Day 1: Belly Blaster FIT Foods

The dreaded belly fat...

Some women may refer to it as baby belly, but it's not just something that plagues mom.  Everyone can suffer from excess belly fat.  You can spend a whole hour a day doing sit ups and crunches, but may find that your abs still don't look as strong as they feel.  That's because you are only doing a fraction of the work necessary to reveal those strong abs hiding underneath that stubborn visceral fat.

All week I will be sharing easy tips that you can incorporate into your lifestyle that will help you achieve great abs that will make you proud.

Day 1:  Belly Blaster FIT Foods

There are tons of foods I could recommend, but don't want to overwhelm you, so I am going to focus on 2 categories of foods.

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs)

What Andi?  I think you are confused. 

No, I'm not.  Monounsaturated fats lower your cholesterol and counteract the effects of "bad" fats such as trans fats and saturated fat, which can clog your arteries and lead to heart problems.  In simple terms, MUFA's are good fats that help fight off bad fat.  Similar to bacteria in our intestines.  We need a certain level of ,what we consider, good bacteria to fight off the bad bacteria.  It's the same concept. 

Eating sources of MUFA's with your meals will help your body burn fat, specifically visceral fat which is found in the stomach area.  They help increase your metabolic rate which allow your body to burn fat quicker.

Here are some examples of foods high in MUFA's that I recommend adding to your diet. 

• Salmon
• Avocado
• Olives
• Nuts 

*Portion sizing is key because these foods can be high in calories. Limit the amounts you consume.  For example, eat only 8 almonds or 1/2 an avocado to achieve fat burning but not put on weight because high calorie consumption.  The essence of weight loss does not change.  Calories in, calories out.  However, certain foods affect your body differently and can have direct impact on your body shape.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids, an antioxidant, improves the body's metabolic profile, alters the way fats are processed through your body, and contains anti-inflammatory properties.
 
Some examples of foods high in flavonoids are:

• Apples
• Berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc)
• Pears
• Black & Pinto beans
• Cabbage
• Onion
• Parsley
• Tomatoes  

There are more foods that fall into these 2 categories, but these are just some examples to get you started.  I hope this helps and if you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section or contact me on my website.

Your Personal Trainer,
Coach Andi