in moderation.
Consuming no more than the recommended weekly limit (14 drinks per week) will prevent the onset of liver damage and also make your weight loss progress more effective.
7. Cut back on white carbohydrates.
White carbohydrates (which include white bread, rice, and potatoes) can affect your insulin levels.
Insulin controls the amount of sugar your body stores.
A high blood sugar levels can make it harder to burn fat, and also increases your risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
If you have already developed type 2 diabetes, losing weight can improve your symptoms and your life.
Therefore, eating fewer white carbohydrates can make it easier to manage your diabetes.
Consuming fewer white carbohydrates will also make it easier to burn belly fat and may even help to control your blood sugar levels.
For example, replacing white potatoes, bread, and rice with starchy vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and beets, could help to keep blood sugar levels more stable.
Eating carbs that are high in fibre, such as whole wheat and oats, will also help to increase your overall intake of healthy carbohydrates.
White potatoes are high in carbohydrates and can increase your blood sugar levels. Instead, try swapping them for sweet potatoes, beetroots, and squash.
A study that compared the diets of individuals with and without type 2 diabetes found that replacing white potatoes with sweet potatoes, lentils, and white beans improved their diets’ adherence to the recommended carbohydrate limit
8. Consider low-glycemic index foods
Foods that have a low glycemic index (GI) are low in both sugar and starch. They have the added benefit of containing more fibre, which slows down the rate at which sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream.
This means that, compared to foods with a high GI, GI foods are more likely to cause a spike in blood sugar levels.
Foods with a low GI, such as bananas, oatmeal, and chickpeas, are generally considered better for controlling blood sugar levels.
A 2013 study that looked at 37, 876 US adults found that consuming foods with a low GI for 10 years increased the participants’ risk of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis by 13%..
However, this research was carried out in the US, so it’s unclear whether GI food consumption would affect the risk of diabetes elsewhere.
9. Limit your consumption of starchy vegetables
Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, peas, and beans, have a high GI and a relatively high glycemic index.
Starch has a high energy density and can increase your energy intake. However, it also causes your blood sugar levels to spike, which can have negative effects on your appetite and your waistline.
Therefore, your body will need to produce more insulin when you eat starchy vegetables. This can lead to increased fat storage and poor blood sugar control.
You can reduce the impact of starchy vegetables on your blood sugar levels by choosing to consume these vegetables with a low GI food.
Examples of foods with a low GI include white potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and quinoa.
There are also several foods that have a low glycemic index that you may find in your supermarket, such as apples, avocados, spinach, oranges, and quinoa.
10. Choose complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and brown rice, contain a high amount of fibre.
This dietary fibre slows down the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream.
Therefore, it can help to control blood sugar levels, and it also helps to boost your insulin sensitivity, which can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes .
In addition, fibre is an essential nutrient, which helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and to control bowel movements.
. Complex carbohydrates should be eaten in moderation. If you are eating a relatively low-GI diet, make sure you’re not exceeding the recommended maximum of 30g of fibre per day.
The recommended intake of whole grains is 25g per day for men and 20g for women.
Takeaway Research has shown that people who eat more vegetables and fibre are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who eat fewer vegetables and fibre.
It’s important to discuss your eating habits with your doctor, as some vegetables, such as spinach and Brussels sprouts, can be high in nitrates and oxalates, which could adversely affect blood sugar control.
People with diabetes should talk to their doctor about how to manage their blood sugar levels.
If a high-glycemic index food is causing issues for you, you can use the GI map of your favourite foods to see which foods fall into the ‘sweet’, ‘salty’, ‘naughty’, or ‘salty-and-sweet’ categories.
It’s important to discuss your eating habits with your doctor, as some vegetables, such as spinach and Brussels sprouts, can be high in nitrates and oxalates, which could adversely affect blood sugar control. People with diabetes should talk to their doctor about how to manage their blood sugar levels. If a high-glycemic index food is causing issues for you, you can use the GI map of your favourite foods to see which foods fall into the ‘sweet’, ‘salty’, ‘naughty’, or ‘salty-and-sweet’ categories.
By cutting out foods with a high GI, you can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
People with diabetes should also limit their consumption of foods with high glycemic indexes.
Nutrition is an essential part of managing type 2 diabetes. Aim for a low GI diet that suits your lifestyle and preferences, including choosing ‘healthy’ foods, such as vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and oily fish.
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