Belly fat severely impacts your self-image, and you tend to fixate on it. It is also harmful to your health, increases your risk of non communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Hypercholesterolemia ,heart disease and other ailments contributing to metabolic syndrome.
Incorporating fruit and vegetables into your diet will help you get rid of the pesky belly fat, and also make a significant change related to your overall health due to various properties in them including fibre and metabolism boosting contents.
Here are 5 vegetables that you can add to your diet to aid the loss of fat around the middle.
1. Spinach (and other leafy greens)
Spinach and other leafy green vegetables such lettuce and kale, are great for burning belly fat – and they are very nutritious as well! They are considered to be metabolism boosters. You can add a little cooked or blanched spinach to your breakfast or lunch to set your body on track for some major fat burn before exercise. Spinach contains something called Thykaloids . These Thykaloids have shown to reduce weight and waist circumference more favourably than restricted calorie diets. Furthermore, thykaloids found in spinach have also shown to improve insulin sensitivity and improve hormone balance in polycystic ovary syndrome. However, weight loss is key to improving polycystic ovary syndrome and improving fertility. PCOS sufferers are 50-70% more likely to become insulin resistant and go on to develop type 2 diabetes. Losing just 5-10% body weight has been shown to reverse it. Therefore if you are overweight and have PCOS then spinach and leafy vegetables are great foods to eat to improve your overall general health.
2. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are delicious and loved by vegetarians,vegans and non-vegetarians, alike. They have even started making appearance as an ingredient in coffees to increase their nutritional value. Mushrooms have been known to promote weight loss and fat burn by regulating the levels of glucose in the blood. Added bonus? They’re rich in protein and can help you increase your metabolism and help you to feel fuller for longer due to their rich source of protein content, resulting in fat loss. Mushrooms also contain vitamin D especially if you chose radiated mushrooms which are available in most supermarkets and usually don’t cost anymore. Vitamin D has been shown to regulate hormones and aid with weight loss. It is said that around 90% of people do not have adequate levels of vitamin D. Low vitamin D levels can contribute to weight gain. However, gaining weight in body fat makes it harder for the body to utilise vitamin D. This great fungi also contains plenty of fibre and b vitamins. Therefore, whatever your preference of diet, mushrooms are a great choice to include as part of a healthy diet.
3. Cauliflower And Broccoli
Apart from high-quality fibre and a host of health-boosting minerals and vitamins, broccoli contains phytochemicals that help enhance fat loss in the body. The same goes for cauliflower. Apart from being filling, cauliflower helps fight bloating and contains phytonutrient sulforaphane, as well as good amounts of folate and vitamin C.
Belly fat isn’t just an eyesore and severely impacts our self-image as well as our confidence, moreover, it is harmful for health. A lot of people struggle to lose the pesky fat that refuses to leave our bellies and with our lifestyles becoming more and more sedentary, our waistlines can only be expected to increase. But, getting rid of belly fat isn’t as much about doing crunches every day, as it is about eating healthy. There are some healthy foods that have natural belly fat burning abilities and consuming these foods can help you melt away that fat from your abdomen and achieve your goals naturally. Most of these foods pack a rich range of antioxidants that help boost overall health too. Instead of investing in ’empty’ calories, it is a good time to revamp your diet and think about foods that are not only low in calories but are a bundle of nutrition too.
Vegetables and fruits have a lot of fibre and are full of nutrition like essential minerals and vitamins that may help your body improve metabolism and subsequently burn belly fat. Including these in your diet may help you not just in your weight loss journey, but also to live a long and healthy life. The phrase “abs are made in the kitchen” is not an exaggeration and including these fat-burning veggies in your diet will help you reach your body goals faster. Vegetables are brimming with fibre, which help to fill you up. Since fibre takes a while to digest and hence, prevent you from overeating. Local, seasonal vegetables are also a good source of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that are essential for a healthy lifestyle.
4. Chillies
The heat created by the consumption of chillies helps use more calories properly and essentially oxidises layers of fat inside the body. This is called thermo regulation effect.However, if you are not a fan of the burning sensation of the chilli peppers, all non-hot varieties may have thermo regulation effects as they contain ‘capsaicin,’ which is responsible for burning fat in your body.
5. Carrots
Carrots are rich in both soluble and insoluble fibre and are perfect to add to your diet when it comes to healthy weight loss. You combine it with other fruits or vegetables to make a healthy, nutrient-rich meal, or stir-fry it along with your meat dishes but blending reduces the fibre by breaking it down so you will not get the full health benefits of it in smoothies.
If you are searching for a healthy weight-loss diet that is catered to your needs, contact us today.
