How to get rid of belly fat!

Unattractive, potentially dangerous, and hard to get rid of. There are two types of belly fat:

1. Subcutaneous - fat you can see and pinch, it keeps you warm in a cold winter, makes you overweight or obese and can lead to many diseases.

2. Visceral - hidden, dangerous and hard to lose even with cutting calories and exercise. Among other things, it is caused by the hormone cortisol that is produced when under stress. This can be deadly because it is so close to your heart and liver, and increases your chances of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and alzheimer's disease.

In 2007, Spanish researchers published a study in the journal "Diabetes Care" that showed that eating a diet rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA's) can help prevent weight gain in your belly. Researchers looked at three types of diets, one high in saturated fat, another high in carbs, and a third rich in "MUFA's" on patients with abdominal fat distribution or belly fat. Only the MUFA diet reduced the accumulation of belly fat and more specifically, visceral belly fat.

You can find MUFA's in oils like olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocados, olives and dark chocolate.

Ideas they came up with to incorporate MUFA's into every meal:

~Sassy water with ginger, cucumber, lemon, and mint.

~Pumpkin Bisque with olive oil and pumpkin seeds.

~Roasted potatoes with blue cheese and walnut butter.

~Dark chocolate drizzled popcorn with cashews.

~Turkey and avocado cobb salad.

You can find these and other recipes in "The Flat Belly Diet" by Prevention Magazine.

Suggestions for losing belly fat:

1) Eat four 400 calorie meals per day.

2) Never go more than four hours without eating.

3) Incorporate monosaturated fats.

4) Learn about stress in your life and how to cope with it.

5) Strong social support groups have helped 70% overweight people lose weight.

6) If you are an emotional eater try keeping a food diary and record how you are feeling when you eat.

7) Walk for 30 minutes five days out of the week.

We have been told over the years that eating fat is bad for you and contributes to obesity but this is not all true. Our brains, spine and cells need the good kind of fats. Good fats to include in your diet:

* MUFA's.

* Essential fatty acids like Omega 3 fish oil, flax seed oil, Cod liver oil, olive oil, olives, grape seed oil, hemp oil (3 to 1 ratio).

* Almond butter and walnut butter.

* Coconut (oil is good for high heat cooking).

* Raw nuts and seeds: almonds, cashews, flax, hemp, pecans, pine nuts, macadamia, sesame, sunflower, walnuts, etc.

* Animal fat (gives your body Vitamin A & Vitamin D )

We consume too much omega 6 mainly because animals that are grain fed (as opposed to pasture fed) contain more omega 6 than our bodies need. So the ratio of omega 6 is 20 to 1 instead of 4 to 1.

I have found that an important part of weight loss is detoxification and eating less sugar. Since your body has less sugar to burn, it will go into fat burning mode instead of fat storing mode!

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