For many of us, as we get older, our bellies get bigger. It used to be thought that this was just a natural occurrence with aging, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, you should do whatever it takes to reduce your belly fat as it is not healthy and can lead to numerous illnesses. And you do not have to starve yourself or be miserable just to get rid of that spare tire.
Subcutaneous fat is the normal fat just under our skin and is found throughout our bodies. Visceral fat or belly fat is stored in the abdominal area and is not healthy. This visceral fat can wrap around the internal organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines.
Excess belly fat leads to inflammation which then leads to diseases like insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), atherosclerosis, heart disease, and certain cancers.
Once you start to reduce your belly fat, your health will improve. Your high blood pressure will come down, insulin resistance will drop, you might have fewer aches and pains and you could lower your risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Your belly fat increased because of the foods you were eating. Lack of exercise or sitting at a desk every day adds a little bit to belly fat, but diet is the main cause for too much belly fat. Here are a few simple healthy ways for you to reduce belly fat.
Excess belly fat leads to inflammation which then leads to diseases like insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), atherosclerosis, heart disease, and certain cancers.
Once you start to reduce your belly fat, your health will improve. Your high blood pressure will come down, insulin resistance will drop, you might have fewer aches and pains and you could lower your risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Your belly fat increased because of the foods you were eating. Lack of exercise or sitting at a desk every day adds a little bit to belly fat, but diet is the main cause for too much belly fat. Here are a few simple healthy ways for you to reduce belly fat.
Eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup to Lose Belly Fat
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is not exactly the same as sugar in that it usually has more fructose than glucose, though sugar is not great for your waist or health either when eaten in excess.
Beverages like soda pop, energy drinks, juices, and sports drinks are worse than some foods that have added HFCS and contain more fructose. Many popular beverages made with high fructose corn syrup have a fructose-to-glucose ratio of approximately 60:40, which means that they contain 50% more fructose than glucose.
Fructose not only causes belly fat to accumulate but can also lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Studies done with rats found that high fructose corn syrup led to an increase in overall fat, especially belly fat.
In another study, researchers divided everyone into three groups. One group had breakfast with a drink containing 100% glucose, the second group had half glucose and half fructose, and in the third group, the drink was 25% glucose and 75% fructose.
The researchers measured the conversion of the sugars to fat in the liver and how the morning sugar meal influenced the metabolizing of foods eaten later in the day. De novo lipogenesis (the process by which the liver converts carbohydrates to fat) increased significantly with the morning drinks that contained fructose.
There is an unfounded fear that fruit makes us fat because it also contains a high amount of fructose. The reason the fructose in fruit doesn’t make us fat is that fruit also has fiber, which is very important for our health.
To reduce belly fat, eliminating high fructose corn syrup and reducing the amount of sugar you consume will certainly help.
Beverages like soda pop, energy drinks, juices, and sports drinks are worse than some foods that have added HFCS and contain more fructose. Many popular beverages made with high fructose corn syrup have a fructose-to-glucose ratio of approximately 60:40, which means that they contain 50% more fructose than glucose.
Fructose not only causes belly fat to accumulate but can also lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Studies done with rats found that high fructose corn syrup led to an increase in overall fat, especially belly fat.
In another study, researchers divided everyone into three groups. One group had breakfast with a drink containing 100% glucose, the second group had half glucose and half fructose, and in the third group, the drink was 25% glucose and 75% fructose.
The researchers measured the conversion of the sugars to fat in the liver and how the morning sugar meal influenced the metabolizing of foods eaten later in the day. De novo lipogenesis (the process by which the liver converts carbohydrates to fat) increased significantly with the morning drinks that contained fructose.
There is an unfounded fear that fruit makes us fat because it also contains a high amount of fructose. The reason the fructose in fruit doesn’t make us fat is that fruit also has fiber, which is very important for our health.
To reduce belly fat, eliminating high fructose corn syrup and reducing the amount of sugar you consume will certainly help.
Reduce Oil and Fat Consumption
There are many types of vegetable oil in processed foods including canola oil, soybean oil, palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil and on and on. Oil is really nothing more than pure fat and it increases your belly fat.
Oil and fat have more than twice the calories than either protein or carbohydrates do. Oil/fat has 9 calories per gram while protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram, and those excess calories really add to the belly fat.
Considering there is probably oil in every meal you eat, that is approximately three tablespoons of oil per day. There are 130 calories in just one tablespoon of oil which translates to an extra 390 calories per day. This means you would gain 37 extra pounds each year just from the oil you consume in foods and salad dressings.
Fat is just like oil, it has too many calories. In addition to oil, these are high-fat foods that can hinder weight loss and your ability to reduce belly fat.
- All animal foods are high in saturated fat
- Dairy products
- Nut and nut butters
- Avocados
- Chocolate
Avoiding these foods will help you lose the belly fat and regain your health. You can find healthy alternatives. If you eat meat, find the leanest types and limit the portion to no more than 3.5 ounces or about the size of a deck of cards. Fill your plate with healthy protein alternatives like quinoa, beans, and vegetables like peas.
Reduce Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates include all of the donuts, cakes, cookies, potato chips, hamburger buns, ice cream, sugar, and white flour products. There are few nutrients in refined carbs because they have been stripped out along with the healthy fiber.
Refined carbs are basically those foods that are full of sugar, oils and fat, without a lot of nutrition and can add substantially to belly fat. Replace refined white carbs with complex carbohydrates.
Increase Complex Carbohydrates and Whole Grains
Extremely low carb diets are not the long term answer to losing belly fat, as our bodies need plenty of healthy complex carbs to function and thrive. As you start to reduce the refined carbs in your diet, you should increase the complex carbohydrates in your diet. Do not believe the myth that all carbs will cause you to gain weight because that is just not true.
Complex carbs are whole grains, vegetables, beans, lentils, tubers, and fruit. A baked potato is a complex carb and it would be impossible to gain weight from eating a baked potato, considering it only has 140 calories. And you certainly cannot get fat eating vegetables.
Whole grains and complex carbohydrates contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and fiber. Increasing the amount of fiber you eat per day will help you feel fuller so you won’t be constantly hungry.
Fiber is an excellent prebiotic and will help you create healthy gut bacteria. Having healthy gut bacteria will help you reduce belly fat plus it can heal digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, and other digestive ills.
Alcohol is just empty calories, and those calories really do pack on the belly fat, especially as you get older. If you had just one beer each night per week, that would be an extra 1,050 calories per week. That could lead to 15 added pounds of belly fat per year. And that is just with one beer per day.
By eliminating the beer and alcohol, you could lose those extra pounds as long as you didn’t add soda pop or junk food to your diet to replace the alcohol.
Fiber is an excellent prebiotic and will help you create healthy gut bacteria. Having healthy gut bacteria will help you reduce belly fat plus it can heal digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, and other digestive ills.
Reduce Alcohol to Lose Belly Fat
By eliminating the beer and alcohol, you could lose those extra pounds as long as you didn’t add soda pop or junk food to your diet to replace the alcohol.
Reduce or Eliminate Processed Foods
Eating a simple diet might be the most important way for you to lose belly fat. A simple diet is mainly eating whole foods instead of processed, packaged and junk foods. Processed foods and packaged foods have far too many unhealthy chemicals and food additives that cause belly fat to accumulate.
There are certain food additives that actually interfere with our endocrine system and hormones, like leptin and ghrelin, two very important hormones that regulate satiety and hunger. Some of these food additives have been given the name, obesogens because they contribute to the rise in obesity.
These obesogens include artificial sugars, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and artificial flavors. Cooking your own meals is a great way to reduce these chemical food additives in your diet.
Having healthy gut bacteria is the most important aspect of reducing belly fat. Our gut microbiome includes all of the various bacteria found in our gut, good and bad. When the bad bacteria outnumber the good gut bacteria, we can have stomach and digestive issues and have a hard time reducing belly fat.
Be Kind to Your Gut
Having healthy gut bacteria is the most important aspect of reducing belly fat. Our gut microbiome includes all of the various bacteria found in our gut, good and bad. When the bad bacteria outnumber the good gut bacteria, we can have stomach and digestive issues and have a hard time reducing belly fat.
Junk foods, overly processed foods, and fast foods all contribute to creating the bad gut bacteria. Good gut bacteria grow and thrive on plant foods like vegetables, beans, lentils, tubers, and whole grains. These foods are all known as prebiotics.
Probiotic foods all contain beneficial gut bacteria like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, kombucha, kefir, and healthy yogurt. You can also take a probiotic supplement to help the good gut bacteria flourish.
A healthy gut microbiome will help you build a healthy digestive system, which in turn will help you reduce belly fat and get rid of digestive problems.
Probiotic foods all contain beneficial gut bacteria like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, kombucha, kefir, and healthy yogurt. You can also take a probiotic supplement to help the good gut bacteria flourish.
A healthy gut microbiome will help you build a healthy digestive system, which in turn will help you reduce belly fat and get rid of digestive problems.
Conclusion
These simple but healthy tips to reduce belly fat can be incorporated into any type of healthy diet. Be patient, your belly fat didn’t just appear in a week, so it will take some time to get rid of it. Adding a little exercise can help reduce belly fat even more. Learning how to say no to unhealthy food can also help you reach your health goals.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
© 2019 Sam Montana/Healthy Food and Life
Resources:
Science Direct - Fructose content in popular beverages made with and without high fructose corn syrup
