Kick the Diet Soda Habit
You know soda is bad for you, but is your Diet Coke habit really adding inches? I’m afraid so. A study in the journal Diabetes pro showed that those who drank two or more diet sodas a day increased their waist size by six times more than those who didn’t.
The culprit? Artificial sweeteners that trick your body into releasing insulin to deal with the sugar that isn’t coming and slowing your metabolism.
Three Meals a Day
For years experts advised several small meals through the day, but a recent study in the journal Hepatology found that too much snacks between meal led to greater abdominal fat.
Consider giving up your mid morning snack first, as research shows that morning snackers consume more daily calories than mid afternoon snackers.
Walnuts
Research in the journal Diabetes found that unsaturated fat, such as that found in walnuts, trigger genes that improve insulin sensitivity and reduce fat storage. Try a handful on your morning oats or salad.
Beans
Packed with fat-busting soluble fiber, beans are a dieter’s best friend. Research conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center shows that just 10 grams of beans a day can reduce visceral fat by more than 3% over 5 years.
Fill up with just a half cup. If beans leave you bloated, be sure to soak overnight before cooking or go with canned.
Green Tea
Chugging on coffee all day can pack on extra pounds, while sipping on green tea through the day has the opposite effect.
Catechins in green tea rev up the metabolism to burn fat. A recent study found that those who drank 4-5 cups of green tea per day and worked out a total of three hours a week lost 2 pounds more than their peers who didn’t drink tea, while another study found that drinking the same amount of coffee actually doubled visceral fat.
Whole Grains
Consuming at least three servings of grains per day has been shown to reduce belly fat by 10%, but the key is to avoid refined grains in favor of whole grains. It’s unclear why whole grains are so good for cutting belly fat, but it’s thought that it has to do with the high fiber content.
Pepper
Pepper contains a compound called piperine that has been used for centuries to treat a variety of health conditions. Modern animal studies back up some of these uses.
Piperine has been shown to decrease inflammation and slow formation of fat cells, reducing body fat and cholesterol.
Indulge
In dark chocolate, that is. A study followed two groups of women on a Mediterranean diet. One group added two servings of dark chocolate per day. This group reduced their waist size significantly more than those who didn’t eat the chocolate.
Antioxidant and antiinflammatory flavonoids in chocolate are believed to be responsible for this benefit. Look for varieties with at least 70% cacao for the highest flavonoid (and lowest fat) content.
