5 Foods to Avoid if You Want to Flatten Your Tummy

The best way to tone and flatten your belly is with a mixture of effective belly trimming exercises and a healthy and balanced diet. But your time spent exercising is going to be a complete waste of time if you're not mindful of what you're eating.

This is because a number of foods activate bloating or add fat to your stomach, making it hard to lose those extra pounds.

Here are 5 foods that you need to avoid, or at least only eat occasionally, if you want to flatten your belly and get the body shape that you want.

1. Processed Foods.

Watch out for foods that come in a box, can, bag or carton. Processed foods are usually packed with chemicals, sugar and salt to improve their flavour and prolong their shelf life.

The chemicals and salt in processed foods increase your appetite and also cause bloating while the sugar adds extra calories that increases your body fat levels. The best foods to eat are 'real' foods that are whole and unprocessed.



2. Fast Food.

One of the best ways to flatten your belly is to avoid fast foods. Apart from being low in nutritional value and high in dangerous trans fats, a single fast-food meal usually contains 1,000 calories or more.

Not only does this large amount of calories cause excess fat to be stored around your stomach but it also results in you being sluggish whilst you are exercising.

3. Dried Fruit.

Many people believe that since dried fruits are healthy and natural that they are foods that flatten your belly. However, unlike fresh fruits which are mainly water and low in calories, dried fruits contain large amounts of sugar and are very rich in calories.

They have a similar effect on your body to candy and eating too many can really set back your flat stomach efforts.

4. Sweets And Candy.

Most of us know that sweets and candy contain a high quantity of calories and deliver very little nutritional value. The excessive calories in these treats cause fat to build up around your tummy.

The high sugar content also causes your blood glucose levels to abruptly crash and surge. This lowers your energy levels and raises your appetite which makes you more likely to overindulge.

5. Refined Grains.

Refined grains include foods like white flour, white bread and white rice. When they are processed they are stripped of their vitamins, minerals and, most importantly, most of their fibre.

This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life. You more likely to stay hungry after eating refined grains as they contain very little fibre. Also, refined grains slow down your metabolism.



Are you confused about healthy eating? Do you want to learn more ways to lose weight and get fit? Do you want to know the best workout techniques to get the results you want? Get more nutritional information, the best exercise programs, fitness motivation and a FREE eBook with over 100 tips for losing belly fat here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Allo/1079948

How to Get a Flat Tummy - 5 Power Foods

All the exercise in the world is not enough to give you a sexy flat tummy. Eating the right foods will burn through stubborn fat and promote lean, mean muscle growth. Protein-rich foods play a very important role in aiding your body to build muscle and stop storing fat.

Sticking to a balanced and varied diet and including a portion of protein in every meal will be a good starting point for getting that flat tummy you have been dreaming of, but which has so far proved somewhat elusive.

The following list of list of foods is known to give your natural fat burners a turbo-boost and give you tight, toned, to-die-for six pack abs.

Eggs

A protein powerhouse, eggs make the perfect breakfast as they stop lean muscle from being broken down while their high level of vitamin B12 helps to breakdown fat cells. As B Vitamins give you energy too, they will be a great source of energy for those tummy flattening workouts

Cut out the egg yolks and use just the high protein egg whites if you are worried about your cholesterol.



Lean meat

Meats like turkey and beef are a great source of protein, making them adept at building muscle and strengthening the immune system. To get the full benefit of these meats make sure that you get good quality meat and the leanest cuts of beef too, such as the rump. Beef is also full of those fat-destroying B vitamins, which will boost your efforts to get a flat tummy.

Oily fish

Aim to eat three portions of fish a week. Fish, although it contains significant levels of fat, will not make you put on weight rather then lose it. The indisputably 'healthy' fats found in fish will work with the high levels of protein to increase muscle mass and stop your body from storing fat on your waist and tummy area.

The Omega 3 fish oils found in fish also protect your immune system, which means you can keep exercising without feeling run down or ill.

Leafy vegetables

Low in calories and fat, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and lettuce are packed with fat-burning fibre as well as an endless list of vitamins and minerals.

Fibre has the added benefit of making you feel full so they are a great way to bulk up your diet. This in turn keeps you from craving carbohydrates and those flat tummy destroying sweet snacks.

Nuts

Nuts are another food source that has very high fat content. However, just like fish, these are good fats. Nuts are a good way to snack in between meals, instead of reaching out for those really bad foods like chocolate and crisps.

You can also add nuts to your breakfast cereal to boost your intake of healthy fats into your body. All these actions will move you closer to getting that flat tummy, faster.

Beans

Most beans for example kidney, lima, fava and aduki are packed full of protein. Beans are also a good source of dietary fibre which is good for the digestive system as well as iron. Canned beans should be avoided as they are full of added sugar and salt and not good if you want to get a flat tummy and tone your abs.

A word of caution, make sure you cook beans well so that your system can break down the proteins essential to keeping your muscles toned and your waistline slim. Legumes, such as lentils, are another great source of protein and vitamins.



Are you serious about getting a flat tummy? Then Truth About Abs is the ultimate step-by-step guide to burning off your excess belly fat and revealing your six pack abs underneath. It will take you through easily manageable routines that thousands of other people are following for amazing results in super fast time! Find out which foods you must avoid in order to give your bid to getting a flat tummy a massive jumpstart at http://www.opentruthaboutabs.com.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Catherine_Njau/476314

Want to Get a Flat Tummy? 5 More Foods to Avoid

Getting that perfect and sexy flat tummy is a combination of eating the right foods - high in protein, low in fat- and regular exercise. Knowing the food that you that you don't put into your body is just as if not more important. Some foods have little or no nutritional value and will in actual fact hinder lean muscle growth and instead promote the storage of stubborn fat, the result of which makes it especially hard to lose that extra fat around your tummy and waist and develop gorgeous, toned abs.

Here is a list of 5 foods to avoid if you want to get a flat tummy

Trans fats

Trans fatty acids are formed when oils are hydrogenated to make margarine, shortening or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Trans fats can be found in a wide range of processed foods from fried foods, margarine, baked goods, vegetable shortening to some less obvious ones like bread, cookies, snack crackers, salad dressings, granola bars, cereals, frozen dinners and many more. In fact, trans fats can be found in 40% of all processed foods in supermarkets today so always read the label. Trans fats have been linked with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes among other illnesses and will also do nothing for to get your tummy flat and toned.

Pasta

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that pasta and other carbohydrates like such as potatoes white rice are suitable diet foods just because they are low in fat. These foods are only good in small quantities and you must do regular exercise too of you want to get a flat tummy. These foods are a good source of energy, but only if you are going to use up that energy by exercising, otherwise your body will just convert it into fats, and store it, most likely in your tummy and waist area.

Artificial sweeteners

Research suggests that artificial sweeteners may lead to weight gain rather than weight loss. This is because scientists believe that a sweet taste followed by no calories makes the body crave more food, which can lead to you eating more. Some other experts have suggested that consuming products sweetened with a sugar substitute gives us a false sense of security. We are led to believe that we can eat more later to compensate since we have "been good" and not had any sugars. You are better off with real sugar if you must, in small quantities to stay on track for those sexy flat abs.

Full fat dairy

Dairy products such as cheese, butter and milk are important sources of bone-strengthening calcium. However, they are also rich in fat and packed full of calories. Eat too much of these and your quest of getting a flat tummy will be in serious danger of failing. For instance a 100g slab of your average cheddar cheese contains around 37g of fat. The secret is in limiting the amount of cheese you take while at the same time switching to semi skimmed or skimmed milk altogether. This will ensure that you get the benefits of dairy but at the same time you stay on track to getting your flat tummy as you will be cutting out the fat.

Canned Soups

These can be sometimes taken for a healthy food but this can be misleading as many contain high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives. Just one serving, which is roughly one cup can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt! Soups that are cream-based can be high in calories and fat and are an enemy to your quest for getting a flat tummy.

Are you serious about getting a flat tummy? Then Truth About Abs is the ultimate step-by-step guide to burning off your excess belly fat and revealing your six pack abs underneath. It will take you through easily manageable routines that thousands of other people are following for amazing results in super-fast time! Find out which other foods actually help you burn fat and will give your bid to getting a flat tummy a massive jumpstart at http://www.opentruthaboutabs.com


[http://opentruthaboutabs.com] Click here now for tips on getting a flat tummy and revealing those six pack abs, fast.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_Njau

Want To Get A Flat Tummy? 5 Sure Fire Tips

Having a flat tummy is the one thing that many people wish for but which seems out of reach for most, but is it? What secrets do the top fitness experts and all those select few walking around with flat board stomachs know that we do not? Your clothes do not fit because you refuse to buy the next size up so your waist ends up looking like a series of mountain ranges. I know, I have been there and it is not pleasant at all. Well, in order for you to get a flat belly, you need to do some form of exercise. However, this is not the most important thing. The most important thing that stands between you and getting a flat tummy is your diet; all the abs exercises in the world without the proper diet will not get you the flat tummy you want.

All of the best waist-whittling foods contain fiber to banish bloat, antioxidants to boost your muscle building program's effectiveness, and protein to help maintain a healthy metabolism. Put simply, to get a flat tummy and be on the way to those six pack abs, you need to switch to slow release carbohydrates, up your quality protein intake and increase your consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Cutting your carbohydrate intake completely out of your diet in a bid to get a flat tummy is counter productive. On the other hand, do not eat too many carbohydrates as your body will convert them to stored fat. Have slightly smaller portions of potatoes, rice or bread if you are going to have them but just enough so that you are not hungry. These foods will give you the energy you need but too much of them and the body, rather than waste them, will convert them to fat and store them.

What you need to watch out for in your bid to get a flat tummy are refined carbohydrates - the foodstuff most available in our busy lifestyles. Avoid sugary and rich foods like cake, crisps, sweets and sugary drinks as they contain the bad fats and sugars which your body will convert into the fat that covers your six pack abs. These high fat, high sugar foods are high calorie foods that will be changed into stored fat by your body, and stop you from achieving your goal of getting a flat tummy.

The key is having some balance. Cutting out sweet things completely can be difficult and can lead to you binge eating and undoing all the good work you have done in your quest to get rid of belly fat. The secret is to treat yourself every now and again. Have a small cake or sweets once a week as this will provide your body with the small amount of sugar that it needs too. You see your nutrition and your flat tummy diet is about cutting back on fats your body does not need and boosting your lean muscle, which raises your metabolism. Once your body's metabolism is up, you will begin to burn more fat. This, combined with the fact that you are consuming less fat means that your body has less fat to store over time, and you can begin see your tummy get flatter and your six pack abs begin to show.

Another important thing to do is eat small meals throughout the day. Our bodies naturally want to store up food, so by spreading your flat tummy diet into 5-6 small meals over the course of the day, your body will soon learn that it does not need to keep hold of fuel reserves and will therefore store less fat. You must remember that these meals need to be balanced and in small portions. You cannot eat 6 normal size portions a day and expect to get a flat tummy.

One other useful tip if you want to get a flat tummy is to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Your body needs water in order to function properly. The body uses up energy to heat up any water you drink to body temperature so drinking cold water will help you in your desire to get a flat tummy.

Water is essential for the body to carry essential nutrients, removing toxins from the body as well as preventing dehydration and is therefore a key factor for any successful diet or fitness program. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses a day. This might be difficult to start with so like anything, start small and build up. Another useful tip I have found is placing water within easy reach so I take sips throughout the day, for instance in the car or on my desk at work.

Are you serious about getting a flat tummy? Then Truth about Abs is the ultimate step-by-step guide to burning off your excess belly fat and revealing your six pack abs underneath. It will take you through easily manageable routines that thousands of other people are following for amazing results in super fast time! Find out which foods actually help you burn fat and will give your bid to getting a flat tummy a massive jumpstart at http://opentruthaboutabs.com


[http://opentruthaboutabs.com] Click here now for tips on getting a flat tummy and revealing those six pack abs, fast.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_Njau